The Colours of Cultural Diversity (2010)

Throughout the centuries of the three empires - the Roman, the Byzantine and the Ottoman and now the Turkish Republic; people of different faiths and beliefs have lived together in Istanbul creating a strong cultural heritage. The theme of the documentary is about this cultural heritage. We have interviewed members of the Rum, Armenian, Jewish, Roma, Levantine and Syriac Communities, sixteen artists in all. They are painters, musicians, sculptors, photographers, writers and singers living and creating their work in Istanbul. Each artist tells us about his cultural heritage, his relation to his community, to his family and to the city - his vision about his work, the energy and inspiration he draws from the city. One can liken the film to marbling - different colours flow together side by side in the water without running into each other, but drawing inspiration from it.