‘I made a love letter to the city and the cats’
Street cats have roamed Istanbul for centuries. As a film starring some of them opens, director Ceyda Torun explains why the likes of ‘Psycho’ and ‘Hustler’ are so at home there
Kathryn Bromwich
Sunday 18 June 2017 07.30 BST
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ilm-maker Ceyda Torun grew up in Istanbul until the age of 11 and is now based in Los Angeles. Her feature-length documentary debut Kedi (Turkish for “cat”) is about seven of the street cats that roam Istanbul. They are cared for collectively by the community in exchange for mouse catching, affection and “good energy”. Each cat has a distinct personality: Sari, “the Hustler”, is a tabby who inventively seeks out food for her kittens; Psikopat, “the Psycho”, is a fierce black and white cat with a strong sense of territory; Gamsiz, “the Player”, is a resourceful short-haired who has charmed the neighbourhood baker with his moxie.