Thursday 01 March 2007 - I met Kerem Akalin of Maker Arts; he contacted NPP some weeks ago wanting to further explore the Learning Turkish project. After the first meeting Kerem invited me to a screening of a film included as part of the Istanbul film festival:
What The Bleep Do We Know : Down The Rabbit Hole
Here's Wikipedia's entry on the film:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Bleep_Do_We_Know%21%3F
Is it all about quantum physics or merely further God Squad resurgence? It has been suggested to me that What The Bleep is fodder for bored house wives funded by Christian fundamentalists. However, I rather enjoyed the film and found it interesting that Kerem had taken it upon himself to bring the film to the notice of a Turkish distributor for other Turks to see.
Tuesday 06 March 2007 - Met young film maker Memo to discuss working together on the Learning Turkish project. After a dinner at Smyrna, we agreed to attempt a collaboration. You can check out the world of Memo at http://www.nemoramjet.com/
Thursday 15 March - Met Miss Bengu Hun at Maker Arts. She is the first candidate to be interviewed for the role of teacher in the Learning Turkish project. She seemed very suitable and positive about the gig.
Tuesday 20 March 2007 - Another meeting at Smyrna and confirmed Bengu Hun joining the team; her job will be to teach me to understand and speak fluent Turkish in 2 months starting Monday 09 April. Hos geldiniz Bengu!
Sunday 08 April 2007 - We were due to start Turkish lessons tomorrow, but we have a postponement. Memo's gone missing and the re-scheduling affects Bengu's availability. Still, although searching for Memo is currently proving unfruitful, he has thankfully left us with a short teaser film and a beginning. Thanks Memo! We plan to shoot additional footage and produce a more polished teaser film over the next weeks. As for Bengu, it was a nice idea and we hope to keep in touch with her. We have hardly started and already plans have changed.
Wednesday 11 April 2007 - We received a response of rejection from Turkish rock/pop group Mor ve Otesi regarding involvement in the Learning Turkish project. I spoke with journalist Leyla Umar. She understood Rainbow Bridge straight off. She doesn't seem to understand this project and unlikely to see her involvement in the short term. Hmm, not much luck so far with Turkey's cool and famous celebs. Nevermind.
Thursday 12 April 2007 - Gokce and Nilgun visit Ned. A new camerawoman and teacher? Seemed to go well.
Tuesday 17 April 2007 - Following a reference from Cenk Telimen at Tribeca, NPP met Kerem Kurdoglu at http://www.sinefekt.com/english/ to discuss the Learning Turkish project.
Wednesday 18 April 2007 - The NPP film crew visited Galata Kulesi where a mechanical digger moved a flower pot and broke a bench; Persembe Pazari where Ned played tavla and took cay with Erol and Ersin; Galata Koprusu where a fisherman somehow linked fish with transsexual trousers; Eminonu where we visited Osman at the hardware shop; the Spice Bazaar where shop keepers talked of the powers of Turkish Viagra; in the Grand Bazaar we met the black market stock exchange and Hasan Semerci at his Adnan & Hasan carpet shop; in the Mavi Cami I spoke with mother of 10, Sehr from Uskudar and along Istiklal Caddesi we of course filmed the tramvay plus the Catholic and Crimean Memorial Anglican Churches.
Osman painted in 1997
Thursday 19 April 2007 - Today the camera visited the Ataturk Gulumsuyor portrait at Lutfi Kirdar, the GCV school in Fatih, Sultanahmet to see Sofi , Mavi Cami, a boyaci (shoe shiner), more school children and the Karakoy-Haydarpasa ferry. Below we see Fehmican in Sultanahmet and on the Karakoy-Haydarpasa ferry.
In the evening Ozun, Fehmican and Gokce took me to Umut Ocakbasi in Beyoglu, Cicek Pasaj, Nevizade and a meyhani called Adiyo Mamma http://www.adiyomamma.com/. Plenty of potentially useful footage was hopefully collected, but how much spoken Turkish I'll remember may be in doubt, since a good deal of raki was also consumed.Saturday 21 April 2007 - Tomorrow NPP will join a local Cihangir residents organisation to paint a wall with children to commemorate 23 April Children's Day http://www.cihangir.org.tr/
Sunday 22 April 2007 - Although tomorrow is 23 April Children's Day, an activity for children in Cihangir was more practical to organised for Sunday. Gokce was on hand to film the activity.Go to A Wall in Cihangir to see what happened.......
Tuesday 24 April 2007 - Long time NPP associate and friend Loonyone came into town to be filmed for the Learning Turkish project.
Wednesday 25 April 2007 - We took the camera to the Kasimpasi/Dolapdere football pitch regularly used by staff from The Marmara Pera. I joined them for a game at 6pm to get footage for the film. Excellent.
Go to 03.05.2007 CTK Law
