Ankara Film Festival opens window to East

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

This photo shows a scene from the Turkish film ‘Babamın Sesi’ (The Voice of My Father), one of the films at the 24th Ankara International Fim Festival.

Holding out the prospect of 11 days of wall-to-wall cinematic treats for film-lovers in Turkey’s capital the 24th Ankara International Film Festival is beginning today with a focus on Eastern cinema and the Arab Spring.

This year, the festival is targeting the East and presenting a selection of 10 films less known to Turkey from several Eastern countries. Spanning from the “Arab Spring” to an “Orientalist Perspective,” or from the concept of migration to problems in society, the selection of films brings a wide scope of topics to the silver screen. The program presents examples of films of such countries of the Middle and near-East such as Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
In addition, the festival program also includes a selection of Turkish films which undertake the task of opening a window to the east of Turkey and which put the East at its focal point.

Waiting to be discovered

Waiting to be discovered and understood, the East is not only a neighbor of the West, but has been the foundation of civilization and language for the West, festival organizers said in a recent statement.
However, the West has significantly progressed in the last centuries, leading to its efforts to dominate the rest of the globe. This dominance is generally emphasized in economic, military and political dimensions , which is not only an incorrect approach, but is at the same time insufficient, it said. As this historical perspective is lacking in many aspects, it has led to new interpretations and analyses. 
The event will continue until March 24.