Autumn arrives and venues come alive as culture returns to the city

The summer lull is over, and Istanbul’s cultural life is starting to move again. Stages are reopening, galleries and museums are preparing new exhibitions, festivals and fairs are getting underway, and newly published books are joining a packed autumn calendar.

Cinema takes a prominent place in the programme. Among the announced releases are *Hen*, about a chicken that escapes a farm and fights to protect its eggs; *Sacrifice*, which follows armed activists pursuing a legendary box during a charity night; and *Mutiny*, starring Jason Statham as a former police officer trying to find the real killers after being blamed for the death of a prominent businessman.

Brad Pitt will appear in *Heart of the Beast* as a special-forces officer who survives a military plane crash and tries to stay alive with his dog in Alaska. Tom Cruise leads *Digger*, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, alongside Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Michael Stuhlbarg and John Goodman. Other titles include *El ser querido*, starring Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo, *Wild Horse Nine*, with John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Parker Posey, and a new version of Charles Dickens’s *A Christmas Carol* starring Johnny Depp and directed by Ti West.

Filmekimi will bring its selection to Istanbul from October 9 to 18, Ankara from October 15 to 18, and Izmir and Mersin from October 22 to 25. The programme will range from Cannes award winners and new films by established directors to strong performances and discoveries. One of its highlights is *Fjord*, by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, whose film *4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days* won the Palme d’Or. Tickets go on sale September 29.

MUBI FEST Istanbul will return to Paribu Art from September 4 to 6, two years after its previous edition. The festival will hold the Turkish premieres of *Coward*, *Ata Yurdu*, *Miyazma Kampı*, *The Unknown* and *Hope*. The wider city programme also points audiences toward 212 Photography Istanbul, Contemporary Istanbul, Ahmet Ümit’s new novel, an Altın Gün concert and Istanbul Modern’s exhibition *Under the Same Blue*.