Reception held in Cannes for 100th anniversary of Turkish cinema

CANNES

Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan (R) poses with actor Rıza Sönmez at the reception.

Due to the 100th anniversary of Turkish cinema, the Turkish Ambassador to Paris Hakkı Akil has held a reception for the representatives of world cinema at the 67th Cannes Film Festival. The reception started with a one minute’s silence for those who lost their life in the mining disaster last week in Turkey’s Soma.

The Turkish band Baba Zula was scheduled to take the stage for the event, but the concert was canceled because of the Soma disaster.  

In his speech, Akil spoke about the development of Turkish cinema over the recent years and the awards that Turkish directors have won in international festivals like Cannes.

He said that the interest of Turkish cinema has grown. In addition to this, he said local productions and Turkish dramas were being exported to Middle Eastern, Balkan and Asian countries, increasing their audience. Among the attendees of the event were director Nuri Bilge Ceylan and the stars from his film “Kış Uykusu” (Winter Sleep), which is competing at Cannes this year.  

The 67th Cannes Film Festival will end on May 24 with an award ceremony.