Turkey’s newcomer gets int’l success in US
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Daily News with wires
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 11, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Turkish film 'Sıfır Dediğimde' (On the Count of Zero), written and directed by newcomer Turkish director Gökhan Yorgancıgil, has won awards in two categories at one of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the US, the 42nd Worldfest Houston Film Festival.
Turkish director Gökhan Yorgancıgil’s first film "Sıfır Dediğimde" (On the Count of Zero) was awarded the Jury Special Prize in two categories at the Worldfest Houston Film Festival in the United States.
The film, starring Oktay Kaynarca, Hazım Körmükçü, Görkem Yeltan, Damla Tokel, Özge Özder and Semih Sergen, joined the 42nd edition of the festival, organized in Houston city of Texas in the end of April. Among 59 films chosen from 4,500 films, "The Count of Zero" represented Turkey and won Special Jury Prize in two categories: "First Film" and "Cinema Film." The film also drew much attention in the festival and was screened again as the closing film of the festival.
Worldfest Houston Film Festival is one of the oldest and most prestigious festivals in the United States. Many master filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Brian De Palma, Coen Brothers and David Lynch won their first award in this festival. "The Count of Zero," which was shown at the Austin Film Festival last year in October, also joined the 39th Dallas USA Film Festival and drew too much attention.
First film, first success
Yorgancıgil, the director and scriptwriter of the film, said it was his first film and a big surprise to win an award in such an important festival. He said the film with an interesting synopsis, rhythm, animation and visual effects, was one that everyone could watch in a single breath.
He said the scenario was based on a real psychiatric event bringing together mystery, thriller, detective, tale and dreams. "In terms of ’time’ the film is different from other Turkish films, and the final is a real surprise for viewers. " he said. The Worldfest Houston Film Festival also screened last year’s one of the most popular Turkish films, "Issız Adam." (Alone) by famous director Çağan Irmak. The film features the story of Alper. He is a young chef and womanizer who begins to fall in love with Ada, a modest young 20-something who owns a shop and designs children’s costumes. The problem is his old habits are difficult to leave in the past.
About the film
"On the Count of Zero" tells the story of a journey after the mysterious book containing a tale of Rumi, into the realm of hypnosis, which leads the characters on a hunt in the ancient capital of Istanbul, to uncover the secrets of the past. Different realms are presented as different levels of consciousness. The differences of the east and the west, the modern and the ancient are examined under the paradigm of the civilization that gave birth to the "Tales from 1,001 Nights," an invaluable piece of world literature also known as Arabian Nights which has been passed down from generation to generation.
A young girl loses a precious book she has borrowed from her teacher. The girl, unable to remember where and how she lost the book, is driven into depression, and taken to a psychiatrist by her best friend. As the psychiatrist helps the girl find the bag through hypnosis, she unexpectedly comes across a strange man in the hypnosis world. The door to mysterious events is pushed ajar with the mysterious man encountered during hypnosis, and a thrilling chase starts in the real world.
The film, starring Oktay Kaynarca, Hazım Körmükçü, Görkem Yeltan, Damla Tokel, Özge Özder and Semih Sergen, joined the 42nd edition of the festival, organized in Houston city of Texas in the end of April. Among 59 films chosen from 4,500 films, "The Count of Zero" represented Turkey and won Special Jury Prize in two categories: "First Film" and "Cinema Film." The film also drew much attention in the festival and was screened again as the closing film of the festival.
Worldfest Houston Film Festival is one of the oldest and most prestigious festivals in the United States. Many master filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Brian De Palma, Coen Brothers and David Lynch won their first award in this festival. "The Count of Zero," which was shown at the Austin Film Festival last year in October, also joined the 39th Dallas USA Film Festival and drew too much attention.
First film, first success
Yorgancıgil, the director and scriptwriter of the film, said it was his first film and a big surprise to win an award in such an important festival. He said the film with an interesting synopsis, rhythm, animation and visual effects, was one that everyone could watch in a single breath.
He said the scenario was based on a real psychiatric event bringing together mystery, thriller, detective, tale and dreams. "In terms of ’time’ the film is different from other Turkish films, and the final is a real surprise for viewers. " he said. The Worldfest Houston Film Festival also screened last year’s one of the most popular Turkish films, "Issız Adam." (Alone) by famous director Çağan Irmak. The film features the story of Alper. He is a young chef and womanizer who begins to fall in love with Ada, a modest young 20-something who owns a shop and designs children’s costumes. The problem is his old habits are difficult to leave in the past.
About the film
"On the Count of Zero" tells the story of a journey after the mysterious book containing a tale of Rumi, into the realm of hypnosis, which leads the characters on a hunt in the ancient capital of Istanbul, to uncover the secrets of the past. Different realms are presented as different levels of consciousness. The differences of the east and the west, the modern and the ancient are examined under the paradigm of the civilization that gave birth to the "Tales from 1,001 Nights," an invaluable piece of world literature also known as Arabian Nights which has been passed down from generation to generation.
A young girl loses a precious book she has borrowed from her teacher. The girl, unable to remember where and how she lost the book, is driven into depression, and taken to a psychiatrist by her best friend. As the psychiatrist helps the girl find the bag through hypnosis, she unexpectedly comes across a strange man in the hypnosis world. The door to mysterious events is pushed ajar with the mysterious man encountered during hypnosis, and a thrilling chase starts in the real world.