''Istanbul Beneath My Wings'' (Original Turkish title: ''İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında'') is a 1996

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

film, written and directed by

Mustafa Altıoklar Mustafa Altıoklar (born 1958) is a Turkish film director, Film producer, producer and screenwriter. He is the chairman of the Turkish Film Directors Association and is fluent in English. Although he graduated from the medical faculty of Istanbul U ...

. It is a dramatization of Hezârfen Ahmet Çelebi's reported flight across the

Bosphorus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

from

Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most nota ...

Plot

The film takes place in the 17th century. Hezârfen Ahmet Çelebi and

Lagâri Hasan Çelebi Lagâri Hasan Çelebi was an Ottoman scientist, engineer and aviator who, according to the account written by traveller Evliya Çelebi, made a successful crewed rocket flight. Account Evliya Çelebi reported that in 1633, Lagari Hasan Çelebi ...

are researching bird flight. The new Sultan

Murat IV Murad IV (, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; , was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in Constantinople, the son of Sul ...

resists the domination of his mother, the

Valide The valide trombone is a hybrid valve trombone invented in the 1940s by jazz musician Brad Gowans. It features both a set of three piston valves and a slide to vary the pitch. The slide on the valide is positioned within the valve section and is ...

Kösem Sultan Kösem Sultan (; 1589 – 2 September 1651), also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (;), was the Haseki sultan, Haseki Sultan as the chief consort and legal wife of the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, Valide sultan, Vali ...

and tries to enforce strict law and order in the empire. Meanwhile, a Venetian ship that has been captured by Algerian pirates is brought into

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. One of those on the ship is a girl with a manuscript showing how to fly, the latter of which comes into Hezârfen's possession. However, this manuscript can't be deciphered by anyone. Hezârfen and Hasan are caught examining a dead body (which is against the law) and sent to be executed. At the intervention of the Sultan, they are sent for a court trial. Hasan tries to justify the research and experiments by claiming that they could be used as a weapon to defeat the enemies of the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

. Murat forbids experiments on dead human bodies but gives his blessing to the duo's research on flying, hoping for a new army of flying soldiers that could get past ground level barriers like walls and the sea, and drop bombs. To go about their task, Hezârfen and Hasan tell Murat of the undecipherable script and ask him to release the girl from the dungeon. The script belongs to

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

and they realise that he too had the same idea of flying with wings, but the text is coded so they are unable to read it. Hezârfen and the girl (whose name turns out to be Francesca/Françeska)İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında
Filmoria, Access date: 14 June 2022 fall in love. After witnessing some fireworks, Hasan tries experimenting with rockets and during a grand launch, manages to reach a reasonable altitude before bailing out and landing in the water below. When some drinks are accidentally spilt on the manuscript, the coded text becomes visible and Hezârfen uses his own ideas and that of Da Vinci's to build a flying machine consisting of artificial wings. The conservative Şeyh-ül İslam who is against Hezârfen tries to turn the Sultan against him. He succeeds when the Sultan bans Hezârfen from flying and orders his arrest. Hezârfen (with Françeska) manages to escape with the help of

Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...

to the

Maiden's Tower __NOTOC__ The Maiden's Tower (), also known as Leander's Tower (''Tower of Leandros'') since the Byzantine period, is a tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul, Turk ...

and launches his flying machine across the

Bosporus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

Cast

Ege Aydan Ege Aydan (born 15 June 1958) is a Turkish actor. He has appeared in more than thirty films since 1974. Selected filmography References External links * 1958 births Living people Turkish male film actors Male actors from Ankara ...

as Hezârfen Ahmet Çelebi *

Okan Bayülgen Kaan Okan Bayülgen (born 23 March 1964) is a Turkish actor, theater founder, variety, talk show host, comedian, photographer, dubbing performer, writer, director. Early life Bayülgen was born on 23 March 1964 in Istanbul, Turkey, to a lawyer ...

as Lagari Hasan Çelebi *

Beatriz Rico Beatriz Rico (born 25 February 1970, in Avilés, Asturias) is a Spanish actress. Biography Rico spent most of her childhood and adolescence in Gijón, having studied high school at the Jovellanos Institute. At 19, she moved to Madrid to study d ...

