Under the sponsorship of Akbank for 6th time, the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival will take place in April 3-18.
As Turkey's largest film activity, the International Istanbul Film Festival drew an audience of 162,000 last year. This year the programme is, once again, packed to the brim. The International Istanbul Film Festival sustains its leadership in Turkey with the quality and diversity of the films screened, and its wide coverage of the production of international film industry. This year, the Festival will host more than 200 films under 23 categories, screening new features from 2009 and 2010 along with unforgettable classics of film and selections from filmographies of master filmmakers. The festival will bring in a truly carnivalesque atmosphere to the city for two weeks with new categories, famous guests, workshops and panel discussions with masters of film, film seminars and parties...
At the press meeting of the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival that took place in Salon, the performance venue of the new IKSV building, Murat Göllü, Head of the Corporate Communications Department representing the Festival Sponsor Akbank stated:
"Bringing together life with dreams for the last 29 years, İstanbul Film Festival is one of the most prestigious artistic events in Europe. We would like to congratulate İKSV for this success. We, as AKBANK, are glad to announce that we have decided to continue our support to this very important festival, for the following three years."
Can Fişek, from the Communications Directorate representing the Council of Europe for the FACE Council of Europe Film Award, which is given to a film in the Istanbul Film Festival section "Human Rights in Cinema" stated:
"The Council of Europe centres its efforts around the basic objective of improving human rights by sustaining the principles of democracy and rule of law. Moreover, the Council does not only regard film as an art from that disseminates ideas through narratives that engender laughter or tears, but also considers the art form as an important medium that contributes to raising individual awareness on certain issues, primarily on fundamental rights and freedoms. The Council of Europe Film Award FACE was founded with this principle in mind. The FACE Award will go to a work that examines successfully the theme of human rights and will be awarded for the fourth time at the International Istanbul Film Festival."
The 29th International Istanbul Film Festival is also supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the Beyoğlu Municipality. Moreover, the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency will also support all Istanbul Festivals organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts that will take place throughout the year 2010.
The 29th International Istanbul Film Festival will be inaugurated with an opening ceremony that will take place at the Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday evening April 2.
FESTIVAL TICKETS, WHEN AND WHERE?
Tickets for the International Istanbul Film Festival will be on sale on Saturday March 20. Film buffs may purchase tickets at ticket boxes in the theatres Atlas and Yeni Rüya in Beyoğlu, the Kadıköy Theatre in Kadıköy, the İKSV Building (Sadi Konuralp Caddesi No: 5 Şişhane, every day 10:00-19:00) and Biletix.
Film lovers will once again have the privilege to watch the Festival films at convenient prices. As in the last two years, reduced admissions will continue this year as well. Regular tickets are 10 TL, reduced admission for students and senior citizens over the age of 65 are 7 TL. Tickets for all weekday daytime screenings are only 3.50 TL. Tickets for the Akbank Galas are 15 TL. Films from the Turkish Cinema category of the festival are 3.50 TL for every screening.
As always, Tulip cardholders have the opportunity to purchase tickets on pre-sale periods and with reductions... This year, university and high school students will obtain exclusive privileges through a special PasoFilm! card starting this year. Akbank's Axess card holders will benefit from a 20% reduction off all ticket prices of the Festival (except Turkish films and weekday daytime screenings).
THE FESTIVAL'S PRESS AND HOSPITALITY CENTER: AKBANK SANAT
Once again, the press and hospitality centre of the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival will be Akbank Sanat. As in previous years, Teknosa will continue to provide technological support to the Press Centre, which is open to all accredited members of the press and the Hospitality Centre, prepared for distinguished guests to the Festival.
FESTİVAL MOVIE THEATERS
Festival screenings will take place in 7 movie theatres including Atlas, Rüya, Beyoğlu, Sinepop, Pera Museum theatres in Beyoğlu, the Kadıköy theatre in Kadıköy and the Nişantaşı CityLife Cinema (City's) during weekdays at the 16:00-19:00-21:30 screenings and on weekends.
CINEMA HONORARY AWARDS OF THE FESTIVAL
This year's Cinema Honorary Awards at the International Istanbul Film Festival will be awarded to three distinguished artists who have worked for years for Turkish Film:
Kadir İnanır, the actor who has become a true star with his rendition of characters who have become inscribed onto our collective social memory since for over 40 years;
Mevlüt Koçak, the film editor who has devoted years to the basic structure of film language, who has worked in countless films and has brought up many followers along the way;
Feyzi Tuna, who began his career in Turkish Film in 1964, and primarily working on genre films initially, moved to film adaptations of many important Turkish authors like Sabahattin Ali, Selim İleri, Necati Cumalı and Osman Şahin.
The awards will be presented to the three artists at the opening ceremony of the Istanbul Film Festival at the Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday evening April 2.
Atıf Yılmaz's unforgettable classic Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım (The Girl with the Red Scarf), starring Kadir Inanir will be shown at Turkish Classics Revisited, a special screening sponsored by Grouparama and Groupama Gan Cinema Foundation. Feyzi Tuna's classic Kuyucaklı Yusuf (Yusuf from Kuyucak) will also be shown during the Festival.
