Istanbul Cinema Museum

The meeting point of lovers, the first stop of Yeşilçam films, the oldest cinema in Istanbul and the first cinema museum in Turkey, Istanbul Cinema Museum opened to visitors in 2021 in the historical Atlas Pasajı in Beyoğlu.

Atlas Pasajı, which hosts the Cinema Museum, was built in the 1870s during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz. At that time, this structure, which belonged to the famous businessman Agop Köçeyan, was built as a winter palace and was called Köçeyan Mansion. It was used as a court by the British occupation forces between 1918-1922 and was later converted into the PTT General Directorate.

Atlas Pasajı, one of the first examples of Beyoğlu's reconstruction process, entered a 2-year restoration work in 2019 and awaits its visitors with a museum that will shed light on the history of Turkish cinema from past to present. The structure, which has a facade layout bearing the characteristics of the Neoclassical style specific to the end of the 19th century; It is one of the rare structures that reflects the art of its period with its plaster reliefs, marble fireplaces, marquetry parquet flooring and many architectural elements. The unique ceiling decorations belong to the French painter Hippolyte Dominique Berteaux. The figures called Putto used on the first floor were used to depict mythological characters in the classical period. The Cinema Museum building is one of the rare structures in Istanbul where Putto figures are used.

While there is a permanent museum with collectible pieces on the first two floors, there are temporary exhibitions on the third floor. In addition to information and documents related to world cinema, the museum also brings together masterpieces from Turkish cinema with movie lovers. The wax figures of valuable actors of Yeşilçam Cinema, their clothes and accessories, personal belongings full of memories of important directors and many movie posters are among the most interesting elements of the museum. Offering visitors experiences such as a memory pool, green screen, interactive sound and editing room, and three-dimensional cinema, the Istanbul Cinema Museum blends traditional and contemporary museum approaches and also serves as an archive that brings together the past and present of Turkish cinema.