Synopsis
Land acquisition for luxury apartment development forces a 600 year old Roma quarter in Istanbul to face the eviction.
Sulukule, a run-down district in Istanbul, is the oldest Roma settlement in the world. Until the 1990ies the Roma made a living through music and dance. Sulukule was the home of nearly 40 entertainment houses which were popular with Turks and tourists until the clubs were closed down in the 1990ies and 2005 an urban renewal project started. The municipality wanted to buy all the buildings and replace them with luxury villas, transforming the neighbourhood. The film depicts Sulukule as an example for the numerous urban renewal and gentrification projects world-wide and their social consequences.
Sulukule, a run-down district in Istanbul, is the oldest Roma settlement in the world. Until the 1990ies the Roma made a living through music and dance. Sulukule was the home of nearly 40 entertainment houses which were popular with Turks and tourists until the clubs were closed down in the 1990ies and 2005 an urban renewal project started. The municipality wanted to buy all the buildings and replace them with luxury villas, transforming the neighbourhood. The film depicts Sulukule as an example for the numerous urban renewal and gentrification projects world-wide and their social consequences.
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