Boston Turkish film fest begins with ‘Three Monkeys’

According to a written statement by the festival committee, critics highly appreciated the films that will be screened this year. The statement said the Boston Phoenix daily announced the festival, saying “magnificent Turkish films” and well-known film critic Peter Keough wrote a full-page story about the festival. Boston Globe film critic Wesley Morris also congratulated the festival management on the program.

In the meantime, the Boston Turkish Film Festival Excellence Award was presented to Ceylan for his contribution to Turkish cinema. At a ceremony held before the screening of “Three Monkeys,” actor and screenwriter Dr. Ercan Kesal received the award on behalf of Ceylan. The film was praised by more than 400 viewers, most of whom were foreigners. After the screening, a talk was held between Kesal and the viewers.

As part of this year’s festival, director Derviş Zaim’s “Nokta” (Dot), Reha Erdem’s “Hayat Var” (My Only Sunshine), Selim Evci’s “İki Çizgi” (Two Lines), Mehmet Eryılmaz’s “Hazan Mevsimi – Bir Panayır Hikayesi” (A Fairground Attraction), Özcan Alper’s “Sonbahar (Autumn) and Jacques Deschamps’ “Dinle Neyden” (Listen From the Nay: Separations) will be screened for the first time in North America.

The festival will also screen Hüseyin Karabey’s “Gitmek” (My Marlon and Brando), Seyfi Teoman’s “Tatil Kitabı” (Summer Book), Ümit Ünal’s “Ara” (Distance) and “Çağan Irmak’s “Ulak.”

The festival’s founder and director Erkut Gömülü said the aim of the festival was to promote selected names of Turkish cinema to the U.S. audience. He said the number of Turkish films screened in Boston was limited in the past but now it reaches 60, and that nearly 70 percent of the viewers were Americans.