Unusual Vampires

October 31 - November 29, 2017

Pera Film is celebrating Halloween with the most strangest undead beings: Unusual Vampires! Tales of supernatural beings consuming the blood or flesh of the living have been found in nearly every culture around the world for many centuries. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the first appearance of the English word vampire (as vampyre) in English from 1734, in a travelogue titled Travels of Three English Gentlemen published in The Harleian Miscellany in 1745. The notion of vampirism has existed for millennia. Cultures such as the Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Ancient Greeks, and Romans had tales of demons and spirits, which are considered precursors to modern vampires. The charismatic and sophisticated vampire of modern fiction was born in 1819 with the publication of The Vampyre by John Polidori; the story was highly successful and arguably the most influential vampire work of the early 19th century. Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel and provided the basis of the modern vampire legend. Considered one of the preeminent figures of the classic horror film, the vampire has proven to be a rich subject for cinema. Pera Film’s Unusual Vampires brings together films that explore the atypical vampire character. The selection salutes certain cult classics such as Czechoslovak New Wave’s 1970 production of Jaromil Jireš’s Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, a film about a girl on the verge of womanhood who finds herself in a sensual fantasyland of vampires, witchcraft, and otherthreats in this eerie and mystical movie daydream. David Cronenberg’s 1977 film Rabid, Guillermo del Toro’s Cronos and Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark explore different decades and alternative approaches to the vampire story-telling. The program also includes recent films with unexpected and gripping characters, so you will love and some you will hate. Beware these unusual vampires could give you the chills!

#UnusualVampires

 

October 31

19:00 Let the Right One In

November 1

19:00 Byzantium

November 3

19:00 A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

21:00 Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

November 5

13:00 Byzantium

15:00 Near Dark

17:00 Cronos

November 8

17:00 Let the Right One In

November 9

19:00 Only Lovers Left Alive

November 12

18:00 What We Do in the Shadows

November 14

19:00 The Lure

November 15

17:00 Near Dark

19:00 Cronos

November 17

20:00 Rabid

21:30 The Transfiguration

November 19

15:00 Only Lovers Left Alive

17:00 Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

November 21

17:00 The Lure

November 22

19:00 The Transfiguration

November 23

19:00 Rabid

November 24

21:00 What We Do in the Shadows

November 29

19:00 A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

Rabid

Rabid

Near Dark

Near Dark

Cronos

Cronos

Let the Right One In

Let the Right One In

Byzantium

Byzantium

Only Lovers Left Alive

Only Lovers Left Alive

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows

The Lure

The Lure

The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration

Program Trailer

Unusual Vampires

Tales of supernatural beings consuming the blood or flesh of the living have been found in nearly every culture around the world for many centuries. Unusual Vampires brings together films that explore the atypical vampire character.

Bosphorus at the Orientalist Paintings

Bosphorus at the Orientalist Paintings

The Bosphorus, which divides the city from north to south, separates two continents, renders Istanbul distinct for western painters, offers the most picturesque spectacles for western artists.

The Big Country

The Big Country

When the Royal Academy of Arts offered Stephen Chambers the opportunity to produce new work for a focused exhibition in the Weston Rooms of the Main Galleries, Chambers turned to print and the possibilities it offered.

Today's Stories: Felis <br> Hande Ortaç

Today's Stories: Felis
Hande Ortaç

Inspired by the exhibition Istanbuls Today, Today's Stories series continues with Hande Ortaç's story "Felis"! This series gathers short stories written by authors encouraged by the photographs in the exhibition.