Cannes 2007 | Egg by Semih Kaplanoglu

Egg,"the first film of Semih Kaplanoğlu's "Yusuf Trilogy", has been selected for screening at the "Quinzaine des Realisateurs" section of the 60th Cannes Film Festival.A co-production between Turkey and Greece, the film was made with the support of Eurimages, Turkey's Ministry of Culture, the Greek Film Center, Efes Pilsen and the Municipality of Tire and features Nejat İşler and Saadet Işıl Aksoy in the leading roles.

"Milk" the second film from the Yusuf Trilogy--Honey, Milk, and Egg--written by Semih Kaplanoğlu and Orçun Köksal will be introduced to film professionals by the Cannes Atelier, one of the official sections of the Cannes festival. Yumurta
de Semih Kaplanoglu
Egg | Yumurta
Official Site

DIRECTOR Semih Kaplanoğlu SCREENPLAY Semih Kaplanoğlu DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Özgür Eken SOUND İsmail Karadaş
SOUND MIX Yorgos Mikrogiannakis ART DIRECTOR Naz Erayda UNIT PRODUCTION MANAGER
Özkan Yılmaz EDITING Ayhan Ergürsel, Semih Kaplanoğlu, Suzan Hande Güneri
PRODUCER Semih Kaplanoğlu Kaplan Film Production CO-PRODUCER Lilette Botassi Inkas Film Production GREEK CO-PRODUCERSPanayiotis Papazoğlu(PPV S.A.) SOUND STUDIO Papazoğlu S.A. (Athens)LAB Sinefekt (İstanbul)Sklavis Lab (Athens) CAST:Nejat İşler (Yusuf), Saadet Işıl Aksoy (Ayla), Ufuk Bayraktar (Haluk), Tülin Özen (Woman in Bookstore), Gülçin Santırcıoğlu (Gül) Kaan Karabacak (Little Boy)


SYNOPSIS: Poet Yusuf returns to his childhood hometown, which he hadn't visited for years, upon his mother's death. A young girl, Ayla awaits him in a crumbling house. Yusuf has been unaware of the existence of this distant relation who had been living with his mother for five years.

Ayla has something to ask of Yusuf . Yusuf is obliged to perform the sacrifice his mother Zehra had been prevented by death from fulfilling. Yusuf agrees as he finds himself unable to withstand the passive rhythm of rural life, the spaces imbued with the ghosts and personages of old lovers and friends, nor against the overriding feeling of guilt.

Yusuf and Ayla set off for the saint's tomb, some three or four hours away, for the traditional sacrifice ceremony. Unable to locate the herd amongst which the sacrificial animal was to be selected, they have to spend the night in a hotel by the crater lake. Yusuf and Ayla are drawn closer together by the atmosphere of the wedding party at the hotel.

While the falling snow blankets guilt, the place to which they are returning will no longer be that old town.


Film greco-turc en couleur, 2007, tous publics
Quinzaine des réalisateurs Cannes 2007

A la mort de sa mère, le poète Yusuf retourne dans son village natal où il n'était pas venu depuis des années. Ayla, une jeune fille qui vivait avec sa mère depuis cinq ans l'attend dans une maison décrépite.
Ayla demande à Yusuf d'accomplir le rite sacrificiel que sa mère Zehra n'a pas pu faire avant de mourir. En route our la tombe du saint, ils doivent s'arrêter pour la nuit dans un hôtel. Se trouvant pris dans une fête de mariage, Yusuf et Ayla découvrent qu'ils sont attirés l'un par l'autre.

Casting : Semih Kaplanoglu (Réalisation), Nejat Isler , Saadet Isil Aksoy , Ufuk Bayraktar , Semih Kaplanoglu (Scénario), Orcun Koksal (Scénario)

Durée : 97 minutes

Milk | Sut by Semih Kaplanoglu

Specifications
Colour / Black and white : Color
Lengh : 100 mn
Locations and shooting dates : Central Anatolia - 10 weeks - 35 mm
Shooting language : TURKISH
Working budget : 890 000 €
Acquired financing : 433 000 €

Statement
Turkey's rural areas have been undergoing huge social, economic, and cultural changes over the past few years. A new way of life has awakened in those towns and villages that used to rely solely on agricultural pursuits. This new way of life has not only changed the area economically, but has also forced change in traditional mores. I implanted these changes in the heart of our young poet, Yusuf, and in the heart of his mother, a woman who yearns for a new way of life. As each character assumes their place in the events that are being lived out, the conflicts that Yusuf faces in the turmoil wrought by the clash of the traditional and the new are also being experienced by countless young people in Turkey. The needs and desires of traditional rural women have always remained suppressed under the over-looming shadows of their fathers, husbands, sons and families.
In MILK, and in the Yusuf Trilogy in general, I want to focus on the centre of the painful change that is currently being played out within the mother-son relationship in Turkey.

Synopsis: Yusuf (18-20) is disconcerted when he learns that his mother Fatma (38-40) has a secret affair with the town's railroad stationmaster. Should he behave in accordance with the traditional male-dominated culture and traditions of the town or should he develop a new perspective in accordance with the new modernization process that is on-going in the area?

Yusuf and Fatma struggle to make a living of the milk they get from the cows. Their town is in the midst of rapid industrialization and this is quickly putting an end to traditional production methods and some of the trades traditional to the area. When she falls in love with the town's stationmaster, Fatma's femininity is rekindled and she begins to change. Yusuf discovers that his mother's interest has turned to another man, but when he receives his draft notice, he suddenly goes off to the large city to take the Army's physical examination. His mother's relationship, which he has tried to ignore up to now, and the pain at being considered unfit for military duty, force Yusuf, who comes from a male-dominated culture, to make some serious decisions.

Contacts: Production: KAPLAN FILM PRODUCTION - Sureyya Agaoglu Sk. n.417 - Tesvikiye Istanbul - TURQUIE - T : 90 212 291 29 95 - info@kaplanfilm.com - www.kaplanfilm.com

Biography and Filmography: Kaplan Film Production was founded by Director and writer Semih Kaplanoglu in 2002. In 2003 the firm started to work on the film Angel's Fall. Angel's Fall, after having its World Premiere at the 55th Berlinale, was invited to many prestigious festivals like Edinburgh, Moscow, Pusan, Vienna, Warsaw, Thessaloniki and Nantes. In 2006. Kaplan Film started the production of a trilogy in which the films will be called Milk - Egg - Honey.

The shooting of Egg was completed in November 2006. It was selected for the Cinemart Co-production Market and Paris Project, where meetings were held with international professionals. Egg has the support of Eurimages and the Turkish Ministry of Culture. Egg is a Turkish-Greek co-production Milk the second part of the trilogy, received production support from the World Cinema Fund of Berlinale. During the 47th Thessaloniki Festival, Milk was invited to the Crossroads Co-production Market. Milk was also invited to the Berlinale Co-production market in the World Cinema section. Kaplan Film Production is also working on the film Steppe Winds. Currently in development, the film already has the support of the Hubert Bals Fund and the Turkish Ministry of Culture.

CANNES '07 ATELIER INTERVIEW | Semih Kaplanoglu

CANNES '07 ATELIER INTERVIEW | Semih Kaplanoglu: "Time is the raw material of cinema."
by indieWIRE (May 18, 2007)

In Semih Kaplanoglu's Atelier project "Milk", a young man who sells milk with his mother watches his world change dramatically as their Turkish town faces globalization and his mother falls in love. Kaplanoglu already has a distinguished record in film. His first feature "Herkes Kendi Evinde" won the Best Director award at the 2001 Singapore Asia Film Festival, while his second, "Angel's Fall", premiered at the 55th Berlinale.

About the program: The Atelier de la Cinefondation was created by the Cannes Film Festival to nurture specific projects from emerging filmmakers. In its third year, the program has selected fifteen projects looking for development or completion funding. Meetings and events between filmmakers and film professionals will be arranged during the Festival, May 18-25. Click here for more information on the program and projects.

Where you were born and how did you become a filmmaker?

I was born in Izmir on February 22, 1963. My most unforgettable memories of childhood involve the time I spent at the movies in the summer. There were at least ten summer open-air movie theaters, this being before television... My family and I would go every night and watch at least two movies. My father, who lived in Paris during the first part of the French New Wave, was very interested in movies. With his encouragement, I zealously followed the cinema program of the movies at the French Cultural Foundation.

After a while, the German Goethe Institute also began bringing movies and showing them in the same theater. By the age of 15, I had seen numerous works from Godard, Bresson, Claire, Rohmer, Fassbinder, Herzog, Bunuel, A. R. Grillet, and other important directors of European cinema. In addition, I had an 8mm camera that I used to make documentary-style movies which I would then watch with my family. Naturally enough, I attended the Cinema School of the Fine Arts Faculty at the University in Izmir. When I graduated I was 21 and had a 16mm black-and-white short film in my repertoire.

Talk about your previous work, including your recent films and other creative projects.