STRONG SUPPORT TO THE FESTIVAL FROM SPONSORS!
The 29th International Istanbul Film Festival is being realised this year with the help and support of over 20 institutions. Along with Festival Sponsor AKBANK, there are 12 Theme Sponsors.
Efes Pilsen "Turkish Cinema 2009-2010"
Council of Europe "Human Rights in Cinema"
Sabah "From the World of Festivals
NTV " Documentary Time with NTV"
Turkmax "Istanbul: Inside-Outside"
Colin's "Young Masters"
Comedymax "Antidepressant"
Dole "Challenging the Years"
LG "Midnight Madness with LG"
Ben&Jerry's "The World of Animation: Estonia"
Malaysia Airlines "Mined Zone"
JOJO "Kid's Menu"
are the Theme Sponsors of the Festival. Moreover, the special section "Akbank Galas" is sponsored by AKBANK.
Groupama and Groupama Gan Cinema Foundation will continue to bring movie lovers and important works of Turkish cinema together under the title "Special Screening: Turkish Classics Revisited".
Guests of the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival will be hosted by Point Hotel. InterLimousine will undertake transportation services for the distinguished guests of the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival.
Tech-support for the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival is undertaken by Teknosa.
As in the last year, this year's promotional campaign of the International Istanbul Film Festival is handled by HEP Ajans.
The Leading Sponsor for all Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts festivals is Eczacıbaşı Holding and the official carrier is DHL.
GOLDEN TULIP FEVER AT THE FESTIVAL
International Competition: The Golden Tulip Awaits its Owner!
As of this year, the Golden Tulip Award, rewarded to a film from the "International Competition" category of the International Istanbul Film Festival will be presented in memoriam Şakir Eczacıbaşı... Eleven breath-taking films will compete at The International Competition. Only films that handle the themes of art and the artist, or literary adaptations are eligible to compete.
A previous guest of the Festival, esteemed Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang's new film Surat was shot on commission by the Louvre Museum. The story revolves around a director shooting a film in the Louvre Museum on the legend of Salomé and features a star cast with Fanny Ardant, Laetitia Casta, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Lee Kang-Sheng, Jeanne Moreau and Nathalie Baye.
One of the most acclaimed films of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, I Killed My Mother is also among the films that will be competing for the Golden Tulip in the International Competition. The film is about a gay high-school student who dreams of becoming a painter and struggles between feelings of love and hatred towards his mother. Only 21 years old, this is Xavier Dolan's first film, which he wrote, directed and is the star actor. The film won three awards at Cannes Film Festival.
Tolstoy is indisputably one the best writers of all time and Michael Hoffman's film The Last Station, which he wrote and directed, is a commemoration in honour of the his 100th anniversary of his death. Adapted from Jay Parini's novel, the film tells the amusing, touching and convoluted love between Tolstoy and his wife, countess Sophia. The film features Christopher Plummer as Tolstoy and Helen Mirren as his wife Sophia. Their performances in the film brought nominations for Helen Mirren in the Best Actress, and Christopher Plummer in the Best Supporting Actor categories at the Academy Awards.
Joann Star's feature debut Gainsbourg (Vie Heroique) is about the life of Serge Gainsbourg, the famous French singer renowned for his unconventional life style and contrarian personality, starting from German occupied Paris of 1941 to his death in 1991. The film features Laetitia Casta as Brigitte Bardot and the young Lucy Gordon, who committed suicide in May 2009, as Jane Birkin. Jacquette Rivette's Around A Small Mountain featuring Gainsbourg's ex-wife Jane Birkin will also be screened this year at the Festival.
Here are the other films that will compete at the International Competition for the Golden Tulip:
All that I Love / Jacek Borcuch
Mademoiselle Chambon / Stephane Brizé
Undertow / Javier Fuentes-Leó
V.O.S. / Cesc Gay
Phobidilia / Yoav Paz ve Doron Paz
Nowhere Boy /Sam Taylor Wood
The Misfortunes / Felix Van Groeningen
Out of Competition
Oscar winning director Bruce Beresford's Mao's Last Dancer, which depicts the extraordinary life story of Li Cunxin, who was recruited as a poor village boy and became a world-class ballet dancer received. The film is an adaptation from Li Cunxin's autobiography and describes in scope the political events of the era. Screened out of competition, the films' director Bruce Beresford will be visiting Istanbul as a Festival guest.
Renowned for combining music, dance and cinema in films like Fados, Tango and Carmen, Carlos Saura had received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Istanbul Film Festival. This time, the famous director treats classical music in his last production Io, Don Giovanni, which describes the competition between Mozart and Salieri in the context of the creative process of the opera Don Giovanni.
National Competition and Turkish Cinema
As in the last 21 years, the sponsor for this years' "Turkish Cinema" in the Istanbul Film Festival is Efes Pilsen. The Turkish Cinema section comprises of close to 50 fiction and documentary films whose productions were completed in 2009 and 2010, and will be screened under the titles of National Competition, Out of Competition, New Turkish Cinema, and Documentaries.
