For several generations in Kürüdere/Nazarköy, the village of the eye, some 30km south-east of Izmir, many of the inhabitants have been specialists in the manufacture of beads bearing the protecting sign of the evil eye. In the six workshops scattered throughout the village, seated around a communal furnace, the beadmakers melt down raw and recycled glass, add the necessary colours, and produce between 700 and 800 beads every day. These simple, charming hand-made objects will find there way into the bazaars of Izmir, Istanbul and beyond, to Greece and Israel. However, this millennial craftsmanship is now, unfortunately, facing competition from mass-produced plastic beads.

A film by Marie-Dominique NENNA
Production : CNRS (USR 3134) - Centre d’Etudes Alexandrines
14 minutes - © 2008 - CNRS / CEAlex
Distribution : Harpocrates Publishing - 9, Sesostris Street, Attarine,Alexandria, Egypt
• Camera : Valérie PICHOT, Marie-Dominique NENNA
• Montage : Marie-Dominique NENNA, assistée de Raymond COLLET
• Translation and narration : Colin CLEMENT
• Still photos : Marie-Dominique NENNA , Valérie PICHOT, Kaan SENOL, Gaël POLLIN
• Acknowledgements : Gonca CANKARDES-SENOL, Valérie PICHOT, Kaan
SENOL, les verriers de Nazarköy : RAMASAN, MOHAMED, HUSEIN, JANEIT,
ÜZGÜR

CEAlex 14’ AI03EN