On the second day after graduating from the university I packed up and moved to Istanbul, the center of Turkish filmmaking, with the sole purpose of making movies. I worked in various jobs: camera assistant on documentaries, set photographer, advertising writer, scriptwriter for TV shows, directing, etc. This continued for 16 years until I was able to film my first feature length movie in 2000, called "Herkes Kendi Evinde" ("Away From Home"). After that came "Angel's Fall", which had its world premiere at the 55th Berlinale and won awards for Best Film at festivals such as Nantes, Kerala, Barcelona, and Istanbul. I also directed "Yumurta" ("Egg"), to be shown at the 2007 "Quinzaine des Realisateurs" section of the Cannes Film Festival.

What is your process in making these films?

What I'm looking at here is a longish cinematographic flash-back. Call it an internal journey, if you will, towards the authentic and away from the globalizing face and appearance of the world's provinces. For it is in our provinces that the feeling of time, so eroded by civilization, still clings. This will also be something of an archaeological dig, extending from the last days of the mother-son relationship (with the death of the mother in "Egg") to the beginning (the birth of the son in "Honey"). I hope in this way to narrate the burden and pain of passing time so that I may be able to invite everyone to remember and think about his own time. We all have mothers we love and it is highly possible that much is hidden in the time we spent with our mothers, and the time we are no longer able to spend with them. I wish to note that my films are not only bound to the story, that is, the screenplay. I am of the view that time is the raw material of cinema. My expression is plain, spare in dialogue, shaped by visual and audio details and focused on conveying the sense of time passing with every breath. "Milk" director Semih Kaplanoglu.

What is "Milk" about and what inspired you to pursue it?

Turkey's rural areas, especially that of Central Anatolia, have been undergoing huge social, economic, and cultural changes during the past several years. A new way of life has awakened in those towns and villages that used to rely solely on agricultural pursuits and animal husbandry, due to the factories and the dams being built in the areas, and the mines being opened. The new employment opportunities and the dynamics brought about by widespread migration have deeply affected family structure, a structure that was traditionally the unassailable fortress of the entire region.

These new ways of living have not only changed the area economically speaking, but have also forced a change to traditional mores. While some view this transformation from soil to industry, from field to factory, as a ray of hope, god-sent vehicle towards a 'bright future,' for others these major changes have brought about 'chaos and strife.'

What do you hope to accomplish for the project while you are in Cannes?

I'm looking particularly for international co-producers here. I need laboratories and the best technical experts to attain the production levels necessary to bring my films to the whole world. I am therefore seeking producers who can help me accomplish that. In addition, it's important for us to sell to television channels like Arte and international distribution companies. We have to work with a smaller budget in comparison to most others and yet it gets harder and harder every day.

What are some of your favorite movies and influences?

The directors that influenced me the most are no longer living: Ozu, Bresson, Satyajit Ray, and Tarkovsky. I'm trying to find my own path based on the cinematographic and ethical rules they laid down. I am primarily interested in the metaphysical aspects of cinema and I also happen to think that the only way to do philosophy these days is through cinema.

Cannes 2007 | Auf Der Anderen Seite by Fatih Akin

Auf Der Anderen Seite | Edge of Heaven | Yasamin Kiyisinda
GERMANY, TURKEY 2007

Synopsis:Nejat seems disapproving about his widower father Ali's choice of prostitute Yeter for a live-in girlfriend. But he grows fond of her when he discovers she sends money home to Turkey for her daughter's university studies. Yeter's sudden death distances father and son. Nejat travels to Istanbul to search for Yeter's daughter Ayten. Political activist Ayten has fled the Turkish police and is already in Germany. She is befriended by a young woman, Lotte, who invites rebellious Ayten to stay in her home, a gesture not particularly pleasing to her conservative mother Susanne. When Ayten is arrested and her asylum plea is denied, she is deported and imprisoned in Turkey. Lotte travels to Turkey,where she gets caught up in the seemingly hopeless situation of freeing Ayten.

Director Fatih Akin; Screenplay Fatih Akin; Director of Photography Rainer Klausmann; Editor Andrew Bird; Music by Stefan "Shantel" Hantel; Production Design Tamo Kunz, Sirma Bradley; Casting Monique Akin
Producers Fatih Akin, Andreas Thiel, Klaus Maeck; Production Company corazón international/Hamburg, in co-production with NDR/Hamburg, Anka Film/Istanbul, Dorje Film/Rome

Principal Cast Baki Davrak, Patrycia Ziolkowska, Nurcel Koese, Hanna Schygulla, Tuncel Kurtiz, Nurguel Yesilcay

Length 122 min, 3,312 m |Format 35 mm, color, 1:1.85 |Original Version German/Turkish/English
Subtitled Versions English |Sound Technology Dolby Digital Surround Ex
Festival Screenings Cannes 2007 (In Competition)
With backing from Filmfoerderungsanstalt (FFA), BKM, FilmFoerderung Hamburg, Filmstiftung NRW, Nordmedia, Kulturelle Filmfoerderung Schleswig-Holstein |German Distributor Pandora Film Verleih/Aschaffenburg

World Sales:The Match Factory GmbH |Michael Weber |Sudermanplatz 2
50670 Cologne/Germany T:+49-2 21-2 92 10 20 F:+49-2 21-29 21 02 10 E: info@matchfactory.de
http://www.the-match-factory.com

Contacts:
Production: CORAZÓN INTERNATIONAL GMBH & CO KG - Ditmar-Koel-Str.26, D-20459 Hamburg - T : +49 40 311 82 38 0 - amt@corazon-int.de - www.corazon-int.de ANKA FILM (TURKEY)

Fatih Akin was born in 1973 in Hamburg and began studying Visual Communications at Hamburg's College of Fine Arts in 1994. In 1995, he wrote and directed his first short feature, Sensin - You're The One! (Sensin - Du bist es!), which received the Audience Award at the Hamburg International Short Film Festival, followed by Weed (Getuerkt, 1996). His first full length feature film, Short Sharp Shock (Kurz und schmerzlos, 1998), won the Bronze Leopard at Locarno and the Bavarian Film Award (Best Young Director) in 1998. His other films include: In July (Im Juli, 2000), Wir haben vergessen zurueckzukehren (2001), Solino (2002), the Berlinale Golden Bear-winner and winner of the German and European Film Awards Head-On (Gegen die Wand, 2003), Crossing the Bridge - The Sound of Istanbul (2005), and The Edge of Heaven (Auf der anderen Seite, 2007).

Erju Ackman | Turkish Cinema Newsletter Editor

Erju Ackman

Born 1950, Istanbul, Turkey
Founder/Director Silk|ROAD (2004)
Editor Turkish Cinema Newsletter
1997 - 1998 Toronto
1998 - 2007 Washington DC

Member of FilmProgrammers International

Chronology (1967-2007)

2007 | Financial support list for Turkish Films

Sinema Destek Kurulu (Film Support Council, Ankara) provided a list of films receiving financial support in 2007

'Ulak" by Çağan Irmak 475 000 YTL
"Beyaz Hüzün-Sarıkamış" by Orhan Oğuz 450 000 YTL
"120" by Metin Bükey 400 000 YTL
"Süt" by Semih Kaplanoğlu 225 bin,
"İlkbahar Sonbahar" by Yavuz Özkan 300 000 YTL
"Zeytin Dalı" by Mustafa Şevki Doğan 350 000 YTL
'Firar" by Ömer Uğur 275 000 YTL
"Cennet" by Biray Dalkıran 225 000 YTL
"Lüküs Hayat" Ezel Akay 300 000 YTL
"Büyük Oyun" by Atıl İnaç 300 000 YTL

SÖZÜN BİTTİĞİ YER by İsmail Güneş

SÖZÜN BİTTİĞİ YER 115 min. color Turkey 2007
Directed by İsmail Güneş; Screenplay by:İsmail Güneş, Ömer Faruk Birpınar
Cinematography by: Baybars Tekin, Ahmet Bayar; Edited by: Mevlüt Koçak;Music: Murat Özdemir; Art Direction:Duygu Kabaçam; Produced by: Mehmet Güneş Cast:Mehmet Özgür, Yasemin Balık, Volkan Severcan, Okan Tangücü, Elif Sümbül Sert, Fatih Ayhan, Mehmet Çepiç, Ahmet Yenilmez, Emin Gürsoy, Yaşar Uzel; İstanbul Güneşi, Türkiye (2007)Production; Dist.: Best Line Pictures.Release date: May 4, 2007

Synopsis: Turgut (Mehmet Özgür)is clown living with his son Umut(Okan Tangücü). The return of the mother when Umut was hospitalized with a leukemia diagnosis brings new hopes to Turgut as he must face a new dilemma.

Turkish Delight |Musetto Interview

TURKISH DELIGHT

Ozgu Namal dreams of going Hollywood.

April 22, 2007 -- OZGU Namal had a dream. As a teenager in Istanbul, she would stand in front of the mirror after taking a bath, wrap a towel around her head and pretend to be a Hollywood star.

She has yet to realize her fantasy, but at the tender age of 28 she is Turkey's hottest young actress - star of screen, stage, TV and commercials. Not to mention magazine cover girl.

