Full Description
This second book in the Routledge Docalogue series continues to model a new form for the discussion of documentary film, focusing on a new film and a different set of critical questions.
Kedi (2016) is the first feature documentary by Turkish-American filmmaker Ceyda Torun. The film provides a window into the everyday lives of Istanbul street cats; their itinerant meanderings present a non-human perspective on this ever-changing, ancient city while at the same time exploring the meaningful impact these cats have on the humans they encounter. Kedi: A Docalogue brings together a diversity of perspectives on this film. By combining five distinct critical approaches to a single documentary, this book acts both as an intensive scholarly treatment and as a guide for how to analyze, theorize, and contextualize a documentary.
Together, the essays in this book touch upon key topics in documentary studies, including animal studies, eco-documentaries, sound studies, and media industry studies, making them essential reading for scholars interested in contemporary documentary. They also provide useful case studies for teaching documentary film in courses on Contemporary Cinema, Cultural Studies, and Media Industries.
Contents
Introduction: Kedi in context ; 1. From Cat to Clowder: Kedi in the Anthropocene ; 2. Tracking Cats and Voicing Dogs: Locating Street Animals in Kedi and Taskafa: Stories of the Street ; 3. Foreign and Familiar: Kedi and the Musicality of Istanbul ; 4. Kedi Between the Local and the National ; 5. Kedi: Crossover Documentary as Popular Art Cinema ; Epilogue: A conversation with Kedi's director, Ceyda Torun
