‘Behind the Hill’ sweeps film awards

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Director Emin Alper won the Best Film and Best Director awards. AA photo

The 24th Ankara International Film Festival closed March 24 with a ceremony at the State Painting and Sculpture Museum, during which director Emin Alper’s film “Tepenin Ardı” (Beyond the Hill) was presented the Best Film Award. The film also scored Alper the Best Director Award.

The festival, organized by the Global Mass Communication Research Foundation, focused on the East and presented a selection of 10 lesser-known films from several Eastern countries. Ranging from the Arab Spring to migration flows, the selection of films brought a wide assortment of topics to the silver screen over the festival’s 10-day duration.

The festival program also included a selection of Turkish films focusing on the east of the country, with the aim of opening a window onto the region.

Among the other winners of the festival were Sanem Öge, who won the Best Actress Award for her role in “Şimdiki Zaman” (Present Tense) and Tamer Levent, who won the Best Actor Award for “Tepenin Ardı.”

Also, Banu Fotocan won the Best Supporting Actress Award while Mehmet Özgür won the Best Supporting Actor Award for their roles in the same film.