Turkish film wins ‘visionary’ award at Cannes
CANNES – Anadolu Agency
Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s first feature film “Album,” which was shown in the Critics’ Week, a parallel competitive section of the Cannes Film Festival, has won the France 4 Visionary Award, which is given to a first or second feature film for its outstanding creativity and innovation.“Album” probes the question of prejudice and bureaucracy in Turkish society, telling the story of a couple who conceal an adoption by staging a fake pregnancy with a fake photo album.
“Many people, both rich and poor, hide to their children that they were adopted. I would be pleased if this issue is discussed more openly in society through my film,” Mertoğlu said before the screening of his film in Cannes.
Actress Şebnem Bozoklu, who plays a tax office worker in the film, said she felt the script was special as soon as she read it.
“It did not look like anything I have read before. I knew the film would be successful internationally because of its originality,” Bozoklu said.
The Critics’ Week awards were handed out on May 19, with Oliver Laxe’s “Mimosas” taking the top prize.
The film earned the Nespresso.
Grand Prize, The story centers on a caravan escorting an elderly and dying sheikh through the Moroccan Atlas. When the man dies before they reach their destination, two rogues traveling with the caravan choose to continue the journey to bring the corpse to its final resting place.
Seven films competed in the Critics’ Week section, which focuses on discovering new talent.