Frankfurt Turkish Film Fest kicks off

FRANKFURT - Anadolu Agency

Turkish actress Zuhal Olcay was presented the honorary award at the Frankfurt Turkish Film Festival.

The 14h Frankfurt Turkish Film Festival kicked off on Sept. 7 with a gala night in Frankfurt’s botanic garden, Palmengarten.

Speaking to press members before the opening, the festival’s committee chairman, Hüseyin Sıtkı, said nearly 40 films would be shown during the festival and various activities would be held.

“We will have panel discussions and two concerts. Also, there are two important projects within the scope of the festival. One of them is ‘festivals in prison’ and the other is ‘festivals in schools.’ We will show Turkish films in prisons and high schools and have a discussion about the films with the viewers,” he said.

Speaking about the success of Turkish cinema over the last 20 years, Sıtkı said German film makers were also paying attention to Turkish cinema, adding, “We have organized feature film competitions at the Frankfurt Film Festival for the last two years. The jury members are mainly German, which proves to us how much German filmmakers value Turkish cinema.”

Turkey’s Consul General to Frankfurt, Ufuk Ekici, who attended the gala night, said that the festival helped Turkish citizens living in Germany to socialize.

Honorary awards

Turkish actresses Zuhal Olcay and Perihan Savaş were presented with honorary awards at the event. Actor Halit Akçatepe, who was another recipient of the honorary award, could not attend the ceremony due to his health problems. His award was presented to Serap Gedik, the Istanbul coordinator of the Frankfurt Turkish Film Festival.

The event also featured a concert by Olcay, as well as an Indian traditional dance show. The festival will continue until Sept. 13.