Episode 62

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Rebetiko: The Song of Two Cities

This documentary film is about a musical form called “Rebetiko” that was created by the Greeks and Turks at the beginning of the 20th century. As a result of the war between Greece and Turkey, refugees who had to leave Turkey brought this music with them to Greece in the 1920s. Rebetiko flourished in Greek taverns and continues to affect other musical styles. In the film, the children of the refugees tell their heartbreaking stories of suffering and pain, while the men and women who perform Rebetiko explain what this music style means to them: destruction, survival, expression, and hope for a better life. The film tries to look at the Greece-Turkey issue with a different point of view. It tries to show that these two cultures lived together for centuries and created this beautiful music.

The film is 49 minutes. The director Nefin Dinç, a native of Turkey, is an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where she teaches film and video production.

This documentary film was aired in Washington DC area Public Access Televisions during the month of July, 2010.