The jury will select the best film and best director from among feature-length fiction, documentary and animated films that will participate in the National Competition and the winners will each receive 50,000 TL, awarded by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, along with the Golden Tulip statuette.
Moreover, awards will be presented to winners of Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Art Director and Best Music. The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism will award winners of the Best Actress and Best Actor category each with 10,000 TL.
Efes Pilsen will provide a monetary reward of USD 30,000 to the director whose film is selected by the International Film Critics Association (FIPRESCI) Jury in order to use in their next production. The FIPRESCI Award in the National Competition will be presented in memoriam Onat Kutlar.
The 11 films that will compete for the Golden Tulip in the National Competition of the Festival are as follows:
Min Dît - Ben Gördüm / The Children of Diyarbakir / Miraz Bezar
Denizden Gelen / Brought by the Sea / Nesli Çölgeçen
Kıskanmak / Envy / Zeki Demirkubuz
Acı Aşk / Love, Bitter / A. Taner Elhan
Neşeli Hayat / Jolly Life / Yılmaz Erdoğan
Karanlıktakiler / In Darkness / Çağan Irmak
Büyük Oyun / A Step into the Darkness / Atıl İnaç
Bal / Honey / Semih Kaplanoğlu
Vavien / Yağmur Taylan & Durul Taylan
Ses / The Voice / Ümit Ünal
Beş Şehir / Five Cities / Onur Ünlü
The Golden Tulip National Competition Jury
The chairperson of the Golden Tulip National Competition of the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival will be director Yeşim Ustaoğlu.
Out of Competition
7 films will be screened as Out of Competition under the category Turkish Cinema of the Istanbul Film Festival.
Kars Öyküleri / Tales From Kars / Özcan Alper, Zehra Derya Koç, Ülkü Oktay, Ahu Öztürk,
Emre Akay
7 Avlu / 7 Courtyards / Semir Aslanyürek
Kosmos / Reha Erdem
Yüreğine Sor / Ask Your Heart / Yusuf Kurçenli
Pus / Haze / Tayfun Pirselimoğlu
Acı / Pain / Cemal Şan
Bornova Bornova / İnan Temelkuran
In this year's "Turkish Cinema" category, Ülkü Erakalın's film Çığlık Çığlığa Bir Sevda / A Love in Screams, which describes the life of a musician who recalls Zeki Müren, the famous Turkish singer hailed as the "Sun of Art" will be showed in a private screening session. The film features a cast of successful Turkish actors and actresses such as Selma Güneri, Ediz Hun, and Tomris Oğuzalp
Film Award of Council of Europe: FACE
The Film Award of Council of Europe (FACE) is presented exclusively during the International Istanbul Film Festival since three years. This year, the Council of Europe Film Award will be given to a film screened in the section "Human Rights in Cinema". The director of the winning will be presented the FACE Award statuette and 10,000 Euros by a representative of the Council of Europe at the closing ceremony of the Festival. Last year, the award was given to the film Birdwatchers by director Marco Bechis, who is the chairperson of the FACE jury for this year.
Among the 11 films that will be competing for the FACE Award in the category "Human Rights in Cinema" supported by the Council of Europe, is the multi-award winning Ajami by Palestinian director Scandar Copti and Israeli director Yaron Shani, which depicts the Israel-Palestine conflict. Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, Ajami concentrates on the criminal events in the Ajami district where Jews and Palestinians co-exist. The directors Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani will be visiting Istanbul as guests of the Festival.
Record-breaker at the box office in Spain, Daniel Monzon's fourth film Cell 211 has been nominated for 16 categories in the Goya Awards, and winning 6, passing both Almodovar and Amenabar. This exciting and fast-paced thriller is about a prison guard who becomes a prisoner himself and his attempts to negotiate with the insurgents.
Haiti-born director Raoul Peck, whose previous films The Man on the Shore, the first Haitian film screened in the USA, and his much-acclaimed Lumumba, taking its title from the Congolese leader, will participate in the Festival with his final production Moloch Tropical which is a direct adaptation of Alexander Sokurov's Moloch, and where he provides a contemporary approach to the socio-political climate of the Haitian revolution for independence.
Nesli Çölgeçen and his film Denizden Gelen / Brought by the Sea will be representing Turkey in the "Human Rights in Cinema" section, competing for the FACE Award.
Other films that will be competing for the Council of Europe Film Award are as follows:
Son of Babylon / Mohammed Al-Daradji
Freedom / Tony Gatlif
Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story / Yousry Nasrallah
Honeymoons / Goran Paskaljevic
Northless / Rigoberto Perezcano
Ordinary People / Vladimir Perisic
The Day God Walked Away / Philippe Van Leeuw
Radikal People's Choice Award
As every year, one of the media sponsors of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts the Radikal Daily will present one film from the National and one from the International Competition the Radikal People's Choice Award. Votes by the Festival audience dropped in the Radikal poll boxes will determine the winning films. Two lucky winners chosen among the voters will be invitees of Radikal to visit the Sofia Film Festival.
