January and February are the months for new ideas, developing projects and dreaming for me and istanbulberlin. Thus, there has not been a new post in istanbulberlin since the last newsletter, also as my interview with Derya Yıldırım was postponed because of health issues. I am feeling a little guilty not sharing anything but I am trying to hang on

January and February are the months for new ideas, developing projects and dreaming for me and istanbulberlin. Thus, there has not been a new post in istanbulberlin since the last newsletter, also as my interview with Derya Yıldırım was postponed because of health issues. I am feeling a little guilty not sharing anything but I am trying to hang on :)

Therefore I decided to share some old posts on films with you in this issue. Belonging to the lucky minority that still can work from home, my agenda in the mornings is 'what to cook?' and at nights it is 'what to watch?'.

So there is this space in istanbulberlin that is about cities and city culture. At the films of cities I shared three short interviews that has a selection of five films:

Oh Boy!: To Fall in Love with Berlin Again: Tamara Khodova, a Moscow based film journalist, with her own words, is "absolutely obsessed with films, festivals and Berlin". She wrote to me about her five Berlin movies and the absolute favourite one.

Esin Küçüktepepınar: A Mysterious Love Story Set in Istanbul: Istanbul based cinema writer Esin Küçüktepepınar selected movies that reflect the soul of the city the best.

Films that Reflect Radical Changes of Berlin: Barbara Mennel is not only Professor of German and Film Studies at University of Florida but also the author of Cities and Cinema . The movies she chose look at the milestones in the history of Berlin encapsulating a subtle look.

And below I am sharing Ben Hopkins' piece as that has a selection of three films of Istanbul and three of Berlin.

I would like to finish of with a personal suggestion that I watched recently with a beautiful Berlin scenary in the background: Ich bin dein Mensch (I am Your Man, Maria Schrader, 2021).

Wishing you a week to encounter with good movies.