Iranian film big winner at Bosphorus Film Festival

ISTANBUL

Parviz Shahbazi (L)

The 5th International Bosphorus Film Festival ended on Nov. 27, with Iranian director Parviz Shahbazi’s film “Malaria” sweeping up the awards for Best Script, Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actress at the closing
ceremony.

Festival director Ogün Şanlıer said they had received more than 3,400 international applications from 102 countries for the festival, and 150 films from 36 countries were shown.

The Lifetime Achievement of the festival was presented to Hungarian director Bela Tarr at the closing ceremony, held at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.

“When you go to a venue to make a film at four in the morning, everything is quiet, everybody is cold but you never think of it. You only think that you have to tell something to people. You tell them how you see the world and of course you have to be strong. You also have to be yourself. That is what I have done for the last 40 years,” Tarr said in her acceptance
speech.

Majid Majidi’s “Behind the Clouds” won the Best Fiction award and the award for Best Actor award for Ishaan Khattar.

Saghar Ghanaat won the Best Actress award for her performance in “Malaria.”

In the national category of the festival, Andaç Haznedaroğlu’s “Misafir” (The Guest) won the Best National Feature Film and Best
Fiction awards.