AN AKBANK GALA EVERY NIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL
The Istanbul Film Festival will honour film lovers in the Akbank Galas at the Atlas Movie Theatre at 21:30 screenings. In the scope of the acclaimed Akbank Galas, film lovers will have the privilege to watch nine films before anyone else.
One of the much-awaited films of the Akbank Galas is A Single Man, the debut by acclaimed fashion designer Tom Ford, who produced and directed the film adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel. With his role in the film as a gay college professor, Colin Firth won the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. Star actress Julianne Moore acts alongside Colin Firth.
Another noteworthy film of the Akbank Galas is the opening film of the San Sebastian Film Festival, Chloé, the latest film from Canadian director Atom Egoyan, recalling Hitchcock thrillers. Chloé is a psychological thriller that is based on French director Anne Fontaine's 2003 film Nathalie.
Renowned for her romantic comedies, Nora Ephron's last film Julie & Julia is based on the true story of two women who are passionate about cooking and have lived through similar difficulties although having lived in different eras. The starring cast includes Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. Meryl Streep has won a Golden Globe in January and was nominated for an Oscar with her splendid performance in the film.
Having gathered quite a fan base with his films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, director Richard Linklater's last film Me and Orson Welles tells the story of a passage to adulthood of a young actor discovered by Orson Welles. The film is an adaptation from Robert Kaplow's novel and the cast includes Zac Efron from High School Musical, Claire Danes and Christian McKay.
Unparalleled director of indie movies, Jim Jarmusch will greet film buffs with a crime-thriller. With stars like Gael Garcia Bernal, Hiam Abbass and Tilda Swinton, Jarmusch's film The Limits of Control is a road movie that tells the story of a mysterious and loner character acted by Isaac de Bankole, whose illicit activities lead him to Spain.
Todd Solondz, the master director of indie films from the US, will be participating in the Galas with his latest film Life During Wartime, which won the Best Screenplay Award in the Venice Film Festival. This black comedy follows suit with the director's previous film, Happiness. Todd Solondz will be in Istanbul for the festival and also give a master class...
Director of Margot at the Wedding and The Squid and the Whale, Noah Baumbach continues his tradition of depicting dysfunctional families with his last film Greenberg. Full to the brim with black comedy, Greenberg features Ben Stiller as a man who moves from New York to Los Angeles, all the while having to look after his brother. Baumbach himself, along with his spouse Jennifer Jason Leigh, wrote the screenplay for the film.
Feo Aladağ's When We Leave draws much attention with a cast of Turkish actors and actress including Sibel Kekilli, Settar Tanrıöğen and Derya Alabora. The film premiered at Berlin Film Festival in 2010.
SPECIAL SCREENING: TURKISH CLASSICS REVISITED
In cooperation with Groupama and Groupama Gan Film Foundation, the International Istanbul Film Festival continues to restore and bring great Turkish cinema classics to the silver screen.
This year, the special screening at Atlas Cinema on Wednesday April 7 features Atıf Yılmaz's 1978 classic Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım / The Girl With the Red Scarf. For many, this endlessly watchable timeless love story is a cinematic masterpiece. Leading actress Türkan Şoray and actor Kadir İnanır, preparing to receive this year's Cinema Honorary Award, will be at the screening to meet their fans.
Over the last two years, with valuable support of Groupama and Groupama Gan Film Foundation, film lovers had the chance of watching restored copies of Erden Kıral's lost masterpiece from 1979, Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde / On Fertile Lands and Ö. Lütfi Akad's pioneering film from 1949, Vurun Kahpeye / Strike the Whore.
NEW SECTIONS FROM THE FESTIVAL
"Istanbul: Inside and Outside"
In celebration of Istanbul's designation of 2010 European Culture of Capital, this year the Istanbul Film Festival offers its audience an exceptional selection of Turkish and foreign films featuring Istanbul. Sponsored by Türkmax, Istanbul: Inside and Outside presents 13 films with different perspectives of the city including Jules Dassin's Topkapi, Atıf Yılmaz's Ah Güzel İstanbul / Beautiful Istanbul and Jess Franco's cult erotic horror classic Vampyros Lesbos.
Some of the other must-see productions amongst the selection include Ted Browning's silent film The Virgin of Stamboul (1920) and the short films Golden Horn Panorama produced by the Lumiere Brothers', utilising panning technique performed on the Golden Horn in Istanbul for the second time in history.
"Antidepressant"
This year the Istanbul Film Festival allocates a special section to a very popular, gruelling but most entertaining cinematic genre - comedy. Sponsored by Comedymax, this new section makes a mix-match of 10 hilarious but stimulating films shaped by unique perspectives to humour and life.
Inspired by a BBC series, In the Loop is a satirical comedy on US President and UK Prime Minister's aspirations to start a war in the Middle East. Directed by Armando Iannucci the film was nominated for Best Writing Oscar (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published).
Getting the thumbs up from film critics, Whip It is famous actress Drew Barrymore's first attempt behind the camera. Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden and Juliette Lewis star in this film about a teenager girl trying her luck at a skating contest.
