Londoners, if you missed the recent screening of Kedi at the BFI, you have another chance! This must-see film for cat and Istanbul lovers offers an intimate and fascinating tour of the streets, alleys and enclaves of Turkey’s biggest metropolis from a cat’s-eye-view.

Roaming the streets of Istanbul, director Ceyda Torun follows seven felines – with their individual ‘personalities’ – as they navigate their way through an ever-changing and sometimes dangerous city. Receiving food and attention from a host of locals, the cats are appreciated as symbols of luck and good energy.  Among the film’s stars are: Sarı (The Hustler), Bengü (The Lover), Deniz (The Social Butterfly), Psikopa (The Psycho) and Duman (The Gentleman).

Inspired by her own childhood surrounded by cats in the city, Ceyda’s film captures the grace of these semi-wild, beautiful, haughty and intelligent animals as they go about their lives. Described as “a magical and remarkable documentary” by Joe Leydon for Variety Magazine, the camera follows from the ground to purvey their point of view.

Soundtracked perfectly by Kira Fontana, the documentary was a box office sensation in the US. Showing at the Barbican until next Thursday.

Screening details 

Title: Kedi

Screening dates: Friday 30th July to Monday 17th July 2017

Screening times: various – see here for details

Film running time: 79 minutes

Venue address: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS. For Cinema 2 and Cinema 3, entrance via Beech Street 

Admission: Tickets £12, members £9.60 (concs £5-11)

Tickets: buy from Barbican’s online ticket shop