Culture

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Why “Turkish delight and Italian stallion” are worthy winners of Love Island 2022

Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti were crowned winners in last night’s Love Island finale, with social media erupting in joy at the news that the show’s most entertaining and deserving couple had won. Over 3.4 million viewers tuned in live to see the outcome of the eighth series of ITV’s hit...

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Film review: “Tearjerker” Paper Lives / Kağıttan Hayatlar is “one of the finest Turkish films to be released in past two years”

Among heaps of colourless films on Netflix, Paper Lives (‘Kağıttan Hayatlar’) stands a lustrous tree topper awaiting to be watched. Paper Lives unquestionably swings in as one of the finest Turkish films to be released in the past two years. Director Can Ulkay and writer Ercan Mehmet Erdem unve...

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Essential music: Top 5 Turkish albums to listen to this summer

Summer is here, and the sun is shining. Maybe you’re chilling on the beach in North Cyprus or Turkiye or Britain (yes, for a change, the UK is having a proper summer!)? Or perhaps your mood craves something altogether more lively? For those of you who enjoy exploring new sounds and indie artists, th...

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Top 5 books: from an American Turkish coming of age to the adventures of a Turkish detective, the best reads this summer

Holidays offer a fantastic opportunity to get stuck into a good novel or two. If you are looking to find the latest English-language page-turner by a Turkish writer or on Turkish themes, look no further than this Top 5 list of great reads for summer 2022.Keeping the House by Tice CinThrust right int...

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Love her or hate her, Turkish bombshell Ekin-Su brings the spice to Love Island

ITV2’s hit television show Love Island is back to satiate our need for drama this summer with new bombshells and six-packed hunks. This season’s hot topic contestant is none other than British Turkish actress and model Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu. The 27-year-old Essex girl has topped worldwide trends on Twi...

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Divisive or freedom of expression and belief? T-VINE explores the controversy around The Lady of Heaven

The Lady of Heaven was the talk of the town last week when UK cinema chains Cineworld and Showcase ceased all screenings of the “blasphemous” film on the big screen. The British film claims to depict the origins of terrorism in Islam and its first victim, Lady Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muh...

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Film review: more action than thriller, Yılmaz Erdoğan’s Grudge / Kin “falls short of mystery”

Grudge is a film that starts off beautifully, bearing a plot twist with so much potential. Yılmaz Erdoğan, who both stars in the film and also penned its script, could have done a first in Turkish cinema had he taken a more adventurous direction when developing the crime mystery set around officers...

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Review: Hackney’s finest get their Turkish groove on as Altın Gün rock EartH

An eclectic crowd in East London were rocked by the new masters of Anatolian psychedelic pop, Altın Gün, on Friday night. From the euphoric reactions of the sell-out crowd at EartH, the long-awaited return (three years!) of the band to the British capital, fully loaded with their trademark synthesiz...

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Film review: My Father’s Violin falls short on quality music, but as a feel-good drama does satisfy

A cursory glance at the poster of My Father’s Violin / Babamın Kemanı (2022) as you scroll through Netflix suggests a nostalgic dive into a virtuoso’s life. Whilst this new Turkish movie doesn’t take the ‘Whiplash’ route into an upcoming musician’s world, as Engin Altan Düzyatan portrays an already...

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Film review: In Good Hands “underwhelming, meshing together every conceivable emotional cliché”

‘In Good Hands’ (Sen Yaşamaya Bak) is a Turkish drama/romantic comedy on Netflix. My  excitement of watching this new release transpired to be misplaced, as the film is rather underwhelming. The plot is spoon-fed to us right off the bat. Melisa (Aslı Enver) learns that she is terminally ill wit...

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