Participating in last year's festival with Three Wise Men, Mika Kaurismaki's new film The House of Branching Love reflects the changing social dynamics of Finland through a couple breaking up and their relationships.
Bunny and the Bull is a triumphantly funny and ingenious road trip film distilled through British humour. Director Paul King's visually Michel Gondry-like heroes embark on a journey from Britain to mainland Europe inside absurd decors made of cardboard and papier mache.
Jacob Tierney's gripping teenager film The Trotsky tells the story of a high school student who thinks he is the reincarnation of Soviet hero Leo Trotsky. The former leading actor of Terence Davies' 1995 film The Neon Bible, Jacob Tierney's latest film as a director received Audience Awards at Tokyo and Halifax Film Festivals.
"Enchanting Mutineers: A Showcase of Independent Filmmakers from The Middle East And North Africa"
"Enchanting Mutineers: A Showcase of Independent Filmmakers from The Middle East And North Africa" is another new section in this year's Festival bringing together the best of contemporary and independent filmmaking from Middle Eastern countries. The selection, curated by Rasha Salti from New York based art institution Arteeast, founded for promoting and supporting Middle Eastern cinema and visual arts, features fiction and documentary films from groundbreaking talents.
Winning a FIPRESCI at Cannes and Best Director and Audience Awards at Beirut Film Festival, Amreeka is the Arabic pronunciation of America. Listed by Variety magazine as one of the "10 Must See Directors of the Year" Cherien Dabis' first feature film is about a young woman immigrating to Illinois from the West Bank. Director Cherien Dabis will be in Istanbul during the Festival.
This section features Ahmed Abdallah's (2009) independent political satire Heliopolis focusing on the transformation of Egypt through five characters and is set in Cairo's Heliopolis district.
Iranian director Bahman Kiarostami is featured with two short documentaries in this section. Treasure Cave is the ironic story of an Iranian museum harbouring the largest and most valuable collection of Western Art throughout Asia, hidden from the public eye since the Islamic revolution behind high walls, locked doors and long corridors in dark basements. The Statues of Tehran, on the other hand, questions the functionality of monuments in the post-modern mega metropolis of Tehran overloaded with ideology but weak in memory. Bahman Kierostami will be in Istanbul to attend this year's Festival
A Good Start: Best Debuts of the Last 30 Years
Recently the Turkish Film Critics Association (SIYAD) assembled to judge all debut films released between 1980 and 2010 and chose Best Debuts of the Last 30 Years. Istanbul Film Festival has selected five debuts from this list for screening in scope of a special section called A Good Start. SIYAD's film critics will introduce these films at the screenings.
SIYAD's selection of the best debuts include Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs; Jane Campion's Sweetie; Coen Brothers' neo-noir Blood Simple; Michael Haneke's Seventh Continent, and Lars von Trier's Element of Crime.
FESTIVAL CLASSICS
From the World of Festivals
Sponsored by daily newspaper Sabah, Istanbul Film Festival's "From the World of Festivals" programme is a box of surprises. The alluring line-up invites festival audience to films from acclaimed directors, many of them waving awards from prominent festivals.
Written by Claire Denis and famous French novelist Marie N'Diaye, White Material is about the anti-colonial movement in a nameless African country. Director Claire Denis returns to Africa 21 years after filming Chocolat for her new production which stars Isabelle Huppert, Isaach De Bankolé and Christophe Lambert.
Lebanon is Israeli director Samuel Maoz's first feature film returning home with a Golden Lion from Venice Film Festival and Humanitarian Values award at Thessaloniki Film Festival. Praised as "the boldest and best film of recent wave of Israeli cinema", the film is about 1982 Lebanon War through the eyes of four rookie troopers stuck inside a tank. Director Samuel Maoz will be in Istanbul as a guest of the Festival.
Festival followers are familiar with the name Lou Ye as director of Suzhou River and Purple Butterfly. With many of his films censored, Lou Ye received Best Script Award at Cannes in 2009 after dodging his obligation of getting an official permission from the Chinese government. Spring Fever is the director's latest film about a passionate love triangle with bold and boundless acting.
Following her multiple award-winning debut Red Road, Andrea Arnold this time meets her audience with 2009 Cannes Jury Prize winner Fish Tank. Michael Fassbender, highly admired for his performance in Hunger and Inglorious Basterds, plays the good-looking sexy father figure in the film about the life of a hip-hop teenage girl.
Rapt, the highly acclaimed political crime thriller by Belgian actor-director Lucas Belvaux, is based on the true story of famous French businessman Baron Edouard-Jean Empain's life overturned after his abduction in 1978. Rapt was nominated for best film at Cesar 2010. Lucas Belvaux is familiar name for festival fans from his 2002 trilogy and La raison du plus faible / Right of the Weakest that followed. Belvaux will be in Istanbul as a guest of the Festival.
The name behind Merry Christmas, Festival's opening film in 2006, Christian Carion's new film Farewell is about the famous cold war spy Vladimir Vetrov's story of treason in an utopian attempt to change the world. Farewell features celebrated director Emir Kusturica playing the role of Soviet agent Sergei Grigoriev.