Last weekend she received a new honor, the top-actress prize at the 26th Istanbul International Film Festival. It was for the love story "International," one of three fest movies in which she appeared.

"I am so excited, my knees are trembling," the petite, dark-haired woman exclaimed as she accepted her prize at a ceremony broadcast live on Turkish TV.

Said an Istanbul newspaper, "This [trembling legs] came as quite a dangerous situation, as the actress was wearing very high heels." Luckily, she never lost her balance.

Earlier that week, Namal and I, with a translator or two helping, had a pleasant chat at the festival. Dressed casually in jeans, Namal said she still dreams of going Hollywood.

"I stayed in Los Angeles for three months in 2001, and attended UCLA language school. I stayed with an American family. Los Angeles is a beautiful city, and I have dreams of living there as an actress." She even dreams of winning an Oscar.

Her idols include Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Mel Brooks, Pedro Almodovar and French director Gaspar Noe. Surprisingly, she's a fan of Noe's brutal 2002 shocker "Irreversible."

She would love to work for Woody Allen, so I asked if he knew of her wish. "He will learn from your story," she replied. "Life is full of surprises."

More than 200 movies unreeled at the Istanbul festival, which ran for 16 days at six theaters on two continents (Europe and Asia).

Two movies that I saw there are worthy of note: Goran Paskaljevic's "The Optimists," a funny and at times sick film from Serbia, and Danish director Peter Schonau Fog's "The Art of Crying," a sensitive study of father-daughter incest.

New Yorker Tom DiCillo's "Delirious," with Steve Buscemi and Michael Pitt, won a special jury prize.

The top honor, the Golden Tulip, was taken by "Reprise," Norwegian helmer Joachim Trier's homage to the French New Wave.

V.A. Musetto is film editor of The Post. Vam@nypost.com

For more on the Turkey Talk series in the NewYork Post:

Part-1 Off to Istanbul
Part-2 Arrived in sunny Istanbul
Part-3 Beating jetlag
Part-4 Defying terrorists
Part-5 Party time in Istanbul
Part-6 Merhaba from Istanbul
Part-7 Ozgu Namal interview
Part-8 Take a lesson from the folks in Istanbul
Part-9 The End

Review |Times and Winds by Reha Erdem

The Times BFI 50th London Film Festival: Mysteries Of Puberty
Film still for The Times BFI 50th London Film Festival: Mysteries Of Puberty
Preview: Times and Winds

Times and Winds by Turkish director Reha Erdem is one of the discoveries of the year, an exquisite affirmation of film as art. By Hannah McGill

If the fourth feature from Turkish writer-director Reha Erdem covers some not-unfamiliar territory - rural families misalign, local conflicts flare and die, and children wrestle with the mysteries of puberty while goat bells clamour and seasons slip by - it does so with sufficient grace and forthrightness to render its content breathtakingly fresh. It is not Erdem's project simply to observe sweetly limited lives or to seek nobility in lack of sophistication. His film is a nuanced drama, possessed of both comic and dramatic force, along with ravishing and expressive visuals.

Human life is compartmentalised in Times and Winds: age, gender and social status divide up the local community, just as the five calls to prayer carve up the day. (The film is split by intertitles into five times of day, and its Turkish title Bes vakit translates as 'Five Times'.) The daily challenges faced by the older children of the village express the transition between innocence and responsibility, the tension between attempted self-realisation and externally imposed definitions. The unconditional protection offered to small children is ebbing away, yet restrictive discipline remains in place. The freedom to make one's own decisions is tempered by the eternal requirement to fall in with existing social codes - and to accept the frightening fallibility of adult authority figures.

Omer (Özakan Özen) is experiencing his Oedipal crisis in entertainingly literal terms: he wants to end the authoritarian domestic regime of his father, the local prayer leader, by way of murder. Erdem's film finds some of its most comedic moments in Omer's plotting (entice a scorpion to bite him, knock him off a mountain ledge?), but retains enough edgy ambiguity to suggest that success is never quite out of the question. Yildiz (Elit Iscan), by contrast, is the apple of her father's eye, but a scene in which she quietly weeps after inadvertently witnessing her parents' lovemaking speaks volumes about the terror and fascination that attend the encroachment of sexual awareness. Yakup (Ali Bey Kayali), meanwhile, sees his own innocent crush on the village schoolteacher disturbingly mirrored when he catches his father playing peeping tom.

Small moments, perhaps, but Erdem invests them with dignity, mystery and humour, while the beauty of Florent Herry's cinematography and Arvo Pärt's score emphasise their universality and mythic potency.

2001 | LA MORT EN EXIL by Ayten MUTLU SARAY

LA MORT EN EXIL
directed by Ayten MUTLU SARAY
SWITZERLAND 2001

Credits
Ayten MUTLU SARAY Screenplay
Felix VON MURALT Cinematography
Elvira ISENRING Set Designer
Cemila MUTLU Set Designer
Amina DJAHNINE Music
Daniel GIBEL Film Editor
Ayten MUTLU SARAY Director
Actors: Elidan ARZONI, Zeynep ARISAN, Dieter STOLL

Synopsis:Khalil is a Palestinian who grew up in Algerian exile. One day he has to leave again and arrive in Switzerland where he asks for a refugee status. The steps : illegal entry on territory, asking for the refugee status, the decision of expulsion, death on the airport. The events related in this film are based on a true story.

Contacts :ayten.mutlu@bluewin.ch
School: ECOLE SUPERIEURE DES BEAUX ARTS - 2 rue du Général Dufour - 1204 Genève - Suisse - Tél. : 41 2 231 778 20 - Fax : 41 2 231 046 36

Geboren 1969 in Pülümür (TR). 1993-97 Studium des Journalismus und der Kommunikationswissenschaften an der Universität Fribourg sowie der Ethnologie und der Religionswissenschaften an der Universität Fribourg und an der Freien Universität Berlin. 1994-96 Journalistische Tätigkeit in der Schweiz und in der Türkei. 1997 Kamera- und Drehbuchkurse in Berlin. 1998 Praktika bei der SMUV-Zeitung und bei Radio DRS. Seit 1999 an der ESAV (Ecole Supérieure d'Art Visuel) in Genève.

Filmography: 1997 Xerema Waye – Willkommen Schwester / 1998 Kurdischer Zauberstab / 2000 Alima; Das Leben ist wie ein Ei auf dem Stein (co-director, all documentaries) / 2001 La mort en exil (short film)

Semih Kaplanoglu selected for Atelier de la Cinéfondation, Funding

In 2005, the Festival de Cannes created the Atelier de la Cinéfondation, a programme which aims to help young filmmakers bring their film project to fruition.

For its third edition, the Atelier de la Cinéfondation has selected 15 directorial projects from 15 different countries. The talent of these filmmakers has stood out at international film events, and they will attend the next Festival in order to finalise the financing of their respective films.

In the spirit of the Festival de Cannes, this selection gives priority to the discovery of nascent talents by promoting the future of, notably, Pablo Agüero, Hicham Falh and Chrif Tribak, Ciro Guerra and Michelangelo Frammartino. The Atelier also lends its support to the continuation of the works of such renowned artists as Tsai Ming Liang and Bertrand Bonello.

The Atelier provides "bespoke" support to the filmmakers and their producers in order for them to finalise the financial arrangements for their projects. To this end, meetings with film professionals who are interested in their projects and would like to meet the directors will be arranged between May 18^th and 25^th.

The Livre des Projets (Project Brochure) as well as forms you may complete to request a face to face interview will be made available online at the beginning of April.

Argentina - Salamandra Pablo Agüero (1^st feature)
Austria - Serviam Ruth Mader (2^nd feature)
China - Blown by the Typhoon Ying Liang (3^rd feature)
Colombia - The Wind Journeys Ciro Guerra (2^nd feature)
France - De la guerre Bertrand Bonello (4^th feature)
Italy - Le quattro volte Michelangelo Frammartino (2^nd feature)
Kazakhstan - Native Dancer Guka Omarova (2^nd feature)
Lebanon - I Can't go Home Khalil Joreige & Joana Hadjithomas (3^rd feature)
Morocco - Entre Parenthèses Hicham Falah & Chrif Tribak (1^st feature)
Portugal - To Die Like a Man João Pedro Rodrigues (3^rd feature)
Romania - A Heart-shaped Balloon Cãtãlin Mitulescu (2^nd feature)
Sri Lanka - Ahasinwitai (The Fallen) Vimukthi Jayasundara (2^nd feature)
Taiwan - Salomé Tsai Ming Liang (9^th feature)
Turkey - Milk Semih Kaplanoglu (4^th feature)
USA/Korea - Treeless Mountain So Yong Kim (2^nd feature)

Contact: latelier@festival-cannes.fr Site: http://www.cinefondation.com/

Press attache: Anne Guimet anne.guimet@festival-cannes.fr

Turkish Movies Week in Copenhagen

A Turkish Movies Week is also due to be held between May 18 and 25 at the Park Bio Cinema Hall in Copenhagen, according to the Turkish Embassy Information Counselor's Office. The event aims to better introduce the Turkish cinema to the world.

