NEW DELHI: Over 200 films are being screened at the 34th Istanbul Film Festival which commenced this week with Ernesto Daranas Serrano’s film Conducta / Behavior.
Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (iKSV) and sponsored for the 11th time by AKBANK, the much anticipated Istanbul Film Festival’s opening ceremony saw stars and distinguished figures of the Turkish cinema together at the Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Center.
A total of 49 films will be competing in the 34th Istanbul Film Festival for the International and National Golden Tulip Competitions, FACE Human Rights in Cinema, Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film, and the newly launched National Documentary Competition categories.
The next section in the Istanbul Film Festival Opening Ceremony was the tributes, honouring the figures of the cinema, culture, and art world who passed away during the previous year. Talat Halman, Turkey’s first Minister of Culture and Chairman of iKSV Board of Trustees, and Yasar Kemal, one of the most internationally renowned authors to have come out of Turkey, were given special mention in this section.
The annual Cinema Honorary Awards of the Istanbul Film Festival were given to five distinguished figures who have long served the Turkish cinema. Safa Onal was the first to receive his Honorary Award at the ceremony. A holder of Guinness World Record title for his 395 filmed screenplays, Onal is one of Turkey’s most prolific filmmakers, with more than 500 scripts for TV series episodes and over 60 photonovelas to his credit as writer and nearly 40 films as director.
Musician Cahit Berkay received the second Honorary Award of the night. Berkay is not only renowned as a founder of the Anatolian rock music with his authentic style, but also a favourite of cinephiles for his exceptional film scores. He has more than 180 films, including Abbas in Flower and The Girl with the Red Scarf, and more than 70 television series to his credit as composer since 1962.
The third Honorary Award of the night was presented to Yilmaz Atadeniz. Director, producer, and a genius in editing, Atadeniz is another prolific artist in the film business with a filmography that spans almost all genres, from comedy to adventure and to comic book adaptations.
The fourth recipient of the five Honorary Awards was Suleyman Turan, who has portrayed unforgettable supporting characters with whom the audiences identified deeply, whether it be in comedy or drama. Turan’s childhood passion for painting grew into a profession, which he pursued as an illustrator in a wide spectrum ranging from comic books to cartoons, from posters to book covers.
The final Honorary Award of the night was presented to actress Nebahat Cehre. A distinguished actress in the Turkish cinema, renowned for both her exceptional talent and beauty, Cehre entered the film business with her role in The Wild Rose in 1961. Her critically acclaimed performances in a wide variety of genres from melodrama to historical and fantastic films included many highlights such as Bitter Life, Seyyit Han, Balatli Arif, Esrefpasali, Bride of the Earth, and Kamali Zeybek.
