Cultural clusters in Istanbul: location preferences of the Istanbul film industry

Source abstract

The film industry plays a crucial role in driving economic growth, fostering new business ventures, stimulating local economies during production, increasing tourism by shaping audience preferences and advancing globalization through cross-cultural exchange and international content distribution, all of which have been the subject of research. This study examines the location preferences, clustering dynamics and the reasons behind the decline of the film cluster in Beyoğlu, which has historically been the heart of the Istanbul film industry. Based on 110 interviews with representatives from 275 film companies, the results were analysed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and QGIS. The findings highlight that the building's physical quality, proximity to public transport stops and location in the heart of the city are the most important factors in film companies' location choices. The decline of the film cluster in Beyoğlu can be explained by factors such as inadequate building quality, traffic congestion, logistics and parking challenges and high rental costs. Moreover, the results indicate a shift in the film industry towards the Levent-Maslak corridor, which has emerged as the linear extension of Istanbul's central business district since the 1990s.