Belgian director Chantal Akerman's masterpiece, "Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles," ("Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels"), which she shot at the age of 25 before tragically ending her life at 2015, has claimed the top spot in the Sight and Sound magazine's "Greatest Films of All Time" poll held every decade in 2022.
This achievement made Chantal Akerman the first female director to reach the summit of the prestigious list.
Istanbul's Cinematek, the cinematheque, is set to shine a spotlight on Chantal Akerman's cinema with a new program running from Jan. 30 to April 7. In addition to the main program, which is the most extensive Akerman retrospective ever held in Türkiye, there will be a selection dedicated to Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni titled "Marcello at 100!" and screenings of Andre Antoine films accompanied by live music as part of the regular Silent Thursday program.
Accepted into the international network of cinematheques by the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), the Cinematek continues its screenings and events at its building with full force in the new year. Following the success of the 60's Godard selection that captured the attention of cinephiles, another transformative filmmaker is taking her place on the big screen with the best copies of her films.
On the threshold of time
Chantal Akerman, a Belgian-born nomadic director, resisted the categorization of her cinema into any labels. Nevertheless, she crafted her unique cinematic path, allowing for a "before and after" in her work. Akerman's cinema, confronting patriarchy and capitalism, bearing the traces of her family's survival of the Holocaust, showcased times ignored by previous cinema and places overlooked by conventional spaces.
The program will feature a total of 18 films by Chantal Akerman, including her debut film "Blow Up My Town" (1968), the autobiographical "Les Rendez-vous d'Anna" (1978), the masterpiece "Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quay du Commerce, 1080 Brussels" (1975) and her final film "No Home Movie" (2015), all to be screened at the Onat Kutlar Cinema Hall.
Starting on Tuesday, Jan. 30, with the documentary "I'm Not from Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman" (2015), the program will delve into Akerman's journey between alienation and connection. Films such as "I, You, He, She" (1974), the enchanting hidden gem "Night and Day" (1982), the documentary following legendary dance choreographer Pina Bausch, "Pina Said... One Day" (1983), her unique recording of the historical moment right after the collapse of the Soviet Union, "From the East" (1993) and the musical "Golden Eighties" (1986) are among the featured films in the program.