The seven movies to be screened are "Takva" (A Man's Fear of God), "Dondurmam Gaymak" (Ice Cream, I Scream), "Beynelmilel" (International), "Babam ve Oğlum" (My Father and My Son), "Neredesin Firuze" (Where are You, Firuze?) and "Beyza'nın Kadınları" (Shattered Soul) along with one of the following: "Eve Dönüş" (Homecoming), "Anlat İstanbul" (İstanbul Tales) or "Eğreti Gelin" (Borrowed Bride).

Two Turkish movies en route to NY festival

The Turkish Culture and Tourist Office in New York will send "Beş Vakit" (Times and Winds) and "Takva" (A Man's Fear of God) to the 6th Annual Tribeca International Film Festival between April 25 and May 6, reported the Anatolia news agency.

Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002 as a response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. The festival aims to promote New York City as a major filmmaking center and allow its filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience through an annual celebration of film, music and culture.

"Times and Winds" features a village by the sea, with inhabitants living their lives in five time slices divided by the sound of the call to prayer. Three children, Yakup, Ömer and Yıldız, vacillate between feelings of rage and guilt. Their parents, just like all others in the village, perpetuate what they learned from their own parents: They have a hard time showing love, and they consider beating a preferred method of discipline.

In "Takva," the solitary and deeply religious main character, Muharrem, is devoted to the pious observance of his Islamic sect. But his simple and quiet life is thrown into turmoil when he is promoted to assist with the administrative tasks of his mosque. Now he is forced to make contact with new places and people that he is not ready for, and he begins to fear that God has abandoned him.

‘Beynelmilel’ named best film at Ankara Film Fest

Local musicians’ story ‘Beynelmilel’ named best film at Ankara film fest

The military coup comedy "Beynelmilel" (International), starring Özgü Namal and Cezmi Baskın, has won the best feature-film award at the 18th Ankara International Film Festival, which ended Sunday night with an awards ceremony.

The film, co-directed by Muharrem Gülmez and Sırrı Süreyya Önder, was recognized for "depicting a very important period in Turkey's history from a certain distance, with irony and with a black comedy approach, and for carrying an extremely local topic to international ground," the festival's organizers said in a written statement Saturday.

"Beynelmilel" centers on the tragicomic stories of a group of local musicians in the southeastern province of Adıyaman in the turbulent 1980s. The film also brought one of its co-directors, Önder, the best screenplay award.

The festival, sponsored by Limak Holding and organized by the Ankara-based World Mass Media Research Foundation, screened 276 films in 10 days with a majority of its program consisting of shorts. Winners of the shorts and documentary categories were also announced, with Mehmet Selçuk Bilge's "Mr. Unhappy Meets the Girl," "Mr. Unhappy Sees a Doctor" getting the best fiction; Yasemin Aydın's "Suret" getting the best experimental short film; and Ayçe Kartal's "Beyinsiz" getting the best animated short film prize. The selection committee awarded R. Nazım Ulusoy's short film "Yır-tık" a special prize, the statement said.

Director Yüksel Aksu's debut feature "Dondurmam Gaymak" (Ice Cream, I Scream), which was Turkey's entry at this year's Oscars, won the Mahmut Tali Öngören special prize while the best director award went to Zeki Demirkubuz for his feature-film "Kader" (Destiny). The film brought two more awards to its cast members, with Vildan Atasever winning best actress and Müge Ulusoy winning best supporting actress awards.

The best actor prize went to veteran actor Haluk Bilginer for his role in the movie "Polis" (Police). The best supporting actor award went to another heavyweight, İlyas Salman, for his role in "Sis ve Gece" (Fog and the Night). "Sis ve Gece" also brought the best director of photography award to Gökhan Atılmış. The best soundtrack award went to Rahman Altın for the music he composed for "Cenneti Beklerken" (Waiting for Heaven), directed by Derviş Zaim.

The festival's selection committee, presided over by screenwriter Emine Nevin Cangür, consisted of director Tunç Başaran, academic Nejat Ulusay, film critic and cinema historian Agah Özgüç and actor Cengiz Korucu.

The festival's big winner "Beynelmilel" is set to compete in this year's Moscow International Film Festival on June 21-30. It will also be screened at the 30th Montreal World Film Festival in Canada.

Awards of The 26th International Istanbul Film Festival

Awards of The 26th International Istanbul Film Festival
* The GOLDEN TULIP Award to "REPRISE" directed by Joachim Trier (Norway)

* The SPECIAL PRIZE of the Jury to "DELIRIOUS"Tom Dicillo (USA) directed by

NATIONAL COMPETITION

The National Jury of the 26th International Istanbul Film Festival presided over by Ferzan Özpetek (Turkey), and composed of Klaus Eder (Germany), Mehmet Günsür (Turkey), Yıldırım Türker (Turkey) and Işıl Yücesoy (Turkey) has decided to give:

* The BEST TURKISH FILM OF THE YEAR Award to "İKLİMLER / CLIMATES" directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

* The BEST DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR Award to ZEKİ DEMİRKUBUZ for his film "Kader / Destiny"

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey gave a monetary prize of 50.000 YTL to each of the above-mentioned winners.
* The BEST ACTRESS Award to ÖZGÜ NAMAL for her performance in "Beynelmilel / International"

* The BEST ACTOR Award has been shared between ERKAN CAN for his performance in "Takva / Takva A Man's Fear of God" and UFUK BAYRAKTAR for his performance in "Kader / Destiny"

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey gave a monetary prize of 10.000 YTL to each of the above-mentioned winners.

* The SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE JURY went to "BEYNELMİLEL / INTERNATIONAL" by Sırrı Süreyya Önder & Muharrem Gülmez

FACE AWARD
THE FILM AWARD OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

The FACE Award (Film Award of the Council of Europe) is given to the film that best reflects the Council's values of respect for human rights, individual freedom, political liberty and the rule of law. The award includes a sculpture in bronze and a cash prize of 10.000 Euros. It is awarded as part of the Human Rights in Cinema section of the festival. The Human Rights Jury of the 26th International İstanbul Film Festival is composed of Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni (Italy), Philippe Boillat (Switzerland) and Turgut Tarhanlı (Turkey).

* The Jury decided to give the award to "BAMAKO / THE COURT" by Abderrahmane Sissako (Mali)

FIPRESCI AWARDS

The FIPRESCI Jury of the 26th International Istanbul Film Festival presided over by Miguel Somsen (Portugal), and composed of Cüneyt Cebenoyan (Turkey), Katharina Dockhorn (Germany), Marina Drozdova (Poland), Nathan Lee (USA) and Uygar Şirin (Turkey), gave:

* The FIPRESCI Award in the International Competition to "KUNSTEN AT GRAEDE I KOR / THE ART OF CRYING" by Peter Schønau Fog (Denmark), for telling the story of a family with secrets everybody knows about but nobody speaks about it, balancing comedy and tragedy. You will never feel detached by this intense portrait of a Danish family, seen through the innocent point of view of a child.

* The FIPRESCI Award in the National Competition, in memory of Onat Kutlar, went to "KADER / DESTINY" directed by Zeki Demirkubuz, for being a story that finds a strong cinematic language to explore the nature of existence and irrationality. Taking the form of a downward spiral, the film is both a perverse anti-romance and a study of obsession.

As in the previous years, Efes Pilsen has given a prize of US$ 30.000 to the winner of the Onat Kutlar Prize, Zeki Demirkubuz, to be used for his next film project.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS sponsored by the Radikal Newspaper and determined by the votes of the Festival audience, are given to:

* "NIWEMANG / HALF MOON" by Bahman Ghobadi (Iran) in the International Competition, and "İKLİMLER / CLIMATES" by Nuri Bilge Ceylan in the National Competition.

Festival Review Great 'Climates' at Istanbul fest
Director Demirkubuz fulfills 'Destiny'

By DEREK ELLEY

ISTANBUL -- Two of Turkey's best-known directors came away the big winners at the Intl. Istanbul Film Festival, which wrapped its 26th edition Saturday.

In the National Competition, a jury led by Italian-based Turkish helmer Ferzan Ozpetek awarded Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Climates" best film, while Zeki Demirkubuz copped best director for "Destiny." Latter film also won the Fipresci award and shared the actor prize

Both pics -- existential dramas centered on male protags' obsessive problems with women -- also shared the top prizes at Turkey's Antalya fest last fall. "Climates" won a Fipresci award at Cannes last year.

Prizes hardly reflected the diversity and depth of current Turkish cinema, which is on its biggest high in decades. Last year, of the 212 pics released in the country, 34 were Turkish and they accounted for a massive 51% of the nation's total box office tally.

The 21 features in the National Competition showed a wide range of subjects (including a revived interest in stories set during the '80s military junta), as well as much-improved technical and commercial smarts. Like Bollywood movies, Turkish pics now profit considerably from overseas distribution to ethnic communities, both in Europe and North America. Increased revenues are now being funneled back into bigger production budgets.

