Turkish films to hit Los Angeles screens

ISTANBUL

The second Los Angeles Turkish Film Festival (LATTF) will show American audiences a selection of Turkish cinema. The festival will open with Yılmaz Erdoğan’s “Kelebeğin Rüyasi” (Dream of a butterfly) on Feb. 28 marking the U.S. premiere of the film at the four-day festival. Along with Erdoğan himself, the film’s crew includes these names: Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, Belçim Bilgin, Mert Fırat, Farah Abdullah Zeynep and Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan. After Erdoğan’s new feature, the festival will be hosting Tepenin Ardı (Beyond the Hill) and Küf (Mold).

The festival will close with Zeki Demirkubuz’s feature “Yeraltı” (Underground).

The 2013 Los Angeles Turkish Film Festival has announced the jury for its second edition, which will be held between Feb. 28 and March 3. The head of this year’s LATTF jury is Semih Kaplanoğlu, the internationally renowned and award-winning director of “Angel’s Fall,” “Egg,” “Milk,” and “Honey.” The jury also includes Belçim Bilgin, an actress whose roles in “Remember Darling,” “Love Loves Coincidences,” “Kurtuluş Son Durak” (Kurtuluş Last Stop) and “Rhino Season” are worthy of remembering. Judging the shorts competition from the U.S. is again a prestigious line-up, including Ron Yerxa, president of the Academy’s foreign language executive committee; Howard A. Rodman, vice president of the Writers Guild of America West and Academy member; and lastly Rob Nilsson, director-producer and most notably winner of Caméra d’Or at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival.