Focusing on the notion of "renewal" for the month of November, Thursday Cinema is set to present films that center on future possibilities while looking into the past.

The films will meet spectators at SALT Beyoğlu's Walk-in Cinema every Thursday at 7 p.m. until the end of the month. The program is open to all but reservations cannot be made.

The first screening of Thursday Cinema will be German director Werner Herzog's "Stroszek."

'Stroszek' (1977)

Werner Herzog is one of the leading figures of New German Cinema. His 1977 film "Stroszek" tells the peculiar story of an alcoholic ex-prisoner, a tiny old man and a prostitute, who leave Berlin together in pursuit of a better future in Wisconsin. Herzog builds the film, which he wrote in four days, around his favorite actor Bruno S.

The unwanted son of a prostitute, Bruno S. had been subject to severe beatings until the age of three and had spent the next 23 years in mental and correctional institutions. Despite that, he managed to teach himself how to play some instruments like the accordion and eventually made his way as a street musician. Based on his real persona, the main character Bruno Stroszek becomes hopeful when an opportunity arises to build a new life in Midwest America. But soon he and his two equally eccentric and unfortunate companions hit the sobering reality of their limited horizons.

The film will be screened on Nov. 1.

'Sprawling from Grace' (2008)

Questioning the effects of the American suburban sprawl, the documentary unveils the possible outcomes of continuing to build cities in the current trend. With a flawed sense of security, the promise of affordable energy has enabled the landscape to expand beyond its natural territory. Caught behind the wheels of trusted automobiles, and with the demand for oil outpacing the planet's ability to supply it, this living arrangement is doomed to fail.

Detailing the dangers the nation faces if the approach to urban development is neglected to evolve, the film explores the efforts by state and city governments to invest in viable alternatives - ultimately revealing why innovative thinking regarding land use and transportation is essential to keeping society functional.

Directed by David M. Edwards, the documen

tary will be screened on Nov. 8.

'Eldorado' (1988)

Set in Budapest on the eve of the Soviet invasion in 1956, "Eldorado" (The Midas Touch) centers on Sandor, a local merchant known as the king of the market for his transcendent ability to transform anything he touches into gold. Head of this underground circulation in the city, and navigating the turmoil of the time, Sandor's power is questioned when he realizes that money cannot purchase life.

A drama about existence in Budapest following World War II, the film, directed by Geza Beremenyi, contains archive footage from the revolution and was mainly filmed in the Teleki Square marketplace in the eighth district of the city. For his directorial work, Beremenyi was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1988 and was awarded European Director of the Year at the European Film Awards the following year.

As part of Thursday Cinema, this screening is organized in cooperation with the Hungarian Cultural Center in Istanbul. The film will be screened on Nov. 15.

'Up the Yangtze' (2007)

How did the world's largest hydroelectric project built on the third-longest river in the world change more than 1 million people's lives, and China as a global economic superpower? Chinese-Canadian director Yung Chang returns to the disappearing historical landscape of his grandfather's youth to tell the story of a 16-year-old girl. Coming from an impoverished and helpless family, Yu Shui has no choice but to work on a luxurious cruise ship floating up the Yangtze River. While being trained as a dishwasher, she becomes accustomed to the facets of consumerism as well as the opportunities of modern technology. Now known by her new Western name, "Cindy" serves to wealthy international tourists not far from her family who are moving to higher ground to escape the encroaching floodwaters caused by the building of the Three Gorges Dam.

A depiction of contemporary China based on the microcosm of a c

ruise ship as a metaphor, the documentary is the winner of numerous awards including the Vancouver International Film Festival (2007) and the San Francisco International Film Festival (2008).

The documentary will be screened on Nov. 22.

'Toivon Tuolla Puolen' (2017)

The second film of Aki Kaurismaki's intended migrant trilogy set in harbor towns, "Toivon Tuolla Puolen" ("The Other Side of Hope") portrays an unlikely friendship between a Syrian asylum seeker and an elderly Finnish restaurant owner. After Khaled escapes the detention center, he meets recent bachelor and gambler Wikström. Thrown into unfamiliar worlds, together they assist each other in navigating the adversities they both face.

Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival, Kaurismaki plays between the balance of wit and critique of Europe's harsh immigration politics. The film will be screened on Nov. 29.