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Return to the Colorful Streets of Yeşilçam: We Visited the “Perdeden Önce” Exhibition at Istanbul Film Office!

Return to the Colorful Streets of Yeşilçam: We Visited the “Perdeden Önce” Exhibition at Istanbul Film Office!

Recently, we made our way to Kasımpaşa, to the Istanbul Film Office—the city’s new and exciting meeting point for the cinema industry. As soon as we stepped inside, we were greeted not just by an exhibition, but by that warm, naive, and enchanting street atmosphere of Yeşilçam. Exploring the “Perdeden Önce: Erol Ağakay Mimeray Archive” exhibition curated by İBB Miras, we embarked on a veritable time travel through the long-missed visual memory of Turkish cinema.

The moment you enter through the doors of the exhibition, you witness firsthand how a massive three-generation family labor, extending from Hasan Mithat Ağakay to Erol Ağakay, was meticulously crafted stitch by stitch. Examining closely those giant hand-painted posters that are impossible to find in today’s digital world, the nostalgic cinema lanterns illuminating the entrances of movie theaters, old lobby cards, and billboard applications was, in a word, a fascinating experience. Carefully unmasked and brought to light from the dusty shelves of the Mimeray Archive, these rare works carry the “public face” of Turkish cinema on the streets to the present day in all its vibrancy.

As you tour this unique archive in detail, you feel this very clearly: these works hanging on the walls were not made merely to promote a film or announce a release date. Every brushstroke, every typography documents the aesthetic taste of the era, the aura of the stars that was distant yet so much one of us, the commercial world of those years, and the street life of Istanbul. This exhibition is a tribute to the unsung heroes of that visual feast that prepares the audience for that magical world before the movie even starts, before they even sit in their seats—that is to say, literally starting “before the screen.”

Established by İBB to support the city’s film production and lend a shoulder to young filmmakers and the industry, the Istanbul Film Office has not only remained an operational hub, but has transformed into a wonderful cultural venue. We went, got lost in the light of those nostalgic lanterns, and watched with admiration how rich a craftsmanship our cinema history relied upon.

If you, too, wish to touch the memory of Yeşilçam, stand in front of those unique posters and absorb the imagination of the past, you should definitely visit this exhibition and experience it with your own eyes.