Turkish film wins FIPRESCI award

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Hürriyet photo from "Gelecek Uzun Sürer" (Future Lasts Forever)

Turkish director Özcan Alper’s second feature film “Gelecek Uzun Sürer” (Future Lasts Forever) won the Best Film Award presented by the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) at the 16th International Kerala Film Festival that took place in India between Dec. 9 and 16. The film, which was released in Turkey on Nov. 11 and is still in movie theaters, won the Best Film, Best Director and Best Music Awards at the 2nd International Malatya Film Festival that was recently held in the eastern Turkish province of Malatya.

Touching on Turkey’s southeastern problem, the film stars Gaye Gürsel, Osman Karakoç, Sarkis Seropyan and Durukan Ordu. It tells the story of Sumru, a doctoral student in Istanbul who travels to the southeast to conduct research. The short journey turns out to be the longest trip of her life when she meets Orhan, who sells illegal DVDs in Diyarbakır.

“Gelecek Uzun Sürer” also won the Yılmaz Güney Jury Special Prize along with the Cinema Writers Association (SİYAD) Best Film Award, the Best Director of Photography Award and the Best Music Award at the 18th Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, where it made its Turkey premiere in September. Ordu won the Best Actor Award at the same festival.

The film, a joint Turkish, German and French co-production, was shot over a period of eight weeks in Istanbul, Diyarbakır, Van and Hakkari in southeast Anatolia last year.
The film’s script was written by director Alper, who has so far received more than 30 awards in Turkey and abroad.