Ankara Film Festival opens

ANKARA

The 19th Ankara International Film Festival kicked off with a ceremony at the MEB Şura Hall on April 19. 

At the opening ceremony, the honorary awards of the festival, organized by the World Mass Media Research Foundation, were presented to veteran actors Menderes Samancılar and Rüştü Asyalı and the Sinecine Research Magazine. 

Nearly 190 films will be screened at this year’s festival. 

“National Feature,” “National Documentary” and “National Short Film” competitions will be organized as part of the festival.

In the retrospective section of the festival, films by Kenji Mizoguchi, one of the greatest Japanese directors, will be shown in Turkey for the first time. As part of the festival, there will also be signing events with Samancılar, Nebil Özgentürk and Alper Saldıran.

In the National Feature Film Competition of the festival, a jury, headed by director Barış Pirhasan and including actors and writers Songül Öden, Güven Kıraç, Şebnem İşigüzel and Meryem Yavuz, will select the best film. 

The latest films by Turkish directors Onur Ünlü, Tayfun Pireselimoğlu and Ümit Ünal will be screened at the festival. 

All screenings will be at Kızılay Büyülü Fener Movie Theater.