EMEK CINEMA
PROTESTS
PROTESTS
Before Gezi there was Emek!
Emek Cinema Protests (2011-2013)
“Emek (Labour) * is ours /Istanbul is ours’’
"Hands off Istanbul!"
The original Emek Movie Theatre was as old as Turkish cinema itself. Built by the well-known architect Alexandre Vallaury in 1884 as Cercle d’Orient and utilized for a number of different purposes (Hunters’ Club, Athletics Gym, Circus, Skating Palace) till 1924, the Emek building was then opened as a movie theater. First named ‘Melek’ (angel in Turkish) because of its beautiful art-nouveau angel figures, after it was bought by the state institution, The Pension Fund in 1957, the building was named after it as Emek. With its singular architecture, its spacious hall with sitting capacity of 875 persons and its easy access to and from street, the Cinema become one of the most important cultural venues of Istanbul. Until 2010's!
Situated at the heart of Beyoğlu and thus at a very precious plot, the building is planned to be turned into a big shopping mall just like the one across it. Against the renewal project of the municipality, activists, film stars, artists, media representatives, academicians and citizens have started a resistance to reclaim Emek. On the 17th of April 2011, the resistance started with a rally attended by hundreds. The masses, while on their way to Emek, occupied the newly gentrified neighbouring building which was also turned into a big mall (Demiroren), for an hour, crying out their slogans ‘Emek is Ours/ Istanbul is Ours’ and also ‘Get out of Emek/ Demolish Demirören (the mall occupied). Then the crowd moved into Emek street.
Ekümenopolis, the documentary about the urban transformation of Istanbul, was screened in the street. The second event took place right after the 1st of May demonstrations, in the evening. From that point on, every Sunday starting at 5pm, activities and creative tactics to appropriate Emek Street continued. The street hosted the feminist film festival on the 8th, tea and coffee chats on the 15th, and two important speakers on urban transformation on the 22nd.
Despite widespread protests, the cinema was demolished, and a new commercial development (Grand Pera) was later constructed on the site. However, the protests led to the “Direnİstanbul” (Resist Istanbul) movement. This movement later inspired people to protect the trees in Gezi Park against another gentrification project, which in turn led to the Gezi Protests.
The Grand Pera Shopping Mall, which led to the demolition of the Emek Cinema, was also built by Kamer Construction, a company affiliated with the Kesgün family. The family were also the architects of the Galeria Site in Diyarbakır, which was destroyed in the February 6, 2013 earthquake. According to unofficial estimates, 89 people lost their lives in Galeria. In 2010, a meeting was held at the IKSV building in Şişhane regarding the project, which would later be named Grand Pera. At this meeting, Fatih Kesgün (a member of the family) was booed by the cultural and artistic community and filmmakers filling the hall when he stated that a shopping mall would not be built in place of the Emek Cinema. Mücella Yapıcı (an architect who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in the Gezi Park protests), exposed Kesgün's lies about the project, saying, "This is a project that foresees demolition." Following this meeting, Kesgün's distortion of the facts, claiming that Emek Cinema would be "dismantled and moved rather than demolished," was also used by the AKP government from 2010 until Emek's demolition in 2013 to quell protests against the project.
Resources:
https://hatirlayansehir.hakikatadalethafiza.org/en/emek-movie-theatre/
https://katoikos.world/dialogue/before-gezi-there-was-emek-the-demolished-heart-of-turkish-cinema.html
https://fre.habitants.org/nouvelles/habitants_d_europe/emek_est_a_nous_istanbul_est_a_nous_recuperons_le_cinema_emek/(language)/eng-GB
https://fasikul.altyazi.net/pano/emeki-yikanla-galeriayi-yapan-bir/
https://emeksinemasi.blogspot.com/
Emek Cinema Protests (2011-2013)
“Emek (Labour) * is ours /Istanbul is ours’’
"Hands off Istanbul!"
The original Emek Movie Theatre was as old as Turkish cinema itself. Built by the well-known architect Alexandre Vallaury in 1884 as Cercle d’Orient and utilized for a number of different purposes (Hunters’ Club, Athletics Gym, Circus, Skating Palace) till 1924, the Emek building was then opened as a movie theater. First named ‘Melek’ (angel in Turkish) because of its beautiful art-nouveau angel figures, after it was bought by the state institution, The Pension Fund in 1957, the building was named after it as Emek. With its singular architecture, its spacious hall with sitting capacity of 875 persons and its easy access to and from street, the Cinema become one of the most important cultural venues of Istanbul. Until 2010's!
Situated at the heart of Beyoğlu and thus at a very precious plot, the building is planned to be turned into a big shopping mall just like the one across it. Against the renewal project of the municipality, activists, film stars, artists, media representatives, academicians and citizens have started a resistance to reclaim Emek. On the 17th of April 2011, the resistance started with a rally attended by hundreds. The masses, while on their way to Emek, occupied the newly gentrified neighbouring building which was also turned into a big mall (Demiroren), for an hour, crying out their slogans ‘Emek is Ours/ Istanbul is Ours’ and also ‘Get out of Emek/ Demolish Demirören (the mall occupied). Then the crowd moved into Emek street.
Ekümenopolis, the documentary about the urban transformation of Istanbul, was screened in the street. The second event took place right after the 1st of May demonstrations, in the evening. From that point on, every Sunday starting at 5pm, activities and creative tactics to appropriate Emek Street continued. The street hosted the feminist film festival on the 8th, tea and coffee chats on the 15th, and two important speakers on urban transformation on the 22nd.
Despite widespread protests, the cinema was demolished, and a new commercial development (Grand Pera) was later constructed on the site. However, the protests led to the “Direnİstanbul” (Resist Istanbul) movement. This movement later inspired people to protect the trees in Gezi Park against another gentrification project, which in turn led to the Gezi Protests.
The Grand Pera Shopping Mall, which led to the demolition of the Emek Cinema, was also built by Kamer Construction, a company affiliated with the Kesgün family. The family were also the architects of the Galeria Site in Diyarbakır, which was destroyed in the February 6, 2013 earthquake. According to unofficial estimates, 89 people lost their lives in Galeria. In 2010, a meeting was held at the IKSV building in Şişhane regarding the project, which would later be named Grand Pera. At this meeting, Fatih Kesgün (a member of the family) was booed by the cultural and artistic community and filmmakers filling the hall when he stated that a shopping mall would not be built in place of the Emek Cinema. Mücella Yapıcı (an architect who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in the Gezi Park protests), exposed Kesgün's lies about the project, saying, "This is a project that foresees demolition." Following this meeting, Kesgün's distortion of the facts, claiming that Emek Cinema would be "dismantled and moved rather than demolished," was also used by the AKP government from 2010 until Emek's demolition in 2013 to quell protests against the project.
Resources:
https://hatirlayansehir.hakikatadalethafiza.org/en/emek-movie-theatre/
https://katoikos.world/dialogue/before-gezi-there-was-emek-the-demolished-heart-of-turkish-cinema.html
https://fre.habitants.org/nouvelles/habitants_d_europe/emek_est_a_nous_istanbul_est_a_nous_recuperons_le_cinema_emek/(language)/eng-GB
https://fasikul.altyazi.net/pano/emeki-yikanla-galeriayi-yapan-bir/
https://emeksinemasi.blogspot.com/
“Emek is ours /Istanbul is ours’’
Next
The Despair of the "Civilised"
1min. video in loop, analog photography, ebru art (marbling), animation
