!f Istanbul to screen in three cities

ISTANBUL

This year the annual !f Istanbul Independent Film Festival will open with the theme “Things that heal us.” The festival will offer ways of healing and sense-making amid challenges in Turkey and much of the world, inviting viewers to come together, through its films, musical events and public talks.

The festival will open with “Moonlight,” the winner of the best drama film at the latest Golden Globe awards. 
It is considered to be a masterpiece by director Barry Jenkins, who was listed among the most eye-catching directors of 2016 by Variety magazine. 

The film won best film, best screenplay and a special jury award for its cast at the Gotham Independent Film festival, and six nominations at the Independent Spirit awards, making it one of the strongest candidates for the Oscars. 

It is an adaptation from the play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” by one of the most awarded playwrights in modern theater, Tarell Alvin McCraney, best known for his “Brother/Sister” trilogy. 

“Moonlight” is a story of a child’s coming of age, set in three different periods and featuring strong autobiographical elements. 

Bests of the year

!f Istanbul will once again host the Turkish premieres of some of the highlights from prominent festivals around the world, from Sundance to Venice and Toronto to Cannes, as well as outstanding performers in the award season. 

“Certain Women,” by the queen of independent cinema, Kelly Reichardt, is one of them. The film has won all-round praise, especially for fascinating performances by Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern and outstandingly Lily Gladstone. 

Danish animator Michael Dudok de Wit will come with his latest work, “The Red Turtle,” which won the jury special award at Cannes.

“Everybody Wants Some!!” is the latest work by Richard Linklater. He turns his attention to the crazy life of a group of college basketball players in the 1980s. 

Danish director Lone Scherfig will be at !f with her romantic comedy “Their Finest,” starring Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin.

The event will close with the cinema phenomenon of the year, “T2 Trainspotting.” 

The sequel “T2 Trainspotting” adapted from Irvine Welsh’s “Porn” novel by Danny Boyle, takes us to Edinburgh 20 years later, to Mark Renton and his mates Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie. 

The original “Trainspotting” will also be shown in the !f cult section. 

 Love & Change International Competition 

!f Istanbul started the competition for activist-themed films two years ago. This year, seven films will be competing, from the U.S., Denmark, Finland, France, Israel, Egypt, Poland, Syria, and Turkey. The winner will be awarded with $10,000. 

Love & Change Competition will bring together masters of the art world and documentary filmmaking for its jury: The Chinese contemporary artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei, Ece Temelkuran, who worked as a journalist and columnist in Turkey for 20 years and authored many books, Egyptian-Scottish filmmaker Khalid Abdalla, who produced, directed and acted in works such as “Green Zone,” “The Kite Runner,” and “The Square.” 

Icons in !f music!

!f Istanbul’s music festival !f music will also take on the “Things that heal us” theme this year. Music-lovers will have the chance to watch, for the first time in Turkey, films about legendary musicians from The Rolling Stones to Oasis and X Japan. 

There will be further healing opportunities with !f music activities at Istanbul’s bomontiada. 

Through activities at bomontiada, participants will discover the effect of sound and frequency with the KUAN group at the “Sound and Frequency Consciousness Workshop” and will be involved in a unique tale with the guidance of Elif Özkoç, healer and shamanic practitioner, and storyteller Pelin Turgut. 

Another guest at !f music will be famous dancer, choreographer, martial arts master and actor Bboy Neguin. 
The section “Art is for life!” will again feature intriguing insights into artists at work. 

“David Lynch: The Art Life,” “The Space in Between: Marina Abramović and Brazil,”“Maya Angelou And Still I Rise,” “Franca: Chaos and Creation,” and “Hooligan Sparrow” will be among the films in the section.