Iconic movie theater Alkazar reopens

The Alkazar Movie Theater, one of Beyoğlu's symbolic venues, has reopened its doors with the new name "Hope Alkazar" on the last day of the Beyoğlu Culture Road Festival.

Speaking about the Alkazar Movie Theater and its 100-year-old history at the opening ceremony, Culture and Tourism Deputy Minister Ahmet Misbah Demircan said a very beautiful structure emerged after the restoration.

Stating that the building was opened with digital artwork, Demircan said: "Alkazar made a good start with Refik Anadol, of whom we are proud. Technology put a new perspective into the old one but with a completely different understanding. The exhibition here displays frames from 150 films that were screened in Alkazar since the 1940s until it was closed. Beneath those frames, he brought our feelings, our culture and the beauties of our cinema together with digital art for everyone to enjoy."

Demircan defined the Hope Alkazar building as "art within art," saying, "It not only draws attention to our cinema culture but also offers millions of frames to us with such a clever method. This is exactly what we call 'a future rooted in the past.' Culture and arts are something like this. Culture is the past that makes us who we are, while arts is to produce new thoughts and new approaches."

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, famous artist Anadol, whose interactive installation titled "Alcazar's Dream" is exhibited in the building, said that he prepared his work with the contributions of Nike Turkey.

"Representing the historical memory of the Alkazar Movie Theater, nearly 150 films played in this theater between 1947 and 2010 are reunited with the audience in 3D thanks to artificial intelligence [AI]. In fact, this is the first time in the world that...