HIPHOPISTAN
USA/Turkey, short documentary, 2006; 25 min
In English and Turkish w/English subtitles

Directed and Produced by: Çigdem Akbay
Edited by: Devrim Akteke
Camera: Çiğdem Akbay, Devrim Akteke, Erdem Ayvazoğlu, Vedat Balta, Özcan Vardar, Çağatay Kaçıktaş, Deniz Buga
Music: Nefret (Ceza and Dr. Fuchs), Jerry Lordan, Bedri Caglayan
Featuring: Ahmet Ertegun, Ceza, Fuat, DJ Funky C, Joker, Turbo, Ayben

HIPHOPISTAN is a documentary film that examines the impact of hip-hop culture on Istanbul youth and reveals how young Turkish rappers, DJs, break-dancers, and graffiti artists creatively blend popular influences with their local cultural values and traditions. While providing a glimpse into the lives of innovative youth in a predominantly Muslim and rapidly globalizing city, this film raises awareness of the many similarities of youth culture worldwide

Awards:
2008 DocuTurk New York Documentary Showcase- New York, New York- Awarded for “Distinguished Contributions to Turkish Documentary Filmmaking”
2007 Atlanta Hip-Hop Film Festival- Atlanta, Georgia- “Best Short Documentary” Award
2007 H20 Hip-Hop Odyssey International Film Festival- New York, New York- Nominated “One of the top ten hip-hop films of 2007”
2007 Snek Channel Short Film Competition- Istanbul, Turkey- 3rd Place

Festivals
2008 28th Annual Assembly of Turkish-American Association Convention- Washington D.C.
2007 IF Festival- Istanbul & Ankara, Turkey
2007 Globians Film Festival- Potsdam, Germany
2007 Society for Visual Anthropology/American Anthropological Association Film, Video and Interactive Media Festival-Washington D.C.
2007 Blacksoil Hip Hop Film Festival- Rotterdam & Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2007 12th Annual Boston Turkish Film Festival
2007 CINEFEST, Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Madison in Winsconsin
2007 Just Shoot Me Festival- The Hague, The Netherlands
2007 Plato Film Short Film Festival- Istanbul, Turkey
2007 Rhythm of the Line Hip-Hop Film Festival- Berlin, Germany
2007 5th Annual Turkish Festival in Washington D.C.



Director Cigdem Akbay
Cigdem Akbay (currently in the U.S.) has spent past five years in Istanbul, Turkey conducting anthropological research and working on various film projects. Hiphopistan is a result of her growing interest in the relationships between Istanbul youth, cultural identity, and globalization. She hopes to continue shooting documentary films dealing with similar themes in the future.

DVD Source
Director/Producer Cigdem Akbay
Chigma711@yahoo.com