Turkish movie receives two awards in Madrid

MADRID - Anatolia News Agency

This photo shows the winners of the Madrid International Film Festival, which also includes Erdal Rahmi Hanay, director of the Turkish movie ‘Hicaz,’ and Berke Üzrek. While Hanay won the honorary award, Üzrek won the award best supporting actor. AA photo

Erdal Rahmi Hanay, director of the Turkish movie “Hicaz,” received the honorary award at the Madrid International Film Festival, while Berke Üzrek took home the award for best supporting actor.

The Madrid International Film Festival celebrates the movie making industry while bringing together filmmakers and people from the film business. The festival spans all genres, from the smallest independent filmmaker to the day’s most popular English and foreign language films. The film festival took place between June 6 and 9 with a total of 32 awards given to nominees.

With an inventive, international selection that is neither too traditional nor too sophisticated, the festival is open to all film types and never forgets the passion of its participants for film. The festival’s selection is attentive to the arrival of new generations of talent in the film industry and combines all the necessary conditions for the films to be hosted and honored in the great tradition of filmmakers around the world.

Hanay said his team was very happy to receive awards at the Madrid International Film Festival. “It is a very big honor to receive two awards. I am very happy for Berke Üzrek also,” he said, speaking to Anatolia news agency.

“We have come to this point through hard work. These festivals open us [and our work] to the international film scene,” Üzrek said.

The award for best movie went to “Mad Rush,” a film by Finnish director Sami Malmberg.

The official selection of the festival served to highlight the diversity of cinematic creation through its different sections, the two most important of which are the Competition and UN Certain Regard. Films that are representative of “arthouse cinema with a wide audience appeal” are presented in Competition, and Un Certain Regard focuses on works that have an original aim and aesthetic. The Madrid International Film Festival Awards will be on films entered in the 2011 and 2012 Filmmaker Award.

At the Madrid International Film Festival short films feature in Competition, in the Short Film Corner, a professional area dedicated to meeting people, exchanging ideas and promoting films.

The festival is keen to discover new talent and act as a springboard for creation.

The development of the producer network gives filmmakers an opportunity to pitch their ideas for future productions.