Turkish film wins best screenplay at prominent festival in US

NEW YORK

Kovan, a film directed and written by Turkish filmmaker Eylem Kaftan, has won six awards, including “the best screenplay” and “the best director” at the Chelsea Film Festival in the U.S., according to daily Hürriyet.

Starring prominent Turkish-German actress Meryem Uzerli, better known as Hürrem Sultan in the popular Turkish TV series “The Magnificent Century” (Muhteşem Yüzyıl), won “the best actress” award at the festival.

“This is the second big award given to the character Ayşe, which I portrayed in Kovan, this year. I am so glad the big names in Hollywood rewarded my acting,” Uzerli said, sharing her joy and happiness for her success.

The festival jury, chaired by veteran actor Paul Calderon, featured prominent figures from the American film industry such as Oscar-winning producer Heather Rae, director-producer Robin Weigert, actor Taryn Manning and director Eli Rosen.

Serdar Ünlütürk, who took part in the film, embraced the best image award, while Hakan Karsak was named the best supporting actor.

The film features the story of a beekeeping woman from Germany struggling with the wild nature of the Black Sea province of Artvin.

The Chelsea Film Festival, held since 2013, is considered as one of the 10 best film festivals in North America.

The film will compete at the Hof International Film Festival in Germany this month and at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival in November.

It will also appear before the jury in Norway and Bangladesh in the coming months.