Darkroom

Darkroom, a short film by Asli Baykal, 14’23, 2022 At the modern-day crossroads of Turkey and Syria, the neighborhood of Istasyon is taken over by children with cameras. Through their gaze, they transform cinder block villages into portals and roam freely across abandoned train tracks to Sirkhane Darkroom, an oasis of red light and pomegranate trees, where their images are born. Darkroom is an experimental and celebratory portrait of Istasyon’s youth and their capacity to forge an alternate reality within a conflict zone. Embedded in this vibrant 16mm film, a co-creation between the film crew and these photography students is a reverence for the mysterious power and intimacy of analog image-making.