An oral history study on Sivas movie theaters

Cinema is a popular form of artistic expression that was invented in the 19th century and has continued to develop non-stop until today. Studies on cinema in our country generally focus on productions, directors and production companies, while studies covering movie theaters, which take place in cultural and social memory, are insufficient. Research on this subject at the local level contributes to studies on the history of cinema in Turkey. In this context, this study, which is the first research on Sivas movie theaters, aims to reveal the historical development of cinemas from their establishment to the present day in the light of the information contained in Sivas city memory. In this context, the study consists of two parts. The introduction includes the subject, purpose, importance, methodology of the research and the evaluation of the literature, including the articles titled Sivas cinemas in Sivas printed sources. In the first part of the study, cinema screenings and the first movie theaters in Turkey in the preRepublican period, Sivas city history and the development of movie theaters in this historical framework are mentioned, and the first movie screening and the first movie theater in Sivas are discussed. In the second part of the study, oral history interviews were conducted with 25 participants consisting of cinema owners, their relatives and cinema employees in the period covering the years 2021-2023. Within the framework of the data obtained from these interviews and document analysis, it was tried to reveal the historical development and transformation of 23 movie theaters opened from the Early Republican Period to the present day. Finally, the research findings are evaluated within the framework of cinema history studies in Turkey. Keywords: Sivas, Memory, Cinema, Cinema Management, Oral History