DOHA: Doha Film Institute (DFI) joins the celebrations to mark ‘Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture’ with a special screening of a behind-the-scenes documentary, ‘Secret World of Magnificent Century’, one of Turkish television’s most opulent productions, on September 15 at the Opera House in Katara, said a statement on Tuesday.
‘Magnificent Century’, an elaborate period drama that reimagines Turkey’s imperial past.
The special event presented by Qatar Museums, the DFI and the Dogus Group serves as a curtain raiser to launch the grand ‘Harem Al Sultan: The Exhibition’ on the following day.
The documentary will take viewers behind the making of the popular series that has gripped viewers worldwide since its premiere in 2011, and will be followed by an extended question and answer session with Halit Ergen (who plays Sultan Suleiman).
Directed by Yamur and Durul Taylan, described as the Turkish Coen brothers, the programme is aired in more than 54 countries, from Italy to China and reaches more than 200 million viewers worldwide.
A soap opera set in the court of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, the programme has been breaking Turkish television records and has captured the hearts of viewers from Turkey, the Arab world and beyond. Sultan Süleyman, who reigned from 1520 to 1566, is known in Turkey as the Lawmaker, renowned for his innovative legal code, for the opulence of his court, and for expanding the Ottoman Empire from Transylvania to the Arabian Gulf. The plot of “Magnificent Century” depicts intrigues at the court of Sultan Süleyman.
The special screening will be followed by the grand opening of the “Harem Al Sultan – Magnificent Century: The Exhibition - Special Edition” on the September 16 at the Qatar Museums Gallery in Katara. The celebrated exhibition, from September 17 to December 12, will leave Turkey for the first time as part of Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture activities, since its world premiere in Istanbul last year. The exhibition, which includes artifacts and costumes as well as rich interactive extensions, provides visitors an opportunity to experience the glorious world of Suleiman the Magnificent.
Tickets for the documentary screening are free but must be reserved for admission. Tickets will be available from Monday, September 7 from 12 Noon and may be reserved online 24 hours a day at www.dohafilminstitute.com or requested at the DFI ticket outlet at the Katara Opera House on September 15 from 2PM – 9PM. Tickets are limited and available while supplies last.
The Peninsula
