Istanbul | 44th IIFF Awards

The award-winning films of the 44th Istanbul Film Festival have been announced. Bálint Szimler's 'Let It Be a Lesson' won the Golden Tulip.

Bálint Szimler’s school drama[1] questions the outdated methods of the Hungarian educational system by employing a masterful docufiction approach.

The Istanbul Film Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) for the 44th time this year, ended with an award ceremony held at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall. Hosted by Onur Özaydın, 18 awards were presented at the ceremony. 

This year, the National Competition and the International Competition merged in the Golden Tulip Competition, and a total of 15 domestic and foreign films competed in this section. The jury, chaired by director Shekhar Kapur, included producer Ada Solomon, screenwriter and director Ebru Ceylan, actress Saadet Işıl Aksoy and Toronto International Film Festival president Cameron Bailey.

The Golden Tulip Award given to the best film in the Golden Tulip Competition is supported by the Eczacıbaşı Group, the Special Jury Award by the Kariyo & Ababay Foundation and the Best Director Award by Anadolu Efes.

Pelin Esmer won the Best Screenplay Award for O Da Bir Şey Mi. The winner was announced by producer Ada Solomon.

Sofia Berezovska won the Best Actress Award for her role in the film Under the Volcano. The award was presented by actress Saadet Işıl Aksoy.

Nazmi Kırık won the Best Actor Award for his role in the film Uçan Köfteci. The award was presented by actor Antoine Bertrand.

In addition, as part of the festival, support for industry professionals and new awards were announced within the scope of the Meetings on the Bridge event, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The İKSV Young Artist Fund - International Circulation Support Program and the mentorship program for young producers were among the prominent innovations of this year.

The winners of the Golden Tulip Competition are as follows:

Golden Tulip Best Film Award: Lesson Learned / Ders Olsun – Direction: Bálint Szimler

Jury Special Award: The Crowd / Tayfa – Direction: Sahand Kabiri

Best Director Award: Yeni Şafak Solarken – Direction: Gürcan Keltek

Best Screenplay Award: O Da Bir Şey Mi – Written by Pelin Esmer

Best Actress Award: Under the Volcano / Yanardağın Altında – Sofia Berezovska

Best Actor Award: Uçan Köfteci – Nazmi Kırık

Short Film Competition

Best Short Film: Dancing in the Corner / Köşe Dansı – Direction: Jan Bujnowski

Honorable Mention: Dilan Hakkında Konuşmeliyiz – Direction: Umut Şilan Oğurlu

Yeni Bakışlar (Seyfi Teoman Awards)

Best Film: Ayşe – Direction: Necmi Sancak

Best Cinematography: Atlet – Ayşe Alacakaptan

Best Editing: The Exam on the Edge of Time – Eşref Gürkan Kılıç

Best Art Direction: The House Without an Address – Atilla Çelik

Best Original Music: The Exam on the Edge of Time – Türkay Nişancı, Sevan Amiroğlu, İlkay Nişancı

Awards Given by Independent Juries

FIPRESCI Best Film (Golden Tulip Competition): Lesson Learned / Ders Olsun – Bálint Szimler

FIPRESCI Best Short Film: Citizen-Inmate / Arrested Citizen – Direction: Hesam Eslami

Film-Direction Best Director (In Memory of Şerif Gören): Dead Season – Direction: Doğuş Algün

BSB Documentary Award: The Exam on the Edge of Time – Direction: İlkay Nişancı

SİYAD Best Film Award: Apollon by Day Athena by Night – Direction: Emine Yıldırım

[1] Ten-year-old Palkó (a convincing Paul Mátis, using only his eyes and gestures) has recently relocated from Germany to his home country of Hungary and is struggling to adapt to the strictly regulated school environment after being accustomed to a more easy-going educational approach. Used to speaking in class, eating whenever he likes, doing things at his own pace and resisting orders, he is quickly labelled as the “difficult kid”, especially by sports teacher Ákos (music manager Ákos “Dadan” Kovács), who eventually loses his temper and strikes him. This incident makes Palkó even more stubborn and self-isolated. Meanwhile, the similarly new literature teacher Juci (theatre actress Anna Mészöly) tries not only to comfort Palkó and gain his trust, but also to suggest a different approach to engaging the students, one that goes beyond merely following the curriculum. She seeks to discover what can genuinely capture the children’s interest in a hyperactive, consumerist era where boredom is a sin and discipline feels like a dirty word. However, she remains as isolated as Palkó in her quiet rebellion. SOURCE