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38th Istanbul Film Festival – Always a cultural surprise

38th Istanbul Film Festival – Always a cultural surprise Kyriakos Peftitselis reporting April 1919, exactly a century ago. My grandmother Agapi (=Love) and my grandfather Polichronis (=Longlive) with a 6-year old girl (my mother), a 3-year old boy and a baby in the womb began their journey with many families from Çorlu and Tekirdag to Thessaloniki, at the same time other Turkish families were leaving Greece, all victims of the ugliness of wargames played by superpowers*. My grandfather died on the way and the baby later on. My mother, some years later, married another Greek refugee from Bulgaria (Black Sea Burgas) and I was born, a few months before the end of the German occupation. And, here I am, April 2019, on an all-night bus from Thessaloniki to Istanbul on the way to the 38th IKSV International Film Festival (seventh consecutive accreditation), having ample time for life reflection digging out moments of my past. Life plays weird tricks! It could make an interesting …film. The festival, held in April 5-16, was very well organized again by IKSV, with the ever presence of well informed staff and many volunteers. Despite the obvious impact of the economic crisis here - just like in most countries in the area - it presented 175 feature and 11 short films from 45 countries screened in 8 halls, the international and national competition, documentaries, short films, Out of Competition section, Turkish and foreign unforgettable Classics, the standard Mined and Antidepressant Zones, Musical venues, along with commemorations, panel discussions, a concert, the fantastic exhibition of Ümit Ünal’s 65 photographs, and many side events. The estimated 110.000 cinephiles(!) had a chance to meet with about 90 cinema people (directors, producers, actors, honored personalities). The 2TL tickets this year gave students a break! Celebrated cinema personas, directors, producers, screenwriters, actors/actresses, curators and journalists made up the juries for: a) the international competition: Lynne Ramsay (British-American) president, Philippe Lesage (Canadian), Damla Solmez (Turkish), Matthijs W. Knol (Dutch), Florin Serban (Romanian), Nihal Koldas (Turkish) and Adrian Figueroa (German). b) the national competition: Umit Unal (Turkish) president, Derya Allabora (Turkish), Alocan Yucesoy (Turkish), Anreas Sinanos (Greek) and Gaye Boralioglu. c) for the National Documentary Competition: Melek U. Taylan (Turkish), Diana Nacke (German), and Didem Pekun (Turkish). d) the Seifi Teoman Best Debut: Anna Hoffmann (German), Banu Sivaci (Turkish) and Elit Iscan (Turkish)). e) the National Shorts competition: Umut Subasi (Turkish), Esme Madra (Turkish) and Halil Babur (Turkish). The Gala opening film was Edmond, by Alexis Michalic, on the Cyrano Berbegerac recreated story from French Moliere. The Gala closing ceremony for the awards was held in the impressive Rahmi M. Koc Museum, followed by a very vivid party as usual. The Awards. Lynne Ramsay, presented the Grand Golden Tulip for the international competition, in memory of Sakir Eczacibasi, to the House of Hummingbird directed by Korean Bora Kim. A tender and convincing portrait of a young woman striving for a her envisioned goals. Damla Sonmez announced the winner of the Special Jury Award for the international competition, Talking about Trees directed by Suhaib Gasmelbari (Sudanese), focusing on the subtle absence of loud voices at moments of horrific dangers the planet is facing. Hope is the only answer. The Human Rights in Cinema Award went to Decembers directed by Enrique Castro Ríos. The recreated story of a journalist’s the death during the U.S invasion in Panama, 1989. A controversial film according to many viewers. The Golden Tulip for Best Film Award in the national competition was presented by jury president/filmmaker Ümit Ünal to A Tale of Three Sisters, directed by Emin Alper, a perfect combination of humour and drama in the conflict between city and rural atmospheres. Emin Alper also won the Best Director Award for the same film. Cemre Ebüzziya, Ece Yüksel and Helin Kandemir won the Best Actress Awards for their roles in A Tale of Three Sisters. Actor Alican Yücesoy presented the award. The Special Jury Prize, in memory of Onat Kutlar, was given by director Philippe Lesage to Yuva directed by Emre Yeksan. It is an elegy of nature endangered by money mongers. The Best Actor Award was given to Kutay Sandıkçı for his role in Yuva. The award was presented by actress Derya Alabora. Cinematographer Andreas Sinanos presented the Best Cinematographer Award in the National Competition to Jakub Giza for the film Yuva. The Best Screenplay Award in the National Competition was given to Serhat Karaaslan for the film Passed by Censor. It depicts the literary endeavour of a prison guard reading and using prisoners’ letters. The Best Editing Award in the National Competition was presented by Matthijs Wouter Knol to Ali Aga for his work in the film Passed by Censor. Avarya directed by Gökalp