Chords of Change

Yağız Alp Akaydın's 2024 Turkish film covers the staging of the Özsoy opera in the thirties. The work was prepared in a short time and performed as the first opera of the Turkish Republic. The film takes the preparation as its subject. The composer, the stage crew and the singers work under both technical and political pressure; the narrative shows art built by the state as both an opportunity and a burden. Salih Bademci and Birce Akalay appear. The music is at the centre. The tone follows the period-film form and is celebratory. Who it's for: viewers of Turkish musical history and period films. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a critical account of the period; the film chooses an affirming frame.