Istanbul Director's Blog

By Jimmy Quigley, Director

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In Istanbul, ancient and modern collide on the banks of the Bosphorus. But it's not just where Europe and Asia meet. I meet Hussein Chalayan at his hotel to talk through the film. He introduces me to his mother, his aunt, his partner and then his personal assistant. They are all coming on the shoot!

We zoom round Istanbul like bats out of hell. Normally in my films we shoot in maybe four or five locations, but Hussein has a list as long as your arm. Eighteen locations if I remember.

I also normally shoot with just one camera person and one driver; four in total. This time round I had two drivers, a camera assistant and a fixer -- so in total we were 11 people, not the kind of number for a quick "Dogme"-style shoot.

Hussein wanted to show Istanbul as a cool haven for creative types, which I hope the film conveys. It was quite a revelation to me the number of trendy bars, cafes and restaurants within the city. When one thinks of Istanbul you don't necessarily think of private clubs and ultra-modern interiors, but they are there.

I'd recommend a romantic break in Istanbul but you would need plenty of time to take it all in. As it got dark we were still shooting and my crew were beginning to get a bit shirty about how late it was, particularly as it was the biggest soccer game of the season that evening.

We eventually wrapped near nine in the evening and my crew at least got to see the second half of the game. I headed back to my hotel thoroughly knackered!

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