The First Russian Cinema in Anatolia: Karakurt Cinema Building

Cinema has become a tool that emerged and developed at the end of the 19th century and informs about the cultures, values and lifestyles of societies. In 1895, the first screening was held in Paris, and over time, cinema activities became widespread. Anatolian geography has also become one of the settlements affected by cinema culture. Cinema buildings, of which there are examples in the provinces, especially in İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir became important social and cultural venues of the period. Cinema activities in the province of Kars and its immediate surroundings, which hosted different societies, were carried out during the Russian period and after the Republic of Türkiye. Within the scope of this study, after discussing the development of cinema in Anatolia, a cinema building built during the Russian domination period between 1878-1918 in Kars Karakurt village was examined. In this context, the architectural features of the period when the building was built, its cultural importance, its role in the history of cinema and its contributions to the development of cinema culture in Anatolia were evaluated while contributing to the literature on the first Russian cinema building in Anatolia. As a result, it was concluded that the Karakurt Cinema Building is the first and unique example of an open-air cinema building with Baltic-inspired architecture built in Anatolia, which documents Russian cinema in rural areas.