International Istanbul Silent Cinema Days, Turkey’s first and only festival dedicated exclusively to silent cinema, is presenting its sixth edition from 4 to 8 Dec. 2019. Festival locations are Akbank Sanat Merkezi, Institut français, Kadıköy Sineması and Bina. This year’s theme is ‘The Unknown’, showcasing unknown examples from film history, as well as films concentrating on the unknown subjects of their day, such as travel to the moon. As always, recently restored films are presented with live musical accompaniment.

In the 1920s immigrant inventor Jacques Bolsey aimed to disrupt the early film industry with a motion picture camera for the masses: the iconic Bolex. Over 90 years later, filmmaker Alyssa Bolsey pieces together the fragments of a forgotten family archive to reveal the epic story of her great-grandfather in Beyond the Bolex. In this film, Alyssa Bolsey takes us to a journey, during which she Interviews not only her family members but also renowned filmmakers, such as Wim Wenders, Jonas Mekas, Bruce Brown and Barbara Hammer – all of whom were influenced by this invention. Travelling to Switzerland, Alyssa Bolsey delves into Jacques Bolsey’s personal diary, film reels and collected images in order to understand the man and his impact on generations of filmmakers.

For more information and tickets: Silent Cinema Days