Kadıköy residents stand up for Rexx Cinema

The Kadıköy People's Representative Assembly decided to gather for the Rexx Cinema in Kadıköy, Istanbul, which has been slated for demolition. Many artists and citizens provided their support, chanting slogans such as "A Kadıköy without Rexx is a cinema without color," "Cinema is being sacrificed to rent-seeking," "The silver screen cannot be demolished, Rexx will not be forgotten," "Emek was demolished, let Rexx not be," and "Rexx is ours, Kadıköy is ours."

Actor Şevket Çoruh called on all Kadıköy residents to follow the situation, stating, "It touches all of our nerves that a venue which is a symbol of Kadıköy and which made me love cinema since my childhood is being transformed into something else, removed from its cultural and artistic structure, and handed over to rent-seeking."

Fulya Girginer, President of the Kadıköy People's Representative Assembly, said that Kadıköy has turned into a cultureless entertainment venue.

'WE WILL NOT SACRIFICE IT TO RENT-SEEKING'

The press statement was read by Serap Emir on behalf of the Kadıköy People's Representative Assembly.

Emir said, "In Kadıköy, second-hand bookstores, cinemas, theaters, and exhibition spaces have closed one by one. It has turned into a place where monopolized bars and restaurants reign; a place of consumption, not sharing. It continues to transform. Because this order, which values nothing—not life, nature, people, history, or culture—and destroys them, needs to consume and grow brutally. A regime of plunder and mafia prevails in Kadıköy. Venues completely block the streets, and one cannot walk on the streets. Those living in apartments cannot sleep at night due to noise and clamor. The streets are in a very filthy state with bottles and the smell of toilets. Drugs have taken over Kadıköy. Young people no longer come to Kadıköy to watch movies and theater, but to find drugs, to consume, and to be consumed."

Stating that the Rexx Cinema has been a cornerstone belonging to the center of Kadıköy for at least 150 years, Emir said, "It is a place that is highly preferred for watching films and used as a meeting point. Sometimes, even if we don't go or see it, it belongs to us. We cannot prevent the demolition because a report of heavy damage was issued. However, we will prevent the building from being used solely for rent-seeking and the cinema from being demolished to be replaced by a brand-name venue for large capital groups."

WHAT HAPPENED?

For the Rexx Cinema, which is seen as one of the symbolic structures of Kadıköy and has a long history, the Istanbul Cultural Heritage Preservation Board had approved the demolition of the cinema by deciding that there was no need to register the structure as a "cultural asset that must be preserved."

News Source : 12punto