Sulukule, the former Roma quarter of Istanbul, is doomed. The neighbourhood is to make way for luxury flats and the Roma have to go.

Sulukule, a district in Istanbul, is considered the oldest Roma settlement in the world. The Romani people made a living there through music and dance in entertainment houses that were popular with both Turks and tourists until the clubs were closed down in the 1990s. In 2005 an urban renewal project started: The municipality wanted to buy all buildings and replace them with luxury villas, transforming the neighborhood. Under the given socio-economical circumstances the Roma population was put at risk of losing their social network as well as their culture which has grown over centuries. The film depicts Sulukule as an example of numerous urban renewal and gentrification projects world-wide and their social consequences. The needs of both the individual and the local community are disrespected.

Direction: Astrid Heubrandtner, 2010, 94 mins, Original sound with subtitles

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