Returning home with the Festival's Special Jury Award for A Film with me in It at last year's International Golden Tulip Competition in Istanbul Film Festival, Ian Fitzgibbon is back with more of his trademark breathtaking pursuits, this time with Dublin in the backdrop. With young actor Cillian Murphy playing the leading role, Perrier's Bounty is a compelling gangster comedy of a man trying to payback his debt within the 24 hour deadline.
French director Robert Guédiguian's latest film The Army of Crime is about famous World War II rebel Parisian-Armenian poet Missak Manouchian and his international brothers in arms.
A familiar name amongst the Festival participants over the past couple of years with Love Songs and Beautiful Person, Christophe Honoré's latest film Making Plans for Lena is about a single woman and her crusade of survival with brilliant leading role performance by director Honoré's favourite Chiara Mastroianni.
Film enthusiasts will remember the name Still Walking, Hirokazu Kore-eda's 2008 film featured at last year's Festival. The director's latest film Air Doll is the humorous and sad story of an inflatable doll exploring life after mysteriously coming alive.
Korea's nominee for the Oscars, Mother is acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho's latest film following the worldwide monster hit The Host. Amidst the widespread social collapse in Korea the film is about the struggle of a mother trying to protect her mentally disabled boy.
Documentary Time with NTV
Sponsored by NTV, this year the Documentary Time with NTV will feature documentaries on a variety of issues including environment, music, plastic arts, conspiracies, religion, cinema, science, fashion, dance and politics.
Possibly this year's most eagerly awaited documentary is The Shock Doctrine, the joint efforts of Golden Tulip winning director Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross. Adapted from famous author and activist Naomi Klein's book with the same title, the film tackles the concept of what Klein describes as "disaster capitalism".
Making a name for himself with War Photographer and Giant Buddhas, photographer and director Christian Frei's latest documentary Space Tourists is a phenomenal documentary filmed on the Kazakh steppes and in outer space, including footage from the first space tourist ever, Iranian-American Anousheh Ansari.
Directed by one of the world's best photographers Louie Psihoyos, The Cove focuses on the protests of filmmakers, activists and divers trying to stop Japanese fishermen before they embark on a dolphin-slaughtering spree. Winner of Best Documentary Oscar 2010, The Cove also walked away with the 2009 audience awards at Sydney, Stockholm, Ghent, and Sundance, Best Film at Seattle and Best Documentary by Film Critics at Boston, Los Angeles, Toronto and Denver.
The man behind the 2004 production The Yes Men, Chris Smith's latest documentary Collapse is the dictionary definition of a disaster film. Envisioning the depletion of world's oil reserves and disintegration of social order, Collapse is filmed in an interrogation style with Michael Rupert who some years ago predicted the mortgage crisis that devastated the American economy.
Keen to please music lovers as much as film enthusiasts, Documentary Time with NTV has lined up some must-see productions. Neil Young fans cannot afford to miss the Canadian folk, country and rock legend's biography Neil Young Trunk Show, a "loud, raw electro rock'n roll" film by Jonathan Demme.
U2's The Edge, legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and White Stripes leadsman Jack White get together for Davis Guggenheim's It Might Get Loud. Stripes buffs cannot afford to miss White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights, a documentary on the band's 2007 tour of Canada.
Documentary Time with NTV films will be screened at Beyoğlu Cinema between April 5th and 12th, 2010
Young Masters
This year, sponsored by Colin's, the festival's "Young Masters" section boasts eye-opening debut or second films by 13 talented young directors, each causing a stir in the global filmmaking industry.
Following the quasi-autobiographic debut Salamandra / Salamander, Best Director Award winning Argentinean screenwriter and director Pablo Agüero's new film Doronship 77 brings two strangers together in a Parisian flat. Agüero will be visiting the Festival.
A day into the life of a Chilean family, Huacho is Alejandro Fernandez's debut already clenching a Sundance International Filmmakers award for screenwriting. The film was first viewed to the public during Film Critics Week at Cannes where it received great interest.
Awarded Best Film at Ghent & Flanders, Best Actor at Jerusalem festivals, Eyes Wide Open is possibly one of the best examples of Israeli cinema. The story of two men in love with each other amidst the Orthodox Jewish society in Israel, the film premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section. Previously competing at Cannes with short films, director Haim Tabakman found fame with his first feature presentation.
Challenging the Years
Sponsored by Dole, Challenging the Years section gives film enthusiasts the opportunity of seeing the latest works of five master directors who succeed in telling us what timeless really means.
In his multiple award-winning powerful new film Vincere, famous Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio takes us through a dark page of history. The little known but compelling tale is about Ida Dalcer, Benito Mussolini's first wife and the mother to his child he never accepted as legitimate. Bellocchio will attend this year's festival and be presented with Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony.
In Les Herbes Folles / Wild Grass esteemed French New Wave director Alain Resnais joins forces with favourites Sabine Azema and Andre Dussollier in the romantic escapade of a middle aged couple chasing after a lost wallet. Celebrating his 86th birthday in 2009, Resnais was given the Cannes Lifetime Achievement Award for his work and exceptional contribution to the history of cinema and a Special Jury Award. Starring actress Anne Consigny is a guest of this year's festival. Consigny also acts in Lucas Belvaux's film Rapt.
