Turkish film wins best screenplay award

ROME

Director Tayfun Pirselimoglu poses during a photo call for the movie ‘Ben o Degilim’ (I’m not him) at the 8th edition of the Rome International Film Fest. AP photo

The award for best screenplay in the 8th International Rome Film Festival was granted to Turkish film “Ben o değilim” (I am not him) directed by Tayfun Pirselimoğlu.
 
“Ben o Degilim” (I am not him) by Pirselimoglu, a director, painter, author and screenwriter, who addresses the theme of identity by bringing to the screen a morbid relationship between the introverted Nihat (Ercan Kesal), who works in a hospital cafeteria, and Ayse (Maryam Zaree), a mysterious woman hired as a dishwasher.

Italian-Croatian director Alberto Fasulo on Nov 17 won the Rome Film Festival’s top prize with his documentary-style movie “TIR”.
 
The film about a Croatian schoolteacher who, attracted by the idea of tripling his wages, becomes a truckdriver who criss-crosses Europe, edged out 17 other contenders for the Golden Marcus Aurelius prize for best film.
 
The jury headed by US director James Gray awarded the prize for best director to Japan’s Kiyoshi Kurosawa for “Seventh Code”, an industrial espionage action flick.

A special jury prize went to “Quod Erat Demonstrandum” by Romanian director Andrei Gruzsniczk, in which a mathematician draws the wrath of state police by getting an article published in a US magazine without the permission of the authorities. American Matthew McConaughey won best actor for his role in “Dallas Buyers Club” by Jean-Marc Vallee, while his compatriot Scarlett Johansson was awarded best actress for her performance in “Her” by Spike Jonze. This year’s festival saw a 20-percent spike in ticket sales compared to the 2012 edition, with some 150,000 people attending.
Festival director Marco Mueller, who formerly headed up the Venice film festival, said he aims to put Rome once again on the international cinema map. This year many celebrities and Hollywood stars such as Oscar award winning Jennifer Lawrence visited the festival for the award ceremony.