Istanbul Film Fest announces winners

ISTANBUL

The 38th Istanbul Film Festival presented national and international film awards during a ceremony April 16 at Rahmi M. Koc Museum.
“Bolsaa” (House of Hummingbird), directed by Bora Kim, won the festival’s grand prize, the Golden Tulip, in the international category.
The film portrays a young girl struggling to find her place in the world, waiting for the moment when her life will finally shine.
Twelve films from 10 countries competed for the international award.
“Bolsaa” was selected for its delicacy, beauty, emotional impact and skill.
Awards included international and national categories, Human Rights in Cinema, National Documentary and National Short Film, the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize and FIPRESCI Awards.
The awards ceremony marked the culmination of the 2019 festival, where 175 feature-length and 11 short films were showcased alongside panels and concerts.
The winner of the International Competition Special Jury Prize was “Talking About Trees,” directed by Suhaib Gasmelbari.
“Sometimes the failures are so great that hope has to grow. There are times when talking about trees is almost a crime because it implies silence about so many horrors,” the jury said.
The Human Rights in Cinema award is presented only at the Istanbul Film Festival and has existed for 13 years. The award was given to “Diciembres / Decembers” directed by Enrique Castro Ríos for its poetic and thought-provoking qualities.
The jury also awarded a Special Mention to “#Female Pleasure” directed by Barbara Miller.Nine films that were completed in the 2018-19 season vied for the Golden Tulip in the National Competition of the festival–together with the Out of Competition titles. Ten fiction features had their world premieres, and one film had its Turkey premiere. The jury evaluating the films in the National Competition for the 38th Istanbul Film Festival was headed by director, writer, and scriptwriter Ümit Ünal.
The National Competition Jury distributed awards in nine categories: Golden Tulip Best Film, Special Prize of the Jury, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematographer, Best Editing and Best Original Music.
In the main categories, the Golden Tulip for Best Film in the National Competition was awarded to “Kız Kardeşler” (A Tale of Three Sisters,) directed by Emin Alper and the Special Jury Prize in memory of Onat Kutlar was given to “Yuva” by Emre Yeksan.
The jury decided to award a Special Mention to “Aden” (Eden) by Barış Atay.
Alper also won the Best Director Award for his film, “A Tale of Three Sisters.” Cemre Ebüzziya, Ece Yüksel and Helin Kandemir won the Best Actress Award for their roles in the same film.
The Best Actor Award was given to Kutay Sandıkçı for his role in “Yuva.”
The Best Screenplay Award in the National Competition was given to Serhat Karaaslan for the film “Görülmüştür” (Passed by Censor).
This year, 11 films competed in the National Documentary Competition launched by the Istanbul Film Festival in order to support documentary filmmakers and documentary film production in Turkey.
The Best Documentary Award was given to “Tanrı Göçmen Çocukları Sever Mi Anne?” (Do You Think God Loves Immigrant Kids, Mom?” directed by Rena Lusin Bitmez for being a skilful depiction of the hardships of displacement told through an unobtrusive point of view.
The film portrays the micro cosmos of society by focusing on children and their parents with warmth, respect, and a hopeful outlook on the future.
A Special Mention went to “Baştan Başa” (Heads and Tails) by Aylin Kuryel and Fırat Yücel for being a humorous portrait of a tradition layered with social and political resonances across the Middle East.
The Istanbul Film Festival also presents the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize in memory of director and producer Seyfi Teoman, who passed away in 2012.
Six debut fiction feature films by Turkish filmmakers were nominated for the prize.
“Nebula” (Dead Horse Nebula) by Tarık Aktaş won the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize supported with a monetary award of 30,000 Turkish Liras.
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) presented three awards.
The winners included “Talking About Trees,” “A Tale of Three Sisters” and “Gümüş” (The Gentle Sadness of Things) by Deniz Telek.