Walled Cities 8: The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul + Q&A 
A young girl, her baby sister and their neighbour make their way to Türkiye to escape from the war in Syria in Andaç Haznedaroglu's affecting drama, screening as part of Walled Cities 8.
The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul follows the journey of Lena and Meryem as they try to escape from the war in Syria. Lena is only 10 years old when she finds herself forced to make her way to Türkiye with her little sister and neighbour, Meryem. Meryem hopes they will reach Europe while Lena wants to go home. Arriving in Istanbul, they’re abandoned by those that could help and left to try to survive in the big city with its cruelty and coldness. When attempting to build a new community and create a new life, the divide between locals and minorities, but also divides within the Syrian community, overlays Lena and Meryem’s lives.
This is a story of the raw human impact of conflict and a story of hope.
The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Dr Gul Kacmaz Erk, Lead for Architecture and Planning at Queen’s University. Gul will be joined by Dr Maciek Stasiowski (Visiting Film Scholar, QUB Architecture).
This event is part of CACity presents: Walled Cities 8, a short film season exploring political conflict in divided communities and walled cities around the world. Presented by CACity (Cinema and Architecture in the City) Research Group, in collaboration with Queen’s University. The film screenings will be accompanied by an exhibition of film locations from both Dublin and Belfast, mapped and analysed by Alice Poole and Ece Sila Bora.
