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When Tugrul Sarikaya decided to film "Balkancisco", he probably didn’t know everything that would be found during the project. Perhaps during his years living in Istanbul and watching documentaries, he thought that everything should be planned.
The film has a protagonist, like a fiction movie. It’s about a Turkish woman who arrives in San Francisco, and is dedicated to investigating a phenomenon that no one can ignore. And it is the boom of music from the Balkans that has become so popular throughout the bay area. Tugrul himself had once said: "I have realized that cultural differences and similarities are not necessarily the main cause of political division, because they often tend to bring people together rather than separate them."
Duygu, the female protagonist, arrives in San Francisco in 2016. She had already lived in Rome and other European capitals. She is a guitarist and sings. His whole journey is nothing more than a search, perhaps, for his own musical identity. It takes a long walk to understand that sometimes the treasure is in the beginning. She grew up facing the Mediterranean.
But Sarikaya’s documentary, "Balkancisco," overcomes the singer’s personal circumstances and shows us the entire musical scene of the Balkans, composed of musicians from not only Turkey, but also from Greece, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia. Plus many Americans who are fans of that music.
The film shows us all the current of that music. We can perhaps understand the process that led to that musical explosion in the area. It is rewarding, interesting and above all musical. It is curious that many of the adepts to this music are also jazz fans. Many of the groups come from jazz, with formations ranging from trios to small bands. Obviously Sarikaya does not perform only a professional function as conductor of "Balkancisco", but shows genuine admiration for this music and those who perform it.
Not to be missed.