The Sound of Istanbul Becomes a Symphony in Borusan’s Film: “This City Lives on Music”

Borusan Holding, a supporter of the IKSV Istanbul Music Festival since its very first note, has released a special promotional film for the festival’s 54th edition. Reaching audiences under the theme “This City Lives on Music,” the film transforms Istanbul’s everyday sounds into the performance of a vast orchestra.

For the 54th IKSV Istanbul Music Festival, Borusan Holding has produced a new film that lets audiences listen to Istanbul. Shaped around the theme “This City Lives on Music,” the project transforms the sounds rising from the city’s bustle into a musical work of art, highlighting the power of music within everyday life.

As the film moves through the city’s many different faces, sound design serves as an invisible rhythm connecting each scene, allowing viewers to directly feel Istanbul’s energy and movement.

Ferry horns and seagull cries meet the BIFO

The film’s musical backbone is “Köçekçe,” a composition known for its traditional and powerful rhythm, brought to life through the interpretation of the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra (BIFO).

Ferry horns, tram clatter, seagull cries, and the calls of street vendors — sounds that have become symbols of Istanbul — were meticulously blended with BIPO’s instruments through careful sound design. As a result, the city’s own natural soundscape moves beyond the background to become the central instrument of the story.

The project’s core strategy is to return music not to the confines of concert halls alone, but to the very center of life, back to the streets where it was born. Celebrating Istanbul’s multi-voiced, multi-layered character, the film positions the city itself as a vast natural symphony.

With this film, Borusan Holding elevates its long-standing support for the festival beyond a conventional sponsorship message, demonstrating a strong corporate commitment to championing Istanbul’s cultural diversity and polyphonic spirit.

Watch the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNeVYua66Xk

Credits
Advertiser: Borusan Holding
Advertiser Representatives: Nursel Ölmez Ateş, Dilek Özkan, Büşra Yılmaz, Gamze Zengin, Betül Engez
Advertising Agency: Çözüm İstanbul
Creative Director: Tuğrul Mengi
Art Director: Mine Yıldırım
Strategy Director: Ahmet Yener
Client Services Group Director: Aslı Kutay
Client Services Team: Selen Ergen
Production: Müge Çalış
Director: Eser Yazıcı
PR Agency: Ogilvy PR