Although now 80-years-old, director Jacques Rivette was seen worthy of the Cannes Special Jury Award in 2009. Based on the life of novelist Raymond Roussel, his latest film 36 vues du Pic Saint Loup / Around a Small Mountain takes place in a circus. Leading actress Jane Birkin will be in Istanbul to meet her audience before the screening of the film.
Two of the other films featured in the programme are Venice 2009, Golden Lion nominee Patrice Chéreau's Persécution and Werner Herzog's latest film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, starring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes and Val Kilmer.
Midnight Madness with LG
Sponsored by LG, Istanbul Film Festival's midnight cinema screenings is as always eagerly awaited by dedicated nocturnal filmgoers who prefer stimulating, shocking, provocative films for a good night's sleep. Within the Midnight Madness with LG section, the three films awaiting their audience are poised to give some insomnia starting from midnight (12:00 PM) every Friday (at Atlas Cinema) and Saturday (at Beyoğlu Cinema) throughout the festival.
The thrilling adaptation from the record-breaking book by Swedish journalist-author Steig Larsson's hypnotic Millennium Trilogy, which has sold 21 million copies in 41 countries, is directed by Niels Arden Oplev. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo broke box-office records in Scandinavia. The film focuses on a journalist charged with defamation and a mysterious, antisocial, rebel hacker chic investigating the obscure past of a rich industrialist family.
Gaspar Noë describes his Palme d'Or nominated latest film Enter the Void as a "psychedelic melodrama". Inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, this avant-garde film about the drug-fuelled journeys of two siblings going to and fro between reality and hallucinations cannot in any way be explained with "contemporary cinematic terminology". Director Gaspar Noë will be in Istanbul to meet his audience before the screening.
One of the most talked about productions at 2009 Toronto Film Festival, Deliver Us From Evil is another provocative midnight film. Owing recent fame to The Substitute and Just Another Love Story, Ole Bornedal this time tells a tale of hate and hostility enthralling a small village through the stories of a Bosnian immigrant and two brothers.
Mind the Mined Zone!
Now considered a traditional part of the International Istanbul Film Festival, this year's Mined Zone, sponsored by Malaysia Airlines, has lined up 10 phenomenal films, with groundbreaking style and narration, extraordinary approach and technique.
Quite different from his debut films Hukkle and Taxidermia, György Palfi succeeds in venturing into new styles, perfectly in line with Mined Zone perspective. Hungarian director's third feature film I Am Not Your Friend is a whirlwind of thoughts about friendship based on improvised acting rather than a predetermined story.
Scriptwriter for Larry Clark's Kids and Ken Park, director of the 2007 feature Mister Lonely, director and producer Harmony Korine has made a respectable name for himself in American independent cinema. Produced by famous fashion designer agnès b. Korine's latest, a fiction drama, is featured in this year's Festival programme. Premiering at Toronto Film Festival in 2009 Trash Humpers tells the story of a strange group of homeless men and women.
Boasting a "Un Certain Regard Prize" from Cannes, Dogtooth was also acknowledged with awards at Sarajevo, Montreal and Sitges Film Festivals. Yorgos Lanthimos' film revolving around a family living in absolute disconnection from society does resemble Haneke and Lars von Trier in its harshness, coldness and distance.
Praised with Best Director Award at Venice Film Festival and the UNICEF award, in Women Without Men four women reflect upon life in Iran during re-accession of the Shah top the throne in 1953. Toronto Film Festival hailed Iranian female director Shirin Neshat's debut film for its political-poetic temperament.
Kids' Menu
Sponsored by JOJO, Kids' Menu has been a part of the festival programme for four years running and become a favourite amongst families as well as children. The second screenings of the day (Sat-Sun, 13:00) at Nişantaşı Citylife City's and Kadıköy Kadıköy cinemas during the Festival gives film lovers the opportunity of seeing three top rated films from children film festivals around the world. Films will be dubbed into Turkish simultaneously during screenings.
French production Eleanor's Secret, Japanese-French co-production Yona Yona Penguin and The Apple and the Worm from Denmark are guaranteed hits amongst the young audience.
THE WORLD OF ANIMATION: ESTONIA
With its capital Tallinn in line to take over the title of European Capital of Culture in 2011, Estonia is this year's guest country in "The World of Animation" programme, sponsored by Ben & Jerry's. With primitive examples appearing in the 1930's, Estonia's animated filming initiatives peaked in the 1950's parallel to the establishment of puppet film studios. Today the country deserves a respectable name in the animated film arena thanks to a number of original productions.
Film enthusiasts will have the chance of seeing 4 short films by artist Priit Pärn, one of the most acclaimed representatives of Estonian animated cinema since the 1970's. A passionate illustrator and animator Pärn frequently resorts to black humour and surrealism in his expression. As a guest of the Festival Priit Pärn will be in Istanbul to give a master class on cinema. The second part of the programme is a pick'n mix of Estonian animation cinema with six of the most striking productions from the past five years. This section is also dubbed as ISTLLbul* - Tallinn in Istanbul (pronounced istallinnbul).
