Labor Film Festival to kick off on May 1

ISTANBUL

Scriptwriter Paul Laverty is the international guest of the Labor Film Festival.

Boasting a rich collection of films depicting the struggle of the working class around the world, the Labor Film Festival will kick off May Day and continue until May 7 in four provinces around Turkey.

The theme of the festival, which will screen 57 movies in Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir and Diyarbakır, will be “Freedom needs labor.”

The international guest of the festival will be scriptwriter Paul Laverty, who is known for his contributions to Ken Loach movies. Laverty will attend May Day celebrations in Taksim before speaking at an opening on May 2 and attending a seminar on labor movies on May 3.

In addition to focusing on workers’ struggles, the festival aims to provide a space for the exchange and collectivization of the experiences of the filmmakers who are committed to the labor struggle; present works that show the struggle of workers, the unemployed, students, farmers and women; as well as to screen films that depict the popular uprisings across the world.

Steve Zelter, the U.S. director of “Fukushima never again;” Shin Eun-jung, director of “Veritas: Harward, a secret history,” as well as Japanese director Fumiaki Kojima will all attend the festival as guests.
During the opening on May 2 at 7 p.m. RitmArt, Nejat Yaşaroğulları, the Sarıyer Halk Evi (People’s House) choir will take the stage at Istanbul Technical University’s Maçka Campus. The opening will also screen a movie written by Laverty, “Even the Rain.”

Of the 57 movies, 20 are international while the remaining offerings are by Turkish filmmakers. There will be also documentaries.

Ömer Lütfi Akad, a Turkish director, will be the guest of honor of this year’s festival; three of his movies will be shown at the event.

Some of the Turkish movies that will be shown at the festival include “Deep Scream” (Metin Kaya), “That’s it” (Osman Şişman, Özlem Sarıyıldız); “Ashes of Davutpaşa” (Ayten Başer) and “Dead Bodies” (Murat Özçelik).

The southeastern Diyarbakır is hosting the festival for the first time.