Bosphorus Film Festival to kick off next week

By Hilal Ustuk

ISTANBUL (AA) – More than 100 films from 39 countries will be shown at this year’s International Bosphorus Film Festival, an organizer said on Monday.

Movies from Brazil to India and Iran to Kyrgyzstan will be screened in the fifth edition of the festival, with Anadolu Agency as its global communication partner, on Nov. 17-26, festival organizer Ogun Sanlier told a press conference in Istanbul.

“Our well-known guests such as Bela Tarr, Aida Begic, Dervis Zaim, Bobby Roth, Mecid Mecidi will mingle with film-lovers at the screenings and events during the festival,” he said.

Sanlier said that a new category “A Long March” was added to the festival program in an attempt to boost awareness of the refugee crisis.

Festival director Bulent Turgut said that this year’s festival program was stirring and full of innovations.

Turgut said that the jury members for the national feature film competition are Turkish film director Dervis Zaim, writer Ayfer Tunc, actress Yasemin Allen, director of cinematography Feza Caldiran, and film editor Aylin Zoi Tinel.

Films competing in this category are Andac Haznedaroglu’s Misafir/Guest, Ayhan Salar and Erkan Tahhusoglu’s Esik, Burcak Acik Uzen’s Beginner, Bulent Ozturk’s Mavi Sessizlik/Blue Silence, Fikret Reyhan’s Sari Sicak/Yellow Heat, Ozgur Sevimli’s Murtaza, Pelin Esmer’s Ise Yarar Bir Şey/Something Useful, and Selman Kilicaslan’s Butun Saadetler Mumkundur/All Felicities Are Possible.

The award for the best film is 100,000 TL ($25,832), he added.

Bosnian film director Aida Begic will be head of the international feature film competition jury, he said.

Ten films are competing in this category: Mejid Mejidi’s Beyond the Cloud, Parviz Shahbazi’s Malaria, Amr Salama’s Sheikh Jackson, Thierry de Peretti’s A Violent Life, George Ovashvili’s Khibula, Andrea Magnani’s Easy, Davi Pretto’s Rifle, Bakyt Mukul and Dastan Zhaparuulu’s A Father’s Will, and Cristi Iftime’s Marita. This category’s best film award is 50,000 TL ($12,916).

Turgut said that Begic’s film Never Leave Me, which tells the story of three children who fled the war in Syria to come to Sanliurfa in southeastern Turkey, will premiere at the festival.

The Hungarian film director Bela Tarr will be in Istanbul during the festival and give a masterclass, Turgut said.

Films by Tarr such as Werckmeister Harmoniak, The Man From London, and The Turin Horse will be screened at the festival, he added.

Festival coordinator Irem Senturk said that among the festival guests were Hungarian art film director Laszlo Rajk as well as Bobby Roth, who directed episodes of popular American TV series Prison Break and Lost.

Senturk said that Woody Allen’s latest film Wonder Wheel will also be screen at the festival’s World Cinema category.

The festival will be closed with Suburbicon George Clooney, she added.

It has been organized the International Bosphorus Cinema Association, the Istanbul Media Academy and the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry.