Istanbul Film Festival announces program
ISTANBUL
The 38th Istanbul Film Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), will take place between 5 and 16 April with a program comprising highlights from Turkey and world cinema.
The Istanbul Film Festival presents a rich program ranging from the recent productions of world cinema to cult films, to the largest showcase from Turkey and classics alike, new discoveries, and future masterpieces.
The festival presents 175 feature-length and 11 short films in 19 different sections. Besides the screening of a total of 186 films by 187 directors from 45 countries, the festival will feature Q&As and festival talks with visiting filmmakers, actors and actresses, concerts, and other special events.
At a press conference held on March 13, İKSV director Görgün Taner, festival director Kerem Ayan, and the head of Meetings on the Bridge, Gülin Üstün, provided information about the festival.
The 38th Istanbul Film Festival films will be screened at eight movie theatres: Atlas and Beyoğlu movie theaters, as well as Pera Museum Auditorium in the Beyoğlu district, Cinemaximum City’s Nişantaşı (two halls), Cinemaximum Zorlu Center in Gayrettepe, and Rexx and Kadıköy movie theatres in Kadıköy.
Yapı Kredi Culture Center, which will host press meetings, panel discussions, festival talks, seminars and other related events, will be the heart of the festival.
This year’s opening film will be “Edmond,” the latest film of Alexis Michalik, the young genius, dramaturge, actor, and playwright known as “the prince of French theater,” adapts and directs the film version of his blockbuster play of the same name which won numerous Molière awards.
Brisk, ingenious, riveting with top-notch acting and direction, Edmond centers around a young playwright who finds fame early on just like Michalik himself. Set in Paris in 1897 during the Belle Epoque, the film tells the creation story of his much beloved play Cyrano de Bergerac, which Edmond Rostand penned when he was experiencing a writer’s block.
Cinema Awards
The Cinema Awards of the 38th Istanbul Film Festival will be presented to four revered figures of Turkish cinema during the opening ceremony of the festival at UNIQ Istanbul on April 4.
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Şerif Gören, the director of “Yol” (The Road), which brought the “Palme d’Or” to Turkish cinema.
The “Golden Boy” of Turkish Cinema, Göksel Arsoy, and the indispensable actress of formidable female roles, Selda Alkor, will receive Honorary Cinema Awards. The Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award will go to the founding member of the Turkish Cinematheque Association, Jak Şalom.
Meetings on the Bridge brings filmmakers from Turkey and neighboring countries together with international film professionals, and will take place between April 7 and April12.
International competition
In the International Competition section of the Istanbul Film Festival, 12 films from 10 countries, under the “New Perspectives in Cinema” theme will vie for the Golden Tulip.
International Competition films include “Border” by Ali Abbasi, “Dead Horse Nebula” by Tarık Aktaş, “Talking About Trees by Suhaib Gasmelbari, “Bait” by Mark Jenkin, “Diane by Kent Jones, “House of Hummingbird” bu Bora Kim, “Rojo” by Benjamin Naishtat, “To the Ends of the World” by Guillaume Nicloux, “In Fabric” by Peter Strickland, “Beloved” by Yaser Talebi, “Aether by Ruken Tekeş and “Jumpman” by Ivan I. Tverdovsky.
Nine films completed in the 2018-19 season will be vying for the Golden Tulip in the National Competition of the festival–together with the Out of Competition titles, 10 fiction features will have their world premieres and one film will have its Turkey premiere.
The National Competition Jury will distribute awards in nine categories: Golden Tulip Best Film, Best Director, Special Prize of the Jury, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematographer, Best Editing, and Best Original Music.
The National Competition films include “Dead Horse Nebula,” “A Tale of Three Sisters” by Emin Alper, “Eden” by “Brothers” by Ömür Atay, “The Pigeon Thieves” by Osman Nail Doğan, “Passed by Censor” by Serhat Karaaslan and “Insiders” by Hüseyin Karabey, “Saf” by Ali Vatansever and “Yuva” by Emre Yeksan.
This year, the festival commemorates legendary director Stanley Kubrick on the 20th anniversary of his passing. One of the special sections of the 38th Istanbul Film Festival, “Factory of Masterpieces: Kubrick,” beckons the fans and younger generations who haven’t watched the films of this influential director to the movie theatre to the silver screen experience.
Remastered copies of 13 feature films directed by Stanley Kubrick will be screened, thus presenting the director’s filmography in its entirety.
Festival tickets will be available for purchase as of March 23.