'Bosnia-Sanjak Culture Days' begins in Istanbul

Metrohan, Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, and Pera Museum will host concerts, exhibitions, film screenings, and talks, strengthening the cultural ties between Bosnia-Sanjak and Turkey.

Events such as the 'Sjecaš li se Sarajeva - Do You Remember Sarajevo?' exhibition, compiled from the Hamdija Kreševljakovic video archive, and the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra's 100th-anniversary concert are bringing this rich cultural experience to the people of Istanbul.

At the same time, film screenings by Bosnian director Pjer Žalica and music concerts reflect cultural diversity and depth. The events, which will take place between November 2 and 19, 2023, promise an unforgettable cultural journey.

AIMS TO KEEP ARTISTIC EXCHANGES ALIVE

The 5th Bosnia-Sanjak Culture Days is preparing to meet the people of Istanbul between November 2 and 19, 2023, with events at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Pera Museum, and Metrohan. Organized in cooperation with the Bosnia-Sanjak Academic Culture and History Foundation and the Turkey Bosnia-Sanjak Association, and curated by Azra Tüzünoğlu, the events—including concerts, exhibitions, talks, and film screenings—aim to increase and sustain cultural and artistic exchanges between Bosnia-Sanjak & Turkey.

The Bosnia-Sanjak Culture Days begins with the opening at Metrohan of the exhibition titled “Sjecaš li se Sarajeva - Do You Remember Sarajevo?”, organized in collaboration with the Clarissa Thieme & Hamdija Kreševljakovic Archive and Nihad Kreševljakovic. This 4,000-hour civilian video archive consists of a special collection of amateur videos shot with handheld cameras between 1992 and 1995 by a group of Sarajevans led by the Kreševljakovic brothers and Nedim Alikadic while Sarajevo was under siege.

“Sjecaš li se Sarajeva - Do You Remember Sarajevo?” moves an archive forum into a gallery space, inviting visitors to encounter the raw material of the Hamdija Kreševljakovic Video Archive as well as the questions posed by Thieme and Nihad Kreševljakovic.

The works, previously shown at prestigious institutions such as the Berlinale, NBK, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and Savvy Contemporary, are meeting the Istanbul audience for the first time within the scope of this exhibition. The exhibition, which will open on November 2, will remain open until December 31, 2023, and will recount the besieged Sarajevo and the tragedy experienced within it through a civilian historical interpretation by first-hand witnesses.

SARAJEVO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY IN ISTANBUL

Like our Republic, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra is also celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Founded in 1923 during the Austro-Hungarian occupation, the orchestra constitutes one of the cornerstones of musical culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In an environment where social developments ruthlessly affect cultural conditions, the Philharmonic Orchestra has been forced to rewrite the pages of its history many times, suspending its activities during World War II and the siege of Sarajevo.

The Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra will meet art lovers in Istanbul on November 11 at 20:00 at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall for the “Meeting of the Centuries” concert. The concert, which will feature 78 musicians under the direction of Mihnea Ignat, one of the leading Romanian conductors of his generation, will include compositions by Dino Rešidbegovic, Avdo Smailovic, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Cemal Reşit Rey.

ILLUMINATING ISTANBUL WITH A PROGRAM FULL OF CINEMA AND MUSIC

Cinema holds an important place in the Bosnia-Sanjak Culture Days. In the program titled Traces of Time, which will take place between November 4 and 19 in cooperation with Pera Film, a selection consisting of five films by the award-winning Bosnian director Pjer Žalica will be presented. Pjer Žalica, the focal point of the program, will meet cinema lovers on Saturday, November 18, following the screening of the film May Day.

This special talk between film critic Alin Taşçıyan and the director will take place at the Pera Museum Auditorium. Within the scope of the Traces of Time program, on Friday, November 10, Clinical Psychologist/Psychotherapist Meral Erten will conduct a film reading following the screening of the director's film Savršeni Krug / The Perfect Circle. Parallel to the Pera Film program, musician and musicologist Zanin Berbic and Adis Sirbubalo, contemporary interpreters of Sevdalinka music, will give a concert at the Pera Museum on Tuesday, November 7, at 20:00.

The 5th Bosnia-Sanjak Culture Days will take place between November 2 and 19, 2023, with the cooperation of the Bosnia-Sanjak Academic Culture and History Foundation and the Turkey Bosnia-Sanjak Association; main sponsorship by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Medicana Health Group, Polin Waterparks, and West Istanbul Marina; hosting by the Pera Museum, CRR, and Metrohan; and in collaboration with the IMM Department of Cultural Heritage & IMM Department of Culture.