Lost Songs of Anatolia

The film has made a total gross of $51,714.[3]

"There are many artists and musicians in my lands", musician Selahattin Güçtekin, who appears in the film, told Today's Zaman following the première, "but they are lost, they are not known because they do not have opportunities". "There were many more talented people than us, and they are not alive any more", added his co-performer and younger brother Fahrettin Güçtekin: "and we are following their lead so that their voices aren’t lost. We always would like to take part in such projects in order to support our culture."[4] "This project was necessary for this country",[4] prominent folk musician Arif Sağ told Today's Zaman following the premiere. "I think it’s a very smart idea",[4] he said of the two brothers singing a traditional Kurdish elegy, "and it should have been made years ago. Those taboos should have been broken long ago."[4] "Nezih is one of the musicians who knows Turkish music very well",[4] Erhan Güleryüz told Today's Zaman. "This is a very good work about what exists in Anatolia. I believe we will be able to take lessons from this film even years later. I'm sure that there are many undiscovered songs in Anatolia, but thanks to musicians like Nezih, these songs are seeing the light of day."[4] Hatice Ahsen Utku, writing for Today's Zaman, says that, "in a period when Turkey has started to recognize its minorities and different cultures", the "must-see" film, "is capable of providing an answer to the critical process which Turkey is going through with the question, 'Who are living in these lands and since when?'"[4]

"This isn’t a film with a significant storyline or direction",[5] and "it would be wrong to expect the film to be an in-depth musical investigation of all of Anatolia and its cultures", states Emine Yıldırım, writing in Today's Zaman,[5] "However, the film gets to the gist of the matter and presents some of the most powerful folksongs from each region to the audience."[5] "The beauty of it is that Ünen doesn’t re-perform the songs with a new choir or new orchestra; on the contrary, as the person he films/interviews starts singing the folksong, suddenly we hear the rhythm and beats of an off-screen orchestra supporting the singer."[5] "What is so powerful about the recordings, besides the arrangements, is that they bristle with authenticity and capture the genuineness and zest of the subjects."[5] "Lost Songs of Anatolia is not only a brilliant musical documentary (the rich visuals and dynamic editing support the technical aspects), but it also transforms itself into one of the most important visual archives of the last decade. Never before has such a systematic and creative audiovisual study of Anatolian music of such scope reached the public -- one which actually has a chance of getting the attention of the people and encouraging the notion of protecting cultural heritage."[5]

Emrah Güler, writing for Hürriyet Daily News, describes the film as "a unique documentary on traditional music and folk dance from Anatolia", and recommends it to "those who would like to catch the rare chance of seeing and listening to a selection of the surprisingly distinctive traditional music and folk dance of Turkey."[1]