Other local films favored by foreign observers included "International," an ironic comedy set in a small town during the junta, wacky cop drama-cum-genre riff "Police," slick psychothriller "The Little Apocalypse," crowdpleasing village dramedy "Adam & the Devil," and sumptuously lensed drama "Bliss," one of three movies showcasing rising young actress Ozgu Namal.

New IIFF director Azize Tan assembled a strong program heavy on tributes to filmmakers such as Gus Van Sant, and an international competition praised at the closing ceremony by British director Michael Radford, jury prexy.

Radford and the five other jurors, including Demirkubuz, Icelandic director Dagur Kari and German thesp Udo Kier, gave the top Golden Tulip Award to Norwegian dramedy "Reprise," a first feature by Joachim Trier, and special prize of the jury to Tom Di Cillo's Gotham paparazzi comedy "Delirious," with Steve Buscemi.

Aside from Van Sant and Di Cillo, other notables who jetted in included Paul Schrader (for an honorary gong) and South Korean helmer Park Chan-wook.

Fest, which ran March 31-April 15, still labors under poor screening conditions in the city's crowded Beyoglu district but, per Tan, admissions were up more than 10% vs. last year, tallying 170,000 tickets sold.Climates / N.B. Ceylan and Zeynep Özbatur Destiny / Zeki Demirkubuz

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‘Ice Cream, I Scream’ awarded in US festival

The Turkish comedy film “Dondurmam Gaymak” (Ice Cream, I Scream), the debut feature-length film by director Yüksel Aksu, was named the best foreign language film at the US Comedy Arts Festival (USCAF) in Aspen, Colorado. The festival, sponsored by the US TV station HBO, marked its 13th anniversary this year between Feb. 28 and March 3.

“Dondurmam Gaymak,” the comic story of a local ice cream vendor striving to survive against giant ice cream companies in the 1990s in an Aegean village, was Turkey’s entry in this year’s Oscars as a nominee for the best foreign film category, but did not make the shortlist of the final five nominees that run for the coveted award. The film beat such strong contenders as “12:08 East of Bucharest” in the film program of USCAF, which featured 30 feature-length films, 20 shorts and four world premieres. The festival also awards live comedy performances.

Eurimages 2007 |Yesim Ustaoglu

Pandoranin Kutusu
English title : Pandora's Box
French title : La boîte de Pandorre
By Yesim Ustaoglu (Turkey)
Feature Film
Awarded: 200 000 €
Coproducers:
USTAOGLU FILMS (TR)
LES PETITES LUMIERES / SILKROAD PRODUCTION (FR)

Eurimages 2007 | 104th meeting

Press release – 137(2007)

Eurimages supports 10 European co-productions

Strasbourg, 28.02.2007 - At its 104th meeting held on 25.02.2007 - 27.02.2007 in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe Eurimages Fund Board of Management agreed to support 10 feature films for a total amount of 3 860 000 Euros.

The feature films are :
Clara - Helma Sanders-Brahms (Germany) (Germany, France, Hungary)
Dorothy Mills - Agnès Merlet (France) (France, Ireland)
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime - Philippe Claudel (France) (France, Germany)
Pandoranin Kutusu - Yesim Ustaoglu (Turkey) (Turkey, France)
Ping pong kingen - Jens Jonsson (Sweden) (Sweden, Denmark)
Sangue pazzo - Marco Tullio Giordana (Italy) (Italy, France)
Skrapp ut - Solveig Anspach (Iceland) (Iceland, France)
The Times that remains - Elia Suleiman (The Netherlands) (France, Belgium, Italy)
Das Vaterspiel - Michael Glawogger (Austria) (Germany, Austria)
Zena bez tijela - Vinko Bresan (Croatia) (Croatia, Serbia)

Support to Turkish Distribution Companies

The Days of Abondonment - Roberto Faenza (Italy)
Distributed by BELGE FILM SAN. VE TIC (Turkey)

Das Leben der Anderen - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Germany)
Distributed by CHANTIER FILMS (Turkey)

Paris, je t'aime - Olivier Assayas (France) – Fréderic Auburtin (France)
Distributed by UMUT SANAT (Turkey)

EURIMAGES is a support fund for co-production, distribution and exhibition of European cinematographic works, established by the Council of Europe in 1988 1
(E-mail: Eurimages@coe.int – Web: http://www.coe.int/Eurimages).

Since its establishment, EURIMAGES has supported 1129 European co-productions for a total amount of more than 330 million Euros.

Council of Europe Press Division
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11
pressunit@coe.int
www.coe.int/press

1 Since 1 January 2005, EURIMAGES comprises 32 member States: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Turkey.

Eurimages 2001-2006

Eurimages 2001-2006

Fund contribution from Turkey to Eurimages'5 000 475 Funds provided to Turkish films from Eurimages 6 421 000 Euro
karşın fondan toplam 8 milyon 421 for 35 feature films, 92 cinemas and distribution support to 143 European films

Halit Refig: Düsmanlarım Sağ Olsun!..

Halit Refig: Düsmanlarım Sağ Olsun!..

Adı yorgun, kendi dinç savaşçı

Yeşilçam'da dışlandı, devlet eliyle filmi yakıldı; ama Halit Refiğ
bunları yılgınlık değil azim vesilesi yaparak bugünlere geldi. Usta
yönetmen, adına düzenlenen saygı gününde bir araya gelenleri görünce
bu sevgi hâlesinden korktu; çünkü 'böylesine alışık değil'di...

'Gavur icadı' sinema, allem edip kallem edip cennet vatana da
girdikten sonra herkesin kafasının karışması da mutlaktı. Türk
sinemasının seyri de bunu gösterir zaten: Ne yapılacağı
bilinmediğinden, önce ağabey sanat olan tiyatrodan faydalanılmış,
sonra biraz merak edenlerce Avrupa'dan nasiplenilmiş , bu arada
parayı götürmek isteyenler Hollywood'dan kaptıkları küçük formülleri
tatbik etmişler, iyi niyetliler arada kaynayıp gitmiş ve nihayet
70'lerdeki seks furyasıyla Türk sinemasının helvası yenmiş... Bundan
kısa bir süre önce, Atıf Yılmaz'a asistanlık yaparak sinemaya giren
ve yönetmenlik yapmaya başlayan bir isimse sadece film çekmekle
kalmamış aynı zamanda Türk sineması için bir zihinsel iklim haritası
çizmeye çabalamıştı. Fikir babaları arasında yazar, mütefekkir Kemal
Tahir, bestekâr Adnan Saygun ve mimar Sedat Hakkı Eldem'i saydığı bu
haritaya "Ulusal Sinema" adını veren, 1971'de "Ulusal Sinema
Kavgası" adlı kitabında da temellerini, prensiplerini anlatan ve
hayatını da bu mücadele içinde geçiren isim; yönetmen Halit Refiğ.

2004'te Sinema Yazarları Derneği ödül töreninde Onur Ödülü'nü,
dönemin Kültür ve Turizm Bakanı Erkan Mumcu'dan alması, kaderin bir
cilvesiydi. Zira Kemal Tahir'in romanından TRT için
uyarladığı "Yorgun Savaşçı", devlet eliyle yakılmıştı, şimdiyse
devletin bakanı 'onur'landırıyordu yönetmeni. Bakan ayrıca bunun
devletin bir hatası olduğunu da kabul ediyordu. Bu tablo, devletin,
sanatçısıyla barışmasıydı. Önceki akşam Levent Kültür Merkezi'ndeki
resim ise daha geniş bir alanı kapsıyordu ve adeta sinemanın her bir
parçasından Refiğ'e saygı ve sevgi ifadesi yükseliyordu. Beşiktaş
Kültür ve Sanat Platformu'nun düzenlediği 'Saygı Günü'nde, yıllar
boyu sektörün ve devletin yaşattığı yalnızlığını unuttu Refiğ. Bir
film yıldızı yaptığı Cüneyt Arkın da oradaydı; genç bir kızken
keşfettiği Selda Alkor da. Ona en güzel görüntüleri sağlamaya
çalışan usta görüntü yönetmeni Çetin Tunca da anlattı Refiğ'i,
sinemasının izlerini akademik açıdan süren Fatih Özgüven de. Eşi
Gülper Refiğ, "Aşk-ı Memnu"nun müziklerini çaldığı piyanosuyla eşlik
etti söylenenlere. Tunca, bir itirafla başladı konuşmasına: "Biz
görüntüyü süsleyip kendimizi göstermek isteriz. Ama Halit Bey'in
filmlerinde hep bir öz vardır ve bu sebepten filmleri çok sadedir.
Görüntüyü süslemeye falan gerek kalmaz." Bu 'öz'ün terkibini ise
Özgüven verdi: "Sinemayı müziğin, edebiyatın, tiyatronun devamı gibi
görmek eğilimindeyim. Halit Refiğ sineması, kusursuz bir sanat
geleneğinin devamıdır. Refiğ'in, büyük bir geleneği hazmetmiş
olduğu, bütün filmlerinde görülür."

