Produced by Sevil Demirci, Don't forget me Istanbul offers a series of glimpses into the old Ottoman capital through eyes of six internationally acclaimed directors. In a succession of 15 minute shorts, the ancient city's multi-cultural fabric is brought to life through the different nationalities that pass through the city, each for their own reason and with their own story to tell.
The star studded omnibus of directors include Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad, who won the Golden Globe award for his movie Paradise Now, Bosnian director and Cannes laureate Aida Begic, Armenian director Eric Nazarian, Danish/Palestinian writer and director Omar Shargawi, winner of the Golden Tiger Award in Rotterdam for his film, Go With Peace, Jamil and Stergios Niziris.
Each director uses Istanbul as a backdrop to explore different hybrids of human emotions and themes of loss, heritage and nationalism. The shorts takes place in different neighbours, intertwining the city's famous monuments, architecture and busy market streets with the individual stories of the different characters.
A disgruntled Greek man finds himself intrigued by the Turkish wife of the man who ran away with his money, a dangerous rendez-vous between a Palestinian writer and an Israeli soldier highlights the deep seated conflict between the two nations, an Armenian oud player retraces his sad history while searching for lost heirlooms, a lost Palestinian women goes on an unexpected adventure around the city in search of her hotel, a budding actress explores the theme of Othello in relation to her own love life and a lost Serbian woman follows the mirage of her dead son.
The Bosphorus, which cuts the city in half so it straddles two continents, remains a constant motif stringing the different shorts together. The film offers a poignant portrayal of a complex city by playing it out through the lives of different characters.
