AWARD-WINNING FILMS OF THE 4TH BOSPHORUS FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED
Organised by the International Bosphorus Cinema Association and the Istanbul Media Academy with Anadolu Agency (AA) acting as the global communications partner, the festival’s award ceremony took place at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.
At the Fourth International Bosphorus Film Festival, the International Feature Film Award went to “It’s Not The Time Of My Life”; the National Feature Film Award was given to “Albüm” and the Best Screenplay Award went to Reha Erdem for his “Koca Dünya”.
Speaking at the ceremony, Istanbul Governor Vasip Şahin thanked everyone involved in the organisation of the festival and said, “Artists cannot afford to remain indifferent to the issues plaguing the nation. They must not shy away from thrusting into the public domain major issues of concern for the society and we must learn from their wisdom and guidance. I thank everyone heartily for their efforts and hope that this festival gets global recognition.”
Not hiding his excitement about a festival that ticks all boxes of a spectacular event, Ogün Şanlıer, the Festival Chairman, said the following, “We have had 140 screenings. The world-famous screenwriter Robert McKee held seminars on script writing. We had guests from different parts of the world. We had guests from many countries… Argentina, Kazakhstan, the Balkans, Russia and European countries. I think it’s very important that our filmmakers find a platform to get together and interact with them.”
Referring to the importance of the festival for the city, Şanlıer emphasized their determination to turn Istanbul into a center for international movies.
Şanlıer thanked AA, TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Association), Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Youth and Sports and Turkuaz Media for their contributions to the festival.
Reminding the audience that the festival was being held for the fourth time this year, AA Managing Director Şenol Kazancı continued, “This is a project that means a lot for the Turkish cinema. The festival drew great audiences from around the world. In the spirit of promoting Turkey’s good name on the international stage, Anadolu Agency was more than happy to sponsor the 4th International Bosphorus Film Festival, as it did other cultural projects in the past. ”
The Ahmet Uluçay Short Film Special Award went to “Şucaiyye”
The prize for the movie “Albüm”, which won the Festival’s National Feature Film Award, was presented by jury member George Ovashvili to Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, the film’s director.
Istanbul Governor Vasip Şahin presented his award to Metehan Şereflioğlu, who won the Short Film Audience Award for his “7 Santimetre”, while TRT Deputy Director General İbrahim Eren presented the International Feature Film Award to the crew of “It’s Not The Time” of My Life”.
Emre Konuk, who won the award for Best Cinematography for his “Siyah Karga”, was given the award by Şenol Kazancı, General Manager of AA.
Reha Erdem won the Best Screenplay Award for his “Koca Dünya”; Szilvia Papp won the Best Editing Award for her “It’s Not The Time Of My Life”; Ecem Uzun won the Best Actress Award for her role in”Koca Dünya”; Nicola Ristanovski won the Best Actor Award for his role in “The Black Pin” and Kaweh Modiri won the Best Director Award for his “Bodkin Ras”.
The Istanbul Media Academy’s Young Talent Award went to Ali Kışlar, director of “Kefaret”; Gökhan Öcal was awarded a prize for his “Süheyla” in the National Short Documentary category; Mohammed Almughanni was awarded a prize in the International Short Documentary Film category for his “Şucaiyye”; Murat Uğurlu was awarded a prize in the National Short Fiction Film category for his “İki Parça”, and Reka Bucsi was awarded a prize in the International Short Fiction Film category for her “Love”.
The Ahmet Uluçay Short Film Special Award went to “Şucaiyye”.
Eylem Kaftan was awarded the Production Support Platform Postproduction Award for his “Kovan” while Murat Pay was awarded the Production Support Platform TRT Co-Production Award for his “Dilsiz”.
Selçuk Yavuzkanat, Halid Şimşek, İsmail Güneş, Songül Öden and Nesrin El Haşmeti also attended the ceremony.