Cinema history is in danger at Mimar Sinan: Where is the priceless archive?

Demolition has begun on the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Cinema-TV Application and Research Center. "The Rectorate held a 'tender for demolition in exchange for scrap,' and the firm that won the tender began demolition work on the building before the legal proceedings were finalized," students and alumni said, launching a petition to halt the demolition. The building is both Türkiye's first and only film archive and an educational facility.

A university graduate and professor who spoke to our newspaper on the subject and wished to remain anonymous said, “I believe that the Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu Cinema and TV Center building should be strengthened and preserved rather than brutally demolished because of its value, its importance in our cinema history, its status as the first and only archive building built in our country, its place where the first film education was initiated, and its role as a mere archive and film school, which has served and has the potential to continue to serve numerous functions that add value to the city's memory and our cinema.” He added: “I would like to remind you that it is the responsibility of the responsible administration to properly carry out legal procedures and to preserve the traces of history and the past rather than destroying them. I fully support the justified opposition of the students and graduates of the film and television department. Students who qualify for this department with high scores should exercise their right to practical training at the Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu Cinema and TV Center, a building where they will experience cinema in every breath.”

THERE ARE ALSO NITRATE-BASED

The graduates, who stated that the archive located inside the building where demolition has begun, "was known to have been moved to the basements beneath the Faculty of Arts and Sciences building in Bomonti," continued, "However, that archive didn't just contain negatives from Turkish cinema. They claim they gave what they call nitrate-based films from the Ottoman Empire, the War of Independence, Atatürk, and the early years of the Republic to the Ministry of Culture. Some of these films may have gone to the Ministry, but the whereabouts of others are unknown. The topic of archives is a very long one. Among the films from Turkish cinema, there are nitrate-based films. We don't know where they are kept. Furthermore, who is looking at these films is as important as where they are located. Film archiving is a specialized field. It requires trained personnel. Who holds these films?" they ask.

Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University's Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu Cinema-TV Center is the building where Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu initiated the first cinema education program in Türkiye. Home to the educational, archival, and digital restoration efforts that Şekercioğlu has dedicated over half a century, this center is not just a building; it's the heart of Turkish cinema history, a cultural treasure that bears the legacy and legacy of esteemed masters such as Metin Erksan, Lütfi Ö. Akad, İlhan Arakon, and Memduh Ün.