A trailer for the documentary film Kedi shows the beauty of Istanbul through the eyes some of its smallest inhabitants, street cats. Kedi, which is a feature film debut for director Ceyda Torun, tells the story of the hundreds of thousands of cats that can be seen on the streets of the Turkish capital.
The narrator of the movie explained that those cats are neither domestic, nor strays, instead they are an inseparable part of the city; they play a very particular role, creating a specific dynamic and atmosphere. Charlie Wuppermann from Termite Films said that Torun grew up in Istanbul and was always very fond of the cats, but what really inspired her was the reaction of people outside Turkey.
The cats in Istanbul and their relationship to the city and its people is the only one of its kind in the world. Here, cats behave as if they know you even if youve just met, Wuppermann said.
The film-maker collected stories from different neighbourhoods, including Cihangir, Nisantasi, Kandilli, Bomonti, Samatya, Kumkapi, Karakoy and Galata. The crew used various techniques to film the cats but the crucial idea was to film it from the cats perspective, close to the ground.
Kedi will be released on 6 March in the US.
