Fri 3/10-Mon 3/13
On Friday 3/10 the Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights is opening a film cat lovers will not want to miss. The documentary Kedi follows the lives of a handful of the thousands of street cats of Istanbul, Turkey, as they go about their daily lives, following them as their distinctive personalities unfold throughout the film.
Istanbul-born filmmaker Ceyda Torun, who now lives in the U.S., grew up hanging with the street cats, which makes it the perfect subject for her first full-length film, which she describes as “a documentary of an ancient city and its unique people, seen through the eyes of the most mysterious and beloved animal humans have ever known, the Cat.”
“Hundreds of thousands of Turkish cats roam the metropolis of Istanbul freely,” she explains. “For thousands of years they’ve wandered in and out of people’s lives, becoming an essential part of the communities that make the city so rich. The cats of Istanbul live between two worlds, neither wild nor tame — and they bring joy and purpose to those people they choose to adopt. In Istanbul, cats are the mirrors to the people, allowing them to reflect on their lives in ways nothing else could.”
Warning! For opening weekend, some of those “mysterious and beloved” creatures will be in the theater’s lobby, courtesy of local shelters and rescues. And they’ll be glad to assist you with adoption information if one of them takes to you. You thought you didn’t need another cat? There may be a cat there who thinks otherwise.
“Kedi is a beautiful and charming movie,” says Cedar Lee general manager Liz Waski, a cat lover. “I’m happy that we are able to bring this film to Cleveland and I hope that our partner shelters are able to find good homes for some of our own local cats.”
Look for the House of Mews Fri 3/10 @ 3:30-7:30 PM, the Euclid Beach Cat Project and Forever Friends Sat 3/11 @ 3:30-7:30pm, Tails from the City Sun 3/12 @ 12:30-5:30pm and Storms’ Angels Rescue Mon 3/13 @ 3:30-7:30pm.
Anyone who brings cat food or a cat toy donation will get a coupon for $1 of at the concession stand. Tickets are $5-$9.75, depending on day and time. Also while normally no children under 6 are admitted, children as young as 3 will be allowed to attend this movie, a sure sign that it’s upbeat and no cats suffer on screen. Tickets are on sale at the Cedar Lee Theatre or online at clevelandcinemas.com.
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118