Conversations Across the Bosphorus
TRT-42:00, Stereo, Color, NTSC. Jeanne C. Finley in collaboration with Mine Ternar, Pelin Esmer & Gokcen Art. Directed, Shot and Edited by Jeanne C. Finley, Letters and Creative Assistance: Mine Ternar, Associate Producer and Translation: Pelin Esmer, Assistant Editor: Heidi Arnesen, Post Production Assistant: Karen Ward.

Conversations Across the Bosphorus intertwines the narratives of two Muslim women from Istanbul: Gokcen and Mine.  Gokcen, from an orthodox Islamic family, tells her story of taking off the veil after years of struggle. Mine, from a secular family who immigrated to San Francisco ten years ago, describes the discovery of her faith in a series of letters to the filmmaker in Istanbul. Through poetic voices they demonstrate how their relationship to their faith shaped and determined their personal lives.

Set on the banks of the Bosphorus, the narrow waterway that divides the Asian and European continents, Conversations Across the Bosphorus suggests that the relation of personal faith to cultural and political structures is one of the most critical issues in both the Islamic and Christian worlds. In conjunction with evocative visual imagery, sound and lively debate, these narratives question the possibility of continued peaceful coexistence between groups of opposing ideologies in a relentless urban landscape.

The film is distributed by the Video Data Bank.