Istanbul should be renamed Catstandenobled after viewing KEDI, a purrfectly affectionate catumentary about the feline inhabitants of the pearl on the Bosphorus.

KEDI could be renamed as well. May I suggest, The Mognificent Seven, as Director Ceyda Torun catalogues a septet of cats and their nine lives.

The film begins with a bird’s eye view of Istanbul – or Catsaresonoble – as gulls hover over the Bosphorus, then swoops down to street level to take in the arCATecture. Apologies for the catachresis).

In an effort to get as close to the cats as possible, the film makers designed and experimented with various ‘cat-cameras,’ followed the cats into dark alleys and deserted basements, flew drones over the rooftops, and pretty much stalked them in order to capture cinematic visuals like over-the-shoulder shots as the cats navigated the city streets.

It was dedicated work, returning to shoot the same cats day in and day out which resulted in capturing their unique characters and interaction with their communities.

After two months of shooting, Torun and editor Mo Stoebe began to craft each cat’s story, striving to capture their uniqueness by allowing the cats to narrate their own stories. Through a select number of cat stories, the ultimate aim was to create a contemplative piece that navigates the themes of love, loss, joy, loneliness, and belonging.

“Dogs think people are God, but cats know different. Cats know God” one insightful human subject of this categorically catenate film states.

“Nothing human is alien to me” thinks the felines in this movie, a nod, wink and meow to Terence, the antiquarian playwright who said
“I am human, and I think that nothing of that which is human is alien to me.”

Pussy Galore, What’s New Pussycat? The cat’s meow, the cat’s whiskers, the cat’s pyjamas, KEDI is the whole cat tonic. There’s no err in the purr, and the feline is divine.