HOMAGE TO GREAT MASTERS:
POET, CHRONICLER AND INSURGENT: THE SAVING GRACE OF ELIA SULEIMAN
Compared with Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton for his "thorny" sense of humour, Palestinian director Elia Suleiman is one of the masters appearing in this year's Istanbul Film Festival. Festival goers will get the opportunity to watch the entire filmography of the director/actor, including Cannes Film Festival Palm d'Or contestant "The Time That Remains". Suleiman questions being a Palestinian in his trademark poetic style. After long years of what he terms "voluntary exile" in New York and Paris, Elia Suleiman will be in Istanbul as the Festival's guest of honour and give a master class.
JOSEPH LOSEY: CLASS AND POWER
Another master featured at Istanbul Film Festival's Homage to Masters is Bertolt Brecht's disciple and comrade, Harold Pinter's friend and colleague, the acclaimed director of violent love stories drenched in emotional instability, sexual dilemmas and exclusion, the great Joseph Losey. Although seen as one of the scapegoats during McCarthy's commie-hunt, Losey is still considered as one the "great directors" of post-World War II European cinema. Curated by Fatih Özgüven, film enthusiasts will see seven Losey films from his unique cinematic career spanning 4 decades.
IN MEMORY OF...
The Festival dedicates this year's commemoration to French director Eric Rohmer and Turkish directors Zeki Ökten, Halit Refiğ and Ahmet Uluçay who we lost in 2009.
Besides Zeki Ökten's Pehlivan (Wrestler), Halit Refiğ's Gurbet Kuşları (Birds of Foreign Land), Eric Rohmer's Ma nuit chez Maud (My Night with Maud) film lovers will also get the chance of once more seeing the late Ahmet Uluçay's Karpuz Kabuğundan Gemiler Yapmak / Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds.
MEETING ON THE BRIDGE
Attracting ever more attention by film industry professionals the fourth "Meeting on the Bridge" seminar series will be held in scope of the International Istanbul Film Festival between April 12-16.
Meanwhile, the third Feature Film Project Development Workshop, open to Turkish feature film projects, offers potential filmmakers the chance of face-to-face meetings with representatives from Arte, Eurimages, Fortissimo Films, Binger Lab and other international organisations about financial planning and project presentations to a professional audience. These are great opportunities for both contemporary Turkish film projects and co-productions in the quest for securing international funds. Furthermore, Ministry of Culture and Tourism has announced a 10,000 USD cash reward for the winning project of the workshop.
Previous winners of the Meeting on the Bridge Feature Film Project Development Workshop were Belma Baş's "Zefir / Zephyr" in 2008 and Hüseyin Karabey's "Sesime Gel! / Follow my Voice!" in 2009.
TICKET INFORMATION
DISCOUNT FILM FESTIVAL TICKETS FOR EVERYONE!!
Istanbul Film Festival tickets go on sale on Saturday March 20th, 2010.
Festival tickets can be purchased from;
BILETIX sales points,
BILETIX call centre (0216 556 98 00)
www.biletix.com and
Main box-office at Atlas, Yeni Rüya and Kadıköy cinemas
IKSV building (Sadi Konuralp Caddesi No: 5, Şişhane; daily between 10.00 AM and 7.00 PM).
Istanbul Film Festival continues its discount ticket policy for three consecutive years. The Festival is proud of not having raised its ticket prices since fixing them in 2008.
Ticket prices at the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival will be 10 TL for adults and 7 TL for students and senior citizens (+65).
Once again, discount tickets are available for weekday daytime screenings. Tickets will be only 3.50 TL for all daytime screenings (11.00 AM, 1.00 PM and 4.00 PM, Monday to Friday) throughout the festival.
This year ticket prices for Akbank Gala Screenings will be 15 TL.
Showtimes for the festival are: 11.00 AM, 1.30 PM, 4.00 PM, 7.00 PM and 9.30 PM.
More advantages for students with PasoFilm! Card
Istanbul Film Festival's special offer for students: PasoFilm! Card holding students are entitled to many privileges including advance festival tickets before general sale, a free copy of the Festival booklet, a no-strings attached invitation to a daytime screening in the week and a variety of discounts available at Festival meeting points throughout the event.
Available at IKSV Building and all schools participating in the "Pre-Festival School Preview" event, PasoFilm! Card is only 10 TL; a small price for all the advantages offered to university and high school students.
Tulip members pay less for Festival films
As usual, Tulip members will get cheapest access to films throughout the festival. A special discount of up to 25% is offered for all Tulip members. Discount ticket presales for Tulip cardholders is between March 17th and 19th, 2010.
Another discount for Axess cardholders
Don't forget the great advantages offered by Festival Sponsor AKBANK to Axess card owners. Axess card holders will save 20% on all Festival ticket prices (except for Turkish films and weekday daytime screenings)
For detailed information on the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival visit: www.iksv.org/film
For 29th International Istanbul Film Festival artwork in high resolution visit: www.iksvpress.com/film2010