Alıştığımızın aksine bugün ya da bu yıl Halit Refiğ ile ilgili
hiçbir şeyin yıldönümü değil. Ama bir ustaya saygı göstermek için
sonu sıfırlı zamanları beklemek gibi bir şart da olmamalı aslında.
Ancak hoş bir tevafuk, Refiğ için yapılan başka işler de var bu yıl
içinde. Elips Kitap'ın hazırladığı "Bir Halit Refiğ Filmi" bunlardan
biri. Gülşah Nezaket Maraşlı'nın editörlüğünde hazırlanan albüm
kitabın sayfalarını çevirirken 8 yaşında, çalışıp para kazanmak için
evden kaçan Halit Refiğ'i de, dünyanın önde gelen sinemacılarıyla ve
en has dairedeki dostlarıyla bir arada gülümseyen Halit Refiğ'i de
görebilirsiniz. Yapı Endüstri Merkezi (YEM)-Sanal Mimarlık Müzesi
ise "Halit Refiğ Filmlerinde Aşk ve Ölüm Mekânları" adlı bir sergi
düzenliyor. Buna, mart ayı boyunca YEM'de 'Teyzem', 'Hanım'
ve 'Gelinlik Kız' üzerine gerçekleştirilecek söyleşiler eşlik
edecek. Şengün Kılıç'ın, yaklaşık 8 ay boyunca Refiğ'le yaptığı
sohbetlerden oluşacak nehir söyleşi kitabı ise yakında yayımlanacak.

Halit Refiğ: Düşmanlarım sağ olsun!..

"Hayatımı mücadele üzerine kurdum ve hep söylemişimdir; ben sinemada
bir şey yapabildiysem bu, çok büyük ölçüde düşmanlarım sayesinde
olmuştur. Benim için 'Yeşilçam'ın satılmış kapı köpeği' denmesinden,
böyle bir güne gelmek son derecede anlamlı. Ben, bana ne kadar
keskin eleştiri olduysa, mesleğimde ne kadar sert darbelerle
karşılaştıysam, ondan sonraki işimi daha başarılı yapma gayretinde
oldum. Ama bugünden sonra bir şey yapmam artık çok kolay olmayacak!
Bütün vidalar gevşemiş durumda! O yüzden korkuyorum bundan sonrası
için!"

Elif Tunca

Article | Oh the horror!’-- Turkish horror flicks

‘Oh the horror!’-- Turkish horror flicks come out of the coffin

For the past few years, Turkish cinema has been enthusiastically screening horror movies. If you haven't noticed that, you must not have gone to the cinema for at least three days, nor have read anything about movies.

The Taylan brothers started everything with the movie "Okul" (School) in 2004. With the support of Plato Films behind them, at a time when indigenous cinema flirted nicely with the viewer, these two brothers finally released the Turkish genre of horror from its coffin. Despite striking examples in the 1950s and 1970s such as "Drakula İstanbul'da" [Dracula in İstanbul] or "Şeytan" [the Devil], horror really first reached Turkish cinema-goers with "Okul." However, the Taylan brothers probably didn't know that the fuse they ignited would advance so quickly toward an explosion. Before taking a look at Turkish horror films made in the last three years, it is essential to mention "Gomeda," which was released this week across Turkey. It's the directing debut of Tan Tolga Demirci, who found a fan-base for his short movies -- horror film makers in Turkey are ironically usually first-time directors -- which featured the adventures of a group of young men who go to Capadoccia for a holiday and find themselves in the other world [dead] after some strange adventures. The difference between "Gomeda" and the typical '80s' horror film in which a group of young people are murdered is that "Gomeda" handles it in a very surrealistic atmosphere. In fact, the murder scenes seemed to be filmed in a rush, but one can readily understand by looking at other examples that the Turkish horror movie industry still has a long way to go. Right now, the approach leans toward a few movies blended with a bit of horror and unintended comic details. In other words, there is still a lot to do! OKUL (2004) "Why didn't Turks already have an established tradition of horror movies?" This question has been asked over the last few years. The first answer may be that we haven't had an established genre of horror literature up until now. From this perspective, it's difficult to say how much "Hayalet Kitabı" [the Ghost Book] by Doğa Yücel belongs to horror literature or how similar the Taylan brothers' movie is to a pure horror movie. Their film was about the adventures of a group of young students locked up in a school, we cannot say it is pure comedy, with scenes like where one of the students sees an ugly image of himself in the mirror, or another scene where a spider-like creature crawls on his face. Despite its relative lack of success, "Okul" still impresses by being the first in its field. *** BÜYÜ (2004) Expectations should have been kept very low for Orhan Oğuz, a director who makes a point out of saying "I don't watch horror movies" in his statements to the press, however, he must have thought that he could tackle the difficult task of shooting a horror movie. Unfortunately, all one cay say after watching the movie is that he failed miserably. While you are preoccupied with how a horror movie can possibly be shot without having any exposure to the genre, we'll also take a look at the state that actors such as İpek Tuzcuoğlu, Ece Uslu, Özgü Namal, Nihat İleri and Okan Yalabık were in when attending the movie's premiere. The movie takes place in Turkey's southeast. A team of archaeologists finds trouble instead of a book they are searching for belonging to the Sultan Salih of Aruk. I suppose it's not necessary to say that a bloody and scary demise awaits this team. Close to the end of the movie, an escalating Islamic theme enters in that is reminiscent of movies of the West that have waves of Christian doctrine running through them. *** DABBE (2005) Similar to "Büyü," "Dabbe" used the Holy Quran as a reference also combining elements of horror films of the Fareast. Director Hasan Karacadağ, who we have apparently imported from Japan, created a low-budget flick whose main problem was that the cast were acting as if their audience and co-stars were Japanese. And much to our surprise, when we discovered that the movie had been influenced by a Japanese production "Kairo," the whole thing left a bad taste in our mouths. *** ARAF (2006) Biray Dalkıran, another first time director, comes from a background in the commercial industry. His movie "Araf" was unanimously cited as the worst movie of 2006 by critics. (Maybe first time directors taking on a genre that is as difficult as horror is the reason for all these unfortunate movies). "Araf" tells the story of a young woman who is forced to have an abortion after she finds out she is pregnant as a result of an illicit relationship. The component of horror in the movie begins when the aborted fetus comes back to find its mother. *** GEN (2006) Twenty one-year-old Togan Gökbakar's Hollywood-inspired movie "Gene," (Gen) borrowed a little from Kubrick's "The Shining" in terms of its exploitative storyline, which can be applied well as we see in movies like "Identity" (Kimlik). In the storyline, two homicide detectives and a new resident doctor are stranded in a mental institution and try to find their way out of this mystery. "Gen" resembled a bad episode of the "X-Files," and although when compared to its former two counterparts had a "Citizen Kane" feel to it; with its bad acting and unconvincing story line, fell short of expectations. *** KÜÇÜK KIYAMET (2006) The Taylan siblings, leaving their first movie attempt "Okul" (School) and the accompanying teenage spirit behind them, presentedus with "Küçük Kıyamet." (Minor Judge-ment Day) The movie that premiered at the end of 2006 deals with a family that lives in Turkey's south who suffers from multiple earthquakes and decides to move to a desolate town's even more desolate home.

03.03.2007

BURÇİN S. YALÇIN İSTANBUL

Berlinale 2007 | Award for Annem Sinema Ogreniyor

The DAAD short film prize to ANNEM SINEMA ÖGRENIYOR by Nesimi Yetik (Turkey)
„for its brilliant cinematographic simplicity“.

DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), which includes three months of study in Berlin within the framework of the Artists-in-Berlin programme as well as financial support over this period of time.

The International Short Film Jury at the Berlinale 2007 was comprised of three personalities whose work is linked to the short film genre.

Peace Anyiam-Fiberesima (Nigeria, Riina Sildos (Estonia),Ning Ying (China)

Nesim Hason and New Films International

New Films International
8484 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 510 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 T: (323) 655-1050
http://www.newfilmsint.com

Nesim Hason, President nesim@newfilmsint.com
Ron Gell, EVP ron@newfilmsint.com
Sezin Sonar, VP sezin@newfilmsint.com
Mark Clark, Production mark@newfilmsint.com

New Films International was formed in 1996 by a highly successful foreign markets distributor Nesim Hason, President and founder. Intent on bridging the distance between the United States and the rest of the world, Nesim Hason with New Films endeavors to consistently blend both foreign and American cultures by introducing American films to the foreign marketplace. With NFI’s own productions, Hason strives to introduce foreign talent to American audiences as well as introduce American actors to working abroad.

New Films is currently headquartered in Beverly Hills and also has distribution offices throughout Eastern Europe.

NFI acquires 8 - 10 titles per year through attendance at major domestic and international festivals and markets. Since 2002, the company has acquired 29 feature films for its international library, including “Game 6”, starring Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr.; “The Thing About My Folks”, starring Peter Falk and Paul Reiser; and “Missing In America”. With Academy Award-nominated David Strathairn, Danny Glover and Ron Perlman.

