Film fest promotes rising Turkish scene
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Johannes Hillje
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 03, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The 28th edition of the International Film Festival, the most famous cinematic event in the city, kicks off Saturday. Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, this year's festival will take place in seven movie theaters. 'Due to the crisis we just want to keep the audience number of last year,' says festival director Azize Tan.
Breaking records in 2008 with audience numbers reaching a 170,000, this year’s 28th International Istanbul Film Festival will feature 200 films in more than 20 sections.
Kicking off this Saturday, the festival will host film screenings, four international and national competitions and bring well-known directors from all over the world to Istanbul. The festival is organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, or IKSV, and is the oldest and most famous international cinematic event in Turkey’s biggest city.
Festival director Azize Tan told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that expectations could not be that high for this year. "Due to the crisis, we just want to keep the audience number of last year," she said. However, the event has extended to two more venues and will take place in seven Istanbul movie theaters.
The festival’s program is divided into 21 competitive and noncompetitive sections. Among the noncompetitive movies, Tan and her team picked a selection of award-winning movies during the year while traveling to various international film festivals. "The most wanted films will be screened at our Akbank Galas," Tan said. Galas include Germany’s most expensive film ever made "The Baader Meinhoff Complex," which deals with 1970’s radical left terrorist group the Red Army Faction and the Oscar award-winning story of California's first openly gay elected official, "Milk."
Argentinean cinema
Other sections in the noncompetitive category deal with special themes such as an Argentinean cinema section and a selection of films summarized under the title "Rebels, Saints, Troubadours." The later series shows 11 memorable attempts at rebellion, saintliness and poetry and the intricate relationship among these three types made by filmmakers in the early 20th to early 21st century. This section marks the academic part of the festival, Tan said.
The noncompetitive films range from experimental works in the "Mind Zone" to animated movies to a "Let There Be Love" section. The "Young Masters" section focuses in particular on the work of young directors who received awards and audience appreciation for their debuts or second features at international festivals such as Cannes, Toronto, Berlin and Rotterdam.
The competitions at the International Istanbul Film Festival include the international "Golden Tulip" award, bringing together 12 films from 11 countries that deal with aspects of the artistic world. "With the theme of art we go back to our roots as the film festival started as a part of an art festival in 1982," Tan said.
Fourteen recent Turkish movies will compete for the domestic Golden Tulip. The festival also hosts the FACE Award of the Council of Europe, a prize presented to the director of a film that raises public awareness and interest in human rights. A fourth competition will reward one of six pre-selected Turkish short films.
Panel discussions with various international directors make up the side event program of the festival. "The festival has always been a school for young Turkish directors," Tan said. "In the first years it was the only place to see international films and meet the filmmakers." A master’s class will be given by famous cartoonist Bill Plympton whose drawings have appeared in magazines such as Penthouse, Rolling Stone and Glamour. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1988 for an animated movie. At the festival Plympton will do live drawings on a large sketchpad to show some animation tricks. All panels are open to the public and free of charge.
Promotion of Turkish cinema
With hosting professionals like Plympton and representatives of the international media, Tan and her team want to create an international atmosphere primarily for the Turkish scene. "The goal is to promote Turkish cinema and help it attain international recognition," said Tan, adding that there are different examples of the festival being a driving factor for the Turkish scene in the past. "Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s movie ’Uzak’ became popular after the screening at our festival."
According to the festival director, Turkish cinema is on the rise like Scandinavian and Latin American movies. "We will show 40 Turkish films this year and we have never had that many before," Tan said. But, as a recognized movie expert, Tan thinks that the Turkish scene still has room to develop. "We still need some courage to create more experimental cutting-edge films, instead of just following the popular trends," she said.
The 28th International Istanbul Film Festival takes place from April 4 to 19. Screenings are daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. For the complete screening schedule visit www.iksv.org/film.
Kicking off this Saturday, the festival will host film screenings, four international and national competitions and bring well-known directors from all over the world to Istanbul. The festival is organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, or IKSV, and is the oldest and most famous international cinematic event in Turkey’s biggest city.
Festival director Azize Tan told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that expectations could not be that high for this year. "Due to the crisis, we just want to keep the audience number of last year," she said. However, the event has extended to two more venues and will take place in seven Istanbul movie theaters.
The festival’s program is divided into 21 competitive and noncompetitive sections. Among the noncompetitive movies, Tan and her team picked a selection of award-winning movies during the year while traveling to various international film festivals. "The most wanted films will be screened at our Akbank Galas," Tan said. Galas include Germany’s most expensive film ever made "The Baader Meinhoff Complex," which deals with 1970’s radical left terrorist group the Red Army Faction and the Oscar award-winning story of California's first openly gay elected official, "Milk."
Argentinean cinema
Other sections in the noncompetitive category deal with special themes such as an Argentinean cinema section and a selection of films summarized under the title "Rebels, Saints, Troubadours." The later series shows 11 memorable attempts at rebellion, saintliness and poetry and the intricate relationship among these three types made by filmmakers in the early 20th to early 21st century. This section marks the academic part of the festival, Tan said.
The noncompetitive films range from experimental works in the "Mind Zone" to animated movies to a "Let There Be Love" section. The "Young Masters" section focuses in particular on the work of young directors who received awards and audience appreciation for their debuts or second features at international festivals such as Cannes, Toronto, Berlin and Rotterdam.
The competitions at the International Istanbul Film Festival include the international "Golden Tulip" award, bringing together 12 films from 11 countries that deal with aspects of the artistic world. "With the theme of art we go back to our roots as the film festival started as a part of an art festival in 1982," Tan said.
Fourteen recent Turkish movies will compete for the domestic Golden Tulip. The festival also hosts the FACE Award of the Council of Europe, a prize presented to the director of a film that raises public awareness and interest in human rights. A fourth competition will reward one of six pre-selected Turkish short films.
Panel discussions with various international directors make up the side event program of the festival. "The festival has always been a school for young Turkish directors," Tan said. "In the first years it was the only place to see international films and meet the filmmakers." A master’s class will be given by famous cartoonist Bill Plympton whose drawings have appeared in magazines such as Penthouse, Rolling Stone and Glamour. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1988 for an animated movie. At the festival Plympton will do live drawings on a large sketchpad to show some animation tricks. All panels are open to the public and free of charge.
Promotion of Turkish cinema
With hosting professionals like Plympton and representatives of the international media, Tan and her team want to create an international atmosphere primarily for the Turkish scene. "The goal is to promote Turkish cinema and help it attain international recognition," said Tan, adding that there are different examples of the festival being a driving factor for the Turkish scene in the past. "Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s movie ’Uzak’ became popular after the screening at our festival."
According to the festival director, Turkish cinema is on the rise like Scandinavian and Latin American movies. "We will show 40 Turkish films this year and we have never had that many before," Tan said. But, as a recognized movie expert, Tan thinks that the Turkish scene still has room to develop. "We still need some courage to create more experimental cutting-edge films, instead of just following the popular trends," she said.
The 28th International Istanbul Film Festival takes place from April 4 to 19. Screenings are daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. For the complete screening schedule visit www.iksv.org/film.