KEDI: A Film about Felines in Istanbul
PUBLISHED June 14th, 2017 07:00 am | UPDATED June 3rd, 2020 12:16 am
After premiering worldwide at 2016’s !f Istanbul Independent Film Festival, the 79-minute documentary film by director Ceyda Torun, Kedi, is finally hitting the screens of The Projector this Thursday, 15 June 2017.
Much like the 1985 American anthology horror film directed by Lewis Teague and written by Stephen King, Kedi brings the viewers on a journey, through the cat’s eye. Through recorded interactions with seven cats (Sari, Bengü, Aslan Parçasi, Deniz, Psikopat, Gamsiz and Duman), you began to realise that unlike Stephen King’s story, the cats and humans of Istanbul have formed a pattern of codependency. Living between two worlds, neither wild nor tame, these cats bring joy and purpose to those people they choose to adopt. Especially in Istanbul, cats are like mirrors for people, allowing them to reflect on their lives in ways nothing else could. Pointed out aptly by an elderly woman in the film, “When you notice the cat, the cat notices you. It’s very natural. Like a mirror.”
Following the success of recent female directors like that of XX and Wonder Woman, each of whom have helped to raise the bar higher in the film industry, director and producer Ceyda Torun is definitely no exception. Having grown up in Istanbul, she attributed the lack of loneliness she felt during her childhood and how she turned out as an adult to the presence of these cats. Hence, Kedi is said to be a love letter of sorts to these felines and to her country. Despite the changes that frequently plague this metropolitan state, the cats have proven to be a constant, gradually becoming synonymous with the city and ultimately an embodiment of Istanbul itself. The way she followed the cats were, thus, a stroke of brilliance since they’re probably the best tour guides to the city, showing people – literally – never-before-seen nooks and crannies of her home town.
With the help of several local researchers, stories were gathered from people with extensive knowledge of the street cats in their neighborhood. This helped determine who to cast for the film: who is the alpha, which cat was fathered by whom, which cat steals from the fishmonger, who was the one with the habit of breaking and entering into a neighbor’s house. All of which became the heart and soul of the project. The musical score chosen to support movie also played a major part in setting the tone for several scenes. It helped to set tension and assisted in alleviating the mood at other instances. In several scenes, playful notes were used for comic effect. This all led to a wholesome film that explored the full spectrum of human emotions.
After the film ended, we were all left wondering, how in the world did they capture all that? Shooting from a cat’s point of view means there are scenes of running through a crowded wet market and climbing down an underground drainage system – it would have been physically impossible for a human to follow suit. The answer? Cat cameras. In addition, they flew drones over the rooftops for breathtaking shots of Istanbul. 
“God brings us closer to Him in different ways. For me, it was through these animals,” someone says in the film. We agree; after all, “a cat meowing at your feet, looking at you, is life smiling at you.”.
Kedi opens 15 June at The Projector, #05-00 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Rd, 199589. For more information and for movie timings, check out their event page here. Otherwise, go straight to the ticketing link here.
