‘Winter Sleep’ sweeps 47th SİYAD Awards

ISTANBUL -Anadolu Agency

Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest Palme d’Or-winning movie “Kış Uykusu” (Winter Sleep) swept the board at the 47th Turkish Cinema Writers Association (SİYAD) awards, presented at Istanbul’s Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall on March 11.

“Winter Sleep” won six prizes overall including Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actor (Haluk Bilginer), Best Actress (Melisa Sözen), Best Supporting Actor (Ayberk Pekcan) and Best Photography (Gökhan Tiryaki).

Set in modern-day Turkey, the film portrays family drama of an Anatolian hotel owner and his wife’s decaying relationship as his sister grapples with the aftermath of a divorce. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year.

This year’s SİYAD Honorary Awards went to director Yavuz Turgul, actor Genco Erkal, actress Nebahat Çehre and musician Attila Özdemiroğlu. The Labor award was presented to festival director and filmmaker İrfan Demirkol.

“Two Days, One Night” by the brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne was selected as the Best Foreign Film of 2014.

Speaking at the ceremony, SİYAD President Melis Behlil said the award winners were determined by the votes of the association’s 94 members this year.

Deniz Akçay won Best Script for “Köksüz” (Rootless) and Lale Başar won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the same film. Kenan Doğulu won Best Soundtrack for “Unutursam Fısılda” (Whisper if I Forget) and Soydan Kuş won the Best Art Director for the same film. Yorgos Mavropsaridis won Best Screenplay for “Sivas, Güliz Sağlam won Best Documentary for “Tepecik Hayal Okulu” (A Dream School in the Steppes), and the Best Short Film award was given to “Müjdeler Var Yurdumun Toprağına Taşına, Erdi Sinemam 100 Şeref Yaşına” (We Bear Good News for Our Beloved Country, Our Cinema is Celebrating its 100th Anniversary.