Gönen won the national Best Short Film Award for his clever Turkish film searching another planet nourishing a deep secret. The Best Documentary Award was given by documentary expert Melek Ulagay Tayla to the film Do You Think God Loves Immigrant Kids, Mom? Directed by Rena Lusin Bitmez, it is a powerful presentation of displacement difficulties faced by children and parents alike poses the question: Will affection and hope lead to a more human future? The jury also decided a Special Mention to Heads and Tails, directed by Aylin Kuryel and Fırat Yücel, a peculiarly funny story of trading hair between two different cultures, Anatolian and Jewish. The award was given by Diana Näcke The Istanbul Film Festival presented the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize in memoriam of director and producer Seyfi Teoman, who passed away in April 2012. From six debut fiction feature films by from Turkish filmmakers screened in the festival's “Turkish Cinema” section, Dead Horse Nebula, directed by Tarık Aktaş, was nominated for the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize. The jury also awarded two Special Mention awards: a) to #Female Pleasure directed by Barbara Miller. Five brave women from five different cultural walks of life today (India, Italy, Japan, Israel and New York) speak out the taboos and the patriarchal stand of their (also global) society attitudes in regards not only to sexuality but also the oppression and utter abuse of women, and b) to Eden, directed by Barış Atay, a subtle depiction of refugee struggles to survive in a ruthless world – in the hands of two tyrant brothers. The FIPRESCI Awards (International Film Critics Association), presented by Angelo Mitchievici, Victoria Smirnova and Ruggero Calich: A) in the International Competition went to Talking About Trees directed by Suhaib Gasmelbari.” B) in the National Competition, was given to A Tale of Three Sisters directed by Emin Alper, and C) in the National Short Film Competition went to The Gentle Sadness of Things directed by Deniz Telek, an elegy of inhibited sentimental feelings confronting new sudden situations. Retro Classics: A) Kubric’s , 13 films (Eyes Wide Shut, Spartacus, Lolita, Space Odyssey, Clockwork Orange,etc.), Bertolucci’s The Conformist, Liliana Cavani’s Night Porter, Ermano Olmi, Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, and Lynne Ramsey’s The Ratcatsher . B) The Turkish nostalgia lived up in: Muhsin Ertgrul’s The Carpetmaker girl , Halid Refig’s Watchmen of Dawn, and Tunc Basaran’s Goodby. A 1967 love story with legendary Selda Alkor. And, the screening of the restored 1987 film Ten Women directed by Şerif Gören . The panels and speeches were extremely interesting attracting many people. Jak Salom spoke about Bertolucci and Ermano Olmi and Andreas Sinanos analyzed Turkish and Greek filmmaking and his long collaboration with Angelopoulos as well as Lanthimos. Honorary awards. Life achievement awards for their contribution to cinema art were offered to Şerif Gören (from Xanthi. Greece), to Miss Selda Alkor, Göksel Arsoy, and Jak Şalmon, all from Turkey. Stars and distinguished figures like Belkıs Özener, Damla Sönmez, Derya Alabora, Gonca Vuslateri, Halil Babür, Meltem Cumbul, Mert Fırat, Selen Uçer, Ayta Sözeri performed unforgettable songs of the golden age of Turkish cinema in a special concert known as Yeşilçam Birlikte Güzel. Some of the 28 films I managed to watch: 1) Border by Ali Abbasi. An unusual powerful film of people in need for affection. 2) Greta, a thriller by Neil Jordan and the French persona Isabelle Huppert. 3) Finding Farideh by Azadeh Mousavi and Kouroush Ataei . A woman , adopted in Holland, searches her real family in Iran. 4) Marighella by Wagner Moura. A symbol of resistance against the Brazilian dictatorship in the sixties. 5) Fated Hearts by Elif Akarsu and Cigdem Bozali. Persisting love with a prison inmate leading to unexpected turn. 6) Amanda by Mikkael Hers. A tender relationship with a talented niece. 7) Jumpman by Ivan Tverdovski. An unusual relationship between a boy and his mother. Intence controversial views were recorded by the audience. 8) Rojo by Benjamin Naishtat. A thriller forerunner of the dark years in Argentina. Three Greek films: a) The Waiter, a new film noir by Steve Krikris, portraying a lonely waiter until his life is turned upside down by the arrival of a neighbor. b) The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea by Syllas Tzoumerkas. A unique style thriller between two women in a small town in the pretext of eel farming, and c) Angelos Frantzis’ Still rivers. A Greek young couple in Siberia experiences rival tension between trust and love. Closing with the wish for a more successful film festival next year. *An old, and yet universal, Turkish saying: We should not let anybody’s interest divide us (Kimsenin sıyası çıkarı icin biz birbirimzden ayrlamayız). A utopia, and yet a challenging notion ahead, knowing what happened historically in the Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Ruanda, Cyprus, etc

Kyriakos Peftitselis