Istanbul Film Festival starts in April

ISTANBUL

The Istanbul Film Festival returns to the city for the 42nd time this year, bringing together cinema lovers with award-winning, quality films from the Cinema of Türkiye and World Cinema, as well as with special screenings, stars and master filmmakers.

The festival will take place between April 7 and 18 and will greet its audience with 134 feature and 29 short films, including the newest voices in world cinema, works that have reached cult status, the latest films of master filmmakers, and young talents.

As part of the festival, films by 160 directors from 84 countries will be featured in 14 sections for 12 days. In addition to the screenings, the festival will also feature interviews with guest directors and actors, special screenings and events.

The opening film of the festival is “Scrapper,” which won the Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema-Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival. A heart-warming father-daughter story directed by Charlotte Regan, Scrapper co-stars Harris Dickinson.

The Cinema Honorary Awards, presented by the festival to names who have devoted themselves to the cinema, will be given to two film and stage actors, Kayhan Yıldızoğlu and Nevra Serezli. The awards will be presented at the opening ceremony of the festival on April 6.

Meetings on the Bridge, the co-production, training and networking platform that brings producers, directors and scriptwriters from Türkiye and its neighboring countries together with international film professionals, will be held this year on April 12, 13 and 14.

With its Film Development, Work in Progress and Neighbours workshops, Meetings on the Bridge provides an opportunity for filmmakers to present their feature fictional films and documentaries, and their films in post-production for the first time, as well as aiming for creating a platform for artistic and financial collaborations.

The jury of the festival’s International Competition is led by Portuguese auteur director João Canijo. Other members are producer Dora Bouchoucha, director Teona Strugar Mitevska, director Alexandre O. Philippe, and actress Maeve Jinkings.

Films in the International Competition include “Animalia,” “The Survival of Kindness,” “Next Sohee,” “The Water,” “Scarlet,” “Atlantic Bar,” “In the Blind Spot,” “World War III,” “Copenhagen Does Not Exist” and “Pamfir.”

The jury of the festival’s National Competition is headed by director Emin Alper. Other members are actress Farah Zeynep Abdullah, cinematographer A. Emre Tanyıldız, editor Aylin Zoi Tinel, and author Seray Şahiner.The National Competition bestows a total of 10 awards, namely Golden Tulip for Best Film, Special Prize of the Jury, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Director, and Best Original Music.

Films in the National Competition include “Bir Tutam Karanfil” (Cloves & Carnations), “Ölüler İçin Yaşam Kılavuzu” (A Guide to Living for the Dead), “ Bars” (Tulliana), “Yüzleşme” (Confrontation), “Iguana Tokyo,” “Kör Noktada” (In the Blind Spot), “Cam Perde” (Glass Curtain), “Boğa Boğa” (Chokehold), “Ayna Ayna” (Mirror Mirror) and “Sanki Her Şey Biraz Felaket” (Almost Entirely a Slight Disaster).

A Rebel in Hollywood: William Friedkin

This year, the retrospective section of the Istanbul Film Festival is dedicated to William Friedkin, one of the pioneers of the ‘New Hollywood’ movement of the 1970s with his bold stories, iconic action films and timeless cult works.

Friedkin’s nine feature films from different genres such as horror, crime, thriller-adventure and drama, including “The Exorcist,” which celebrates its 50th anniversary, will be screened at the festival.

The festival continues to revive the most significant works of Turkish cinema by restoring outstanding classics. Film enthusiasts will have the opportunity to watch a cult classic from its copy digitally restored by Atlas Post Production, “The Angel of Vengeance – The Female Hamlet” (1976), written and directed by Metin Erksan, starring Fatma Girik as Hamlet.

This year the screenings of the Istanbul Film Festival will take place in six movie theaters, including Atlas 1948 and Institut Français in Beyoğlu, CineWAM Premium+ City’s Nişantaşı in Şişli, and Kadıköy Sineması and Kadıköy Municipality Sinematek/Cinema House in Kadıköy.

The festival tickets will go on sale on March 31.