Following the similar successful plan Hason implemented in foreign markets in the mid-90’s, New Films has strengthen its strategic distribution partnerships by recently signing an All TV rights output deal with MGM for Latin America and 40-title Pay TV deal for Latin America, along with a US video deal with HBO. The company plans to continue to leverage these strong relationships to further their exposure and outlets in North America as well.

NFI’s 2-picture co-production deal with Holedigger Studios has added the highly acclaimed festival favorites ”Off The Map”, starring Joan Allen and Sam Elliott; and “Marie & Bruce” starring Julianne Moore and Matthew Broderick. Adding to these great films is “The Dying Gaul” starring Peter Sarsgaard, Patricia Clarkson and Campbell Scott; which NFI aquired through a distribution deal from Holedigger.

EXCERPT

"New Films first entered Eastern Europe in 1993 and now offers 50,000 hours of TV programs in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and other nations commonly bypassed by companies on the path to global expansion. Last month Hason opened an office in Kazakhstan. That country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is dropping at an average annual rate of 7.9 percent, but New Films expects to show a profit this year. Hason also envisions offices in India and China, which he describes as "big, undeveloped markets, where it is very hard to do business but where there are fewer restrictions [on content and program timing] and more products can be sold."

Romania, Hason says, is the most difficult business environment he has experienced, primarily because of the high levels of political instability and runaway inflation. "It makes me nervous," he admits, "but then I grew up in Turkey, so I may be more risk tolerant than most." Hason advises executives at U.S. companies considering expansion into less-developed markets to partner with other U.S. businesses in the emerging country and to start with a small project. "We go in with one manageable project and offer partnerships or sole-supplier agreements to local television stations. We have a price advantage because there are fewer competitors and fewer restrictions on what we can sell. We’ve never lost money on a deal."

Originally printed in the April 2000 issue of Business Finance

Living & Dying

Living & Dying is a 2006 film starring Edward Furlong and Michael Madsen. The film was shot on location in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. A release date is anticipated for later in the year.

Plot summary

Living & Dying tells the story of two killers who turn the tables on a group of bank robbers after a botched heist. Under siege from the police and with hostages lives at risk, the robbers must play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse before the killers execute the hostages.

US tagline: 4 Robbers, 2 Killers, a Cellphone, and Way Too Many Guns.

Cast

* Edward Furlong .... Sam
* Michael Madsen .... Lind
* Arnold Vosloo .... Detective Rick Devlin
* Bai Ling .... Nadia
* Jordana Spiro .... Mary Jane
* Tamer Karadağlı .... Duca
* Brandy Little .... Alice
* Yelda Reynaud .... Detective Catherine Pulliam
* Deniz Akkaya .... Anne Noble
* Trent Haaga .... Max
* Maurice Ripke .... Bud
* John F. Beach .... Hodges
* Curtis Wayne .... Karl
* Libby Villari .... Miriam
* Hayden Tweedie .... Jenny
* Monica Dean .... Det. Lascar
* Matthew Tompkins .... Sgt.McCrea
* Brady Coleman .... Harold
* Matthew Posey .... Captain Burleson
* Ken Thomas .... Officer Bishop
* Tom Zembrod .... Bill
* Robin McGee .... Mr.Gris
* Malgorzata Kozuchowska .... Paulina
* Jason Hammond .... Fred
* Marvin Frank Stone III .... Uniformed command center cop
* Brandon Baker .... 21 Jump Baker
* Glenn Bradley .... Officer Walker
* Mark Andrew Clark .... Miami "Serpico" Clark
* Nicole Holt .... Onlooker
* Todd Jenkins .... Police Officer Smith
* Natalie Jones .... Bank Teller
* Steve Krieger .... Sharpshooter
* Yvonna Lynn .... Officer Hardin
* Michael Magnus .... News Camera Man
* Robert N. McLain .... Officer Dalton
* Reece Rios .... Postman
* Martha Twombly .... Officer Bonny

Produced by

* Brandon Baker .... producer
* Laszlo Bene .... line producer
* Mark Andrew Clark .... associate producer
* Elif Dağdeviren .... executive producer
* Ron Gell .... producer
* Nesim Hason .... producer
* Sezin Hason .... executive producer
* Bülent Helvacı .... executive producer
* Jon Keeyes .... producer

Pinar Toprak | Composer

Pinar Toprak

Pinar Toprak is a Turkish composer, best known for composing the film score for Behind Enemy Lines 2: Axis of Evil and the Xbox 360 video game Ninety-Nine Nights. Toprak completed her Bachelor's degree in Film Scoring at the Berklee College of Music in two years and received a Master of Music degree in composition from the California State University at the age of 22. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Prominent works

• Behind Enemy Lines 2: Axis of Evil
• Ninety-Nine Nights (Xbox 360 Video Game)
• Sinner

External links

• Pinar Topak's Official Website
• Official Ninety-Nine Nights site
• Ninety-Nine_Nights_Original_Soundtrack

In Memoriam | Orçun Sonat (1941-2007)

Sinematurk filmography

Fog and Night (2007) by Turgut Yasalar

Sis ve Gece/Fog and Night (Official Site)
Written and Directed by: Turgut Yasalar based on the novel'Sis ve Gece" by Ahmet Ümit
Cast: Uğur Polat (Member of Secret Service), Selma Ergeç (Mine), Ayten Uncuoğlu (Madam Eleni), Sara Meriç Cinbarcı (Maria), Ümit Çırak (Şeref), Tardu Flordun (Piç Neco), İlyas Salman (Cuma), Devrim Nas (Sinan), Yetkin Dikinciler (Fahri)
Released in Turkey on February 23, 2007



What happens to someone lost in İstanbul?
“Sis ve Gece” (Fog and Night) was written by Ahmet Ümit in 1996 and is now on the silver screen directed by Turgut Yasalar.

Turgut Yasalar (b. bursa 1956- ) Filmography (as director)
Sis ve Gece 2006
Nisan Yağmuru 2001
Koltuk Sevdası 2001
Can Dostum 1999
Leoparın Kuyruğu 1998
Çılgın Bediş 1996


The work targets the subconscious mind rather than consciousness. It is about secret agent Sedat’s complicated state of mind indeed. Sedat’s co-worker and close friend Yıldırım, after years of going nowhere, was killed on the job. Sedat believed it was the department that did it. Sedat was like that too; “operation warden” he calls himself. He observed while his friends risked their lives, and apart from that, he did some paper work and that was all. Neither his marriage nor his two lovely daughters can ease his pain because he is unable to do his job as required. Well, the young painter Mine maybe? Yes, for a while. But her sudden disappearance one day will undoubtedly push him deeper into depression.

Sedat takes many detours during his search for Mine. These stopovers vary from being betrayed by his own department to traps by foreign secret services, from Mine’s young lover to the organization’s infighting. Every door he knocked on would first open wide and then slam shut in his face. With Sedat, we seek answers to the question, “What can happen if someone gets lost in İstanbul?”
In her absence, Mine remains alive in Sedat’s dreams. In his dreams, Sedat consults his dead friend Yıldırım about everything, consuming his thoughts during the day. These devices direct the viewer to come and go between the conscious and subconscious. Meanwhile, we start to think that maybe the sleep state is more real than the awake state. It is also the state of mind of a whole community that is personified in Sedat: memory fluctuating between emotions and logic while the loss and sorrow are still fresh, being unable to see the remedy that is maybe just nearby, directing itself to the answers that it wants to believe.

Turgut Yasalar successfully managed to handle this well established, zigzag, and - with the weight of Ahmet Ümit - scary job. The director makes the viewers feel like strangers by avoiding the adaptation of the story to date and elicits great performances from a cast of various generations. Secret agent Sedat (Uğur Polat), his young painter lover Mine (Selma Ergeç), Mine’s neighbour Madame Eleni (Ayten Uncuoğlu) and her mentally disabled daughter Maria (Sara Meriç Cinbarcı), sharp lad Şeref (Ümit Çırak) trying to rob Madame, child traficker Piç Neco (Tardu Flordun), murderer of his father and wife Cuma (İlyas Salman), leftist second hand book-seller Sinan (Devrim Nas), leftist poet Fahri (Yetkin Dikinciler), hero of the intelligence service Yıldırım (Mehmet Güleryüz), Yıldırım’s wife Gülseren (Sema Çeyrekbaşı) who keeps questioning his death, Naci (Oktay Kaynarca) facing accusations of extrajudicial killings, Sedat’s wife Melike (Tülay Günal) waiting patiently although she is aware of everything, Mine’s mother Selma (Itır Esen) and alcoholic Metin (Savaş Akova) working as a private security guard in Germany’s coal mines, İsmet (Kemal Bekir) representing the pro-status quo in the secret service, Orhan (Levent Yılmaz) man of every era within the secret service and Sedat’s assistant Mustafa (Sinan Albayrak) who applied for the position after a newspaper ad altogether perform a parade of actors and actresses. Moreover, the roles of each of them - except for Polat - are really short! Especially the roles of Tardu Flordun ve Yetkin Dikinciler!
If you are excited to walk through the labyrinths of your mind and of Istanbul, you must see Sis ve Gece…


‘Sis ve Gece’ debuts

The Turkish film “Sis ve Gece” (Fog and Night), directed by Turgut Yasalar, who also adapted the novel to the screen, premiered Tuesday night at the Emek Cinema in Beyoğlu, the Anatolia news agency reported. Speaking to reporters at the debut, Yasalar said: “Although ‘Sis ve Gece’ is the first of Ahmet Ümit’s novels, it was a best-seller. I decided to adapt it for the screen because it contains absolutely everything that a detective story should. I fell in love with the novel.”
Author Ümit said at the premiere: “Making this film became a pleasant memory in my life. I was thrilled. Previously, some of my novels were adapted to the small screen, but this is the first time one of them has been adapted for film.” Uğur Polat, one of the protagonists in the film, stated that the actors gave their all during the shoot, adding: “I bet people who have read the novel will be satisfied by the film. I had the opportunity to work with the best actors and actresses in Turkey on this film; I’m very lucky.” The debut was attended by the stars of the film along with a multitude of invitees. “Sis ve Gece” will debut in cinemas across Turkey on Feb 23.

