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 video is not available for online viewing.

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Turkish-American Hour program is a production of Turkish American Television (TATV)

PAINTED ON WATER, the duo of star Turkish performers, whose
current self-titled album project by the vocalist Sertab Erener and composer/guitarist
Demir Demirkan gave a vibrant concert in K Street Lounge in Washington, D.C. on April
8, 2010.

Photo © 2010 Ian Walter
Please click on the picture to watch the video

Sertab Erener and Demir Demirkan are among Turkey’s most celebrated musicians. Erener’s 12 albums have sold in the millions in Europe and Asia.
Guitarist, composer and Painted On Water album co-producer Demirkan is one of Turkey’s true rock stars. Since the year 2000 he has released a dozen CDs including solo albums and film scores. He and Erener co-wrote the 2003 international hit, “Every Way That I Can” Turkey’s first and only winner in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.” (Source: www.motema.com/artist/painted-on-water)

TATV has been frequently airing Sertab Erener and Demir Demirkan’s music videos since the early days of its broadcast life. Enjoy Sertab Erener’s recent video clip “Hayat Beklemez” (Life Doesn’t Wait) at http://turkishamericantv.org/episode-51
You can also watch our recent interview with Demir Demirkan at: http://turkishamericantv.org/episode-46