as Françeska *

Burak Sergen Burak Sergen (born 9 February 1961) is a Turkish actor. He has appeared in more than thirty films since 1996. Selected filmography Film Television References External links * 1961 births Living people Turkish male film actors ...

as Sultan

Savaş Ay Savaş Ay (26 March 1954 – 9 November 2013) was a Turkish newspaper and television journalist, director, screenwriter, producer, photographer, and actor best known for his panel discussion television series ''A Takımı'' (The A-Team). Savaş ...

as Bekri Mustafa *

Zuhal Olcay Zuhal Olcay (; born 10 August 1957) is a Turkish people, Turkish actress and singer. Biography Graduated from Ankara State Conservatory in 1976, she first started as a stage actress. She played in hit series :tr:Yeditepe İstanbul, Yeditepe İst ...

Haluk Bilginer Nihat Haluk Bilginer (; born 5 June 1954) is a Turkish people, Turkish actor. For his role in ''Şahsiyet'' (2018), Bilginer won the International Emmy Award for Best Actor, Best Actor award at the 47th International Emmy Awards. His movie ''Wi ...

Tuncel Kurtiz Tuncel Tayanç Kurtiz (1 February 1936 – 27 September 2013) was a Turkish theatre, movie and TV series actor, playwright, and film director. Since 1964, he acted in more than 70 movies, including many international productions. Early yea ...

as Topal Recep Paşa *

Giovanni Scognamillo Giovanni Scognamillo (25 April 1929 – 8 October 2016) was a Turkish Levantine film critic. Scognamillo was born to a family of Italian Levantines; his father was the son of an immigrant from Naples and his mother was descended from Genoese s ...

as Antonio Ağa * Ayton Sert as Hekimbaşı * Berke Hürcan as Musa Çelebi *

Nazan Kesal Nazan Kırılmış Kesal (born 28 March 1969) is a Turkish actress. In 2004, she worked as a director and actor in Diyarbakır State Theater. The artist who was appointed to Bursa State Theater in early 2004, also worked in private groups such a ...

as Fahişe *

Altan Günbay Altan may refer to: * Altan (name) * Altan (company), a software company. * Altan (band), a folk music group from Donegal * ''Altan'' (album), a 1987 album by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy * Altan Jalab, a village in Afghanistan * A ...

as Meyhaneci Agop *

Akasya Asıltürkmen Akasya Asıltürkmen (born 14 April 1977) is a Turkish acting coach, film, stage, television and voice actress. She studied Theatre at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul. Asıltürkmen is of mixed Circassians, Circassian, Georgians in Tu ...

as Leyla Hazer * Cüneyt Çalışkur as Şeyh-ül İslam

Awards

Burak Sergen was awarded "Most Promising New Actor" at the 8th

Ankara Film Festival The Ankara Film Festival () is an international film festival in Turkey. The 34th edition of the festival was held from November 2 to November 10, 2023. The Ankara Film Festival was first organized in 1988.

. The film also won awards for "Best Music" (Tuluyhan Uğurlu) and "Best Cinematography" (Uğur İçbak) at the 18th SİYAD awards.

Bibliography

* Türker İnanoğlu, 5555 Afişle Türk Sineması. İstanbul: Kabalcı, 2004. * Agâh Özgüç, Ansiklopedik Türk Filmleri Sözlüğü. İstanbul: Horizon International Yayınları, 2012. * Agâh Özgüç, Türk Filmleri Sözlüğü 1917–2009. İstanbul: T. C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı ve SESAM, 2009. * Deniz Yavuz, Türkiye Sinemasının 22 Yılı (1990-2011). İstanbul: Antrakt Sinema Kitaplığı, 2013.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0272142, title=Istanbul Beneath My Wings 1990s fantasy drama films 1996 LGBTQ-related films 1996 films Turkish aviation films Films set in Istanbul Films set in Turkey Turkish fantasy drama films 1990s Turkish-language films Turkish LGBTQ-related films 1996 drama films