Destinations
Cinematic Celluloid Nostalgia
The story of the Atlas Cinema begins in 1948, although the building that houses it has been around since 1871. Tucked away in Atlas Pasajı, this charming little cinema has been entertaining audiences with a mix of Turkish and American films for decades. The cinema has a unique character that adds to the movie-going experience. The Atlas is known as one of the oldest cinemas still in existence in the city and still attracts a large crowd. Although the cinema itself cannot be seen from the street, look out for the bold, eye-catching movie posters advertising the latest films just outside the entrance to the Atlas Arcades.
The İstanbul Film Museum consists of four floors and a roof area totalling 1500 square metres. The museum’s permanent collection exhibition space includes an augmented reality room, a Turkish cinema memory pool, a green box, and a selfie room.
On the second floor of the museum, visitors are guided through the different chronological periods of Turkish cinema, with themes such as shadows and the moving image, from the early to the modern period.
The museum has revived the Atlas Cinema, which plays an important role in the city’s collective memory.
