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Turkish Classics Revisited

A SONG TO LONG FOR
BEKLENEN ŞARKI

• Director: Cahide Sonku, Sami Ayanoğlu, Orhon M. Arıburnu
• TURKEY / 1953 / DCP / B&W / 90’ / Turkish; English s.t.

• Screenplay: Sadık Şendil
• Director of Photography: Kriton İlyadis
• Editing: Turgut İnangiray
• Music: Sadi Işılay
• Cast: Zeki Müren, Cahide Sonku, Sami Ayanoğlu, Jeyan Ayral Tözüm, Abdurrahman Palay, Bedia Muvahhit, Talat Artemel
• Producer: Cahide Sonku
• Production Co.: Sonku Film 
• World Sales: Fanatik Film
• Source: TRT Ankara

Istanbul Film Festival continues to revive most significant works of Turkish cinema by restoring these outstanding classics with the collaboration of Zurich Sigorta. Filmlovers will have the opportunity to watch the 1953 film ‘A Song to Long For’ co-directed by Cahide Sonku, the first woman director of Turkey, Sami Ayanoğlu and Orhon M. Arıburnu from its copy digitally restored by Atlas Prodüksiyon.

A Song to Long For is significant for the cinema of Turkey as it harbours many firsts. It is most memorable with the iconic promotional photo of Cahide Sonku and Zeki Müren, and of course the titular song. It is a product of the collaboration of these two great names, it is Müren's debut role, but Sonku, already a huge film star, is predominantly everything for the film––it's producer, co-director, lead actress. Also the film's "music director," Zeki Müren has composed the titular song, a classical Turkish song in the nihavend form and waltz style. Müren briefly describes A Song to Long For as "a musical and exciting film that expresses the close combat of a former musician's only son with a myriad hardships and the deepest impression of his love of music on his soul." A Song to Long For achieved huge success, and initiated the repopularisation of musical Turkish songs.

This film was a Meetings on the Bridge participant.