23.02.2007
ELİF TUNCA İSTANBUL

Özpetek’s "Saturno Contro" to start Istanbul Fest

İstanbul Int'l Film Festival to open with Özpetek’s movie

Turkish director Ferzan Özpetek's latest work, "Saturno Contro," will be shown at the opening ceremony of the 2007 İstanbul International Film Festival on March 30.

The festival, sponsored by Akbank, is due to take place between March 31-April 15. It will also be the first-ever screening of the movie and the first time in the festival's 26-year history that it will open with a film directed by a Turk.

"Saturno Contro" is currently in the post-production process and its premiere is scheduled for March in Italy. Özpetek's debut feature "Hamam" previously had international success, followed by "Harem" and "Le Fate Ignoranti."

The director won the "Best Director" and "Best Film" awards at the 38th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival with 2003's "La Finestra di Fronte," or "Facing Window."
"Saturno Contro" was filmed on location in Ostiense, Italy. It features references to astrology and collectively shows friendship, sexuality and love.

Polis (2007) by Onur Ünlü

Written and Directed by: Onur Ünlü; Cinematography by: Aras Demiray; Music by:Mehmet Erdem & Özgür Akgül, Alpuşka Alp Erkin Çakmak and Ceza Soniq; Art Direction by: Alper Yanar

Principal Cast: Haluk Bilginer (Musa Rami), Özgü Namal (Funda),Ragıp Savaş (Komiser Yılmaz), Sermiyan Midyat (Nihat),Settar Tanrıöğen (Hayri),Kaan Çakır (Tayfun Selanikli), Aylin Çalap (Sevgi),Sinan Çalışkanoğlu (Haluk), Yeşim Ceren Bozoğlu (Derya),Emel Pala (Perihan),Neşe Şayler (Yo yo ma),Engin Benli (Volkan Selanikli),Murat Cemcir (Komiser Hüseyin),Gözde Akyıldız (Ece); Produced by: Onur Ünlü, Funda Alp, A.Taner Elhan Eflatun Film Production
Turkish Release date: February 16, 2007 Official Web Site

SYNOPSIS

Musa Rami, who has become a legend with his struggle against the mafia, is a police officer at homicide division. One day prior to celebrating his 63rd birthday, with a surprise party arranged by his family, he finds out that he has cancer and two months left before his death.

In these two months, will he be able to fight against the mafia that has intensified its threats against his family and simultaneously reveal his deep love to Funda, who is a university student 40 years younger than him?...

Review | Polis

Watch ‘Polis’ for entertainment

Haluk Bilginer, the protagonist of the new Turkish film "Police," said at a press conference that the film would defy clichés even before it was shot.

It is certain that "Police," the first film produced by Onur Ünlü's production company, will deviate from the norm. This is the first film in Ünlü's "National Murders Collection." One can guess from the debates that begun over the film even before it was featured that everybody interprets and enjoys clichés differently.
Let's first sum up the film's plot: Musa Rami (Bilginer) is an experienced police officer who has won many awards and medals in the homicide division of a police department and likes to do things his way. His manner of handling his job contains many clichés and the director does not hesitate to use them against him.

Rami kills one of the two sons of a family notorious for drug trafficking, which instigates a spiral of events. The other son goes after Rami to avenge his brother. Rami doesn't care, but soon his family is threatened. Threats against his freaky daughters, sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren and the suicide of his daughter (though Rami believes it was a planned murder, not a suicide) puts Rami's back to the wall. His sole connection to life is with university student Funda (Özgü Namal). Funda gets help from Rami on her thesis, whose content we know nothing about, and Rami is completely blind to the outside world when he is with Funda. However, police chief Yılmaz (Ragıp Savaş), who has been trained by Rami, is displeased by Rami's happiness. Rami faces hardship after hardship. Shortly after his 63rd birthday, the doctor tells him he will die in two months. Amidst these shocks, Rami sometimes attempts to commit suicide, sometimes pursue hope in his young love and peace in prayer.

Doesn't the story sound familiar? This is the starting point from director Ünlü. He looks at this well-known story from his own ironic viewpoint and turns it upside down. However, this contorted story has won praise from certain people for its innovation, while others find it meaningless. Those who look for a straight flow of story in the film will be disappointed. They might wonder what the film's point was, or why they even watched it in the first place.

Furthermore, they will probably remember last year's "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," which had a similar objective and plot to "Police." On the other hand, you might greatly enjoy the film if you are fed up with the standard "intro-body-conclusion" films.
Because the film is based on irony, which has scarcely been used in Turkish films, it is quite successful in creating atmosphere. The director has paid the utmost attention to style. If Ünlü continues to shoot films, he will be able to express his intentions more successfully and present audiences with enjoyable films. All we can do is wait for his new films or watch "Police" purely for entertainment value as the director suggested.

17.02.2007
ELİF TUNCA İSTANBUL

Takva | Hit found funds in German ties

Hit found funds in German ties
Faith-based film a watershed for local biz
By ALI JAAFAR
How do you sell a film about religion in a country that is defined by its secular constitution? That was the central challenge facing the makers of Turkish pic "Takva" (A Man's Fear of God).

Pic, bowing in Berlin's Panorama section, tells the story of Muharrem, a devout Muslim who has lived quietly in the same Istanbul neighborhood all his life. His devotion to his faith attracts the attentions of a religious group's members who, trusting his piety, offer him a job as their rent collector. The ensuing temptations of the modern world prove too much for Muharrem, and he soon begins to question himself and his relationship with God.

Although it doesn't sound much like easy viewing, the film has proved a smash in Turkey, winning nine awards at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Fest, including best actor for Erkan Can. It even outgrossed "Borat" and "Casino Royale" in its first week of release.

"We thought it would be very provocative in Turkey, especially because it shows the difference between the modern, worldly Turkey and the strong rituals of conservative Muslims. We're very surprised, and happy, that the audience and critics have responded to the film the way they have," says producer Klaus Maeck of Corazon Intl., the German shingle that co-funded the pic along with Turkish shingle Yeni Sinemacilar.

In fact, Corazon's involvement with the project was crucial to it getting made. With a modest budget of E1.2 million ($1.6 million), the Turkish side had managed to raise 80% of finance. It was the friendship between Onder Cakar, who penned the screenplay, and Corazon's Fatih Akin, who helmed 2004 Golden Bear winner "Head-On," that saw the German shingle come onboard after Akin loved his pal's script. Corazon brought with it the crucial final coin from funding body Eurimages as well as the Hamburg Film Fund.

Pic is proving something of a watershed for Turkish cinema, with its complex depiction of religion's role in Turkish society.

The modern Turkish state was founded in 1923 by Kemal Ataturk, who abolished religious laws and replaced them with secular civil institutions.

Current Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially was banned from taking office in 2002 due to a criminal record after he was arrested in 1998 for reading an Islamic poem in public.

Erdogan has since distanced himself from his previous, more hardline Islamic views, but the episode, along with the ongoing debate over Turkey's accession to the EU, once more underlined the strength of the debate over whether the country should look East or West.

"It's a very delicate subject for Turkey. It takes a lot of courage to make a film like 'Takva' in Turkey. Its success has exceeded expectations," says Antalys' international relations director, Esra Even.

This makes its bow in Berlin all the more eagerly anticipated, particularly for its producers.

"If Berlin is showing an interest in new Turkish cinema like 'Takva,' it will help to spread Turkish films in Germany and internationally," says Corazon's Maeck.
Date in print: Mon., Feb. 5, 2007,

FilmSharks gets Distribution for Altioklar Film

Guido Rud's Buenos Aires-based sales company FilmSharks Intl. is showing its teeth, gobbling intl. distribution rights on Turkish psychothriller "Shattered Soul"

"Our aim is to acquire high-profile independent films, especially at early stages of production, from Argentina and anywhere else in the world," Rud told Daily Variety.

Helmed by Mustafa Altioklar and produced by Mehmet Altioklar, "Shattered Soul" signals an attempt by younger Turