"Hababam Sınıfı" Turkish Movie Night
On October 25th, the Yunus Emre Institute screened Hababam Sınıfı (The Chaos Class), directed by Ertem Eğilmez, for their monthly Turkish Movie Night. Every month the Yunus Emre Institute shows a different Turkish film, from a selection by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to expose people to classic works of Turkish cinema.
Hababam Sınıfı is a classic Turkish comedy movie that was filmed in 1975 and set in Istanbul. The film tells the story of a class of lazy boarding school students who are challenged by the arrival of a new vice principal. They engage in a prank war that leads the class to clean up their act and inspires respect for the vice principal. Filming took place in the Adile Sultan Sarayi, a palace located in Üşküdar, Istanbul. The palace hosts a museum dedicated to the movie that is open to the public. The movie was so popular that five sequels were filmed between 1975 and 1981 and three later sequels were filmed between 2004 and 2006. Hababam Sınıfı is an excellent film for understanding the popularity and tropes of Turkish 1970s comedies.
After Public Relations Director Casey Kim welcomed the guests, they traveled back to 1975 with the Hababam class. The movie-goers laughed along with the class as they pranked their gullible teachers. They enjoyed the progress that the class made towards becoming respectable students and appreciated the meaningful bond that they formed with their vice principal by the end of the movie. Everyone said that they enjoyed the film, looked forward to attending future events, and wanted to continue learning about Turkish cinema.
The Yunus Emre Foundation is a public foundation designed to educate the public about Turkey and its language, history, culture, and art. The Foundation makes such related information and documents available for use in the world. Facilitating cultural exchange between Turkey and other countries is a central objective of the Foundation. If you are interested in receiving more information, please email washingtondc@yee.org.tr.