Turkish films win awards in Australia

ISTANBUL

Emin Alper’s ‘Frenzy’ won the jury grand prize at the Asian Oscars.

“Turkish Waves,” a cultural event organized by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy in collaboration with the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Australia Foreign and Trade Ministry in the Australian city of Brisbane, left its mark on the 9th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), known as the Oscars of Asia. 

Turkish films “Ana Yurdu” (Motherland) by Senem Tüzen and “Abluka” (Frenzy) by Emin Alper won the best screenplay award and the jury grand prize, respectively, at the APSA award ceremony held on Nov. 26.

During the ceremony, Turkish composer and pianist Selim Atakan accompanied Christina Wilson on stage and the duo performed the song “La Vie En Rose” for the victims of the recent terror attacks in Paris.  This year, on the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign, Turkey was invited by the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival (BAPFF) and its official partner, APSA, as the guest country, and has been represented by the event “Turkish Waves,” curated by APSA academy member Zeynep Özbatur Atakan. The event, which began on Nov. 19, will continue until Nov. 29, and a very special selection of nine Turkish films is being screened. 

Besides “Abluka” and “Ana Yurdu,” the other films in the event are “Mustang,” “Kuzu” (The Lamb), “Gelin” (The Bride), “Sarmaşık” (Ivy), “Kasaba” (The Small Town), “Umut” (Hope) and “Nefesim Kesilene Kadar” (Until I Lose My Breath).