Eye Filmmuseum presents the first exhibition in the Netherlands devoted to the work of acclaimed Turkish filmmaker and photographer Nuri Bilge Ceylan. For this occasion, Eye is bringing together his prize-winning films and lesser-known landscape photographs for the very first time. That combination reveals not only Ceylan’s masterly photographic eye and sense of composition, but also the deeply compassionate way he explores universal themes from a Turkish perspective.

Born in Istanbul in 1959, Ceylan is renowned for his literary style of cinematography in which he skilfully explores the human condition. His protagonists are authentic individuals who navigate personal struggles, seeking meaningful connections and learning to overcome loneliness and communication challenges. Although his films touch on the universal, they are inextricably rooted in recent Turkish history and its myriad contrasts: between city and countryside, religion and secularism, intellectual and working-class environments, rich and poor, individualism and collectivism.

In today’s world of black-and-white thinking, Ceylan shows in nuanced and humanistic ways how background shapes character. Dialogues rich with existential musings lingering shots of interiors and vast landscapes, give viewers space to reflect on the meaning of life. And a crucial role is played by landscapes. For Ceylan, they constitute more than backgrounds. Whether it is a vibrant Istanbul cityscape or a vast Anatolian plain, all his landscapes reflect and influence the inner world of his characters.

The interface between photography and film

Ceylan started his career as a photographer. Although his films have been regularly screened and applauded, his photographic work has never previously been presented in the Netherlands. This exhibition offers a perfect opportunity to bring together Ceylan’s photographic and cinematographic work for the first time.

Ceylan weaves together film and photography in his films. Not only are a number of his characters photographers, but he also plays with the contrast between moving and static images. Moreover, his films invariably display a strong sense of photographic composition. Conversely, his imposing photographs, printed on large Cinemascope format, exude an unmistakably filmic sensibility.

Films, talks and events

The accompanying film programme includes multiple screenings of the feature films of Nuri Bilge Ceylan, most of them on 35mm and drawn from the Eye collection. In a number of special Eye on art events, photographers, filmmakers and prominent Turkish-Dutch makers, will reflect on Ceylan's oeuvre and the way his work resonates in various Turkish communities. A number of films that have always inspired Ceylan will also be screened.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan has won many film awards, among them the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for Winter sleep (2014), and numerous major jury prizes. His award-winning films include Kasaba (1997), Clouds of May (1999), Uzak (2002), Climates (2006), Three monkeys (2008), Once upon a time in Anatolia (2011) and About Dry Grasses (2023). He lives and works in Istanbul, where his artistic vision has a strong influence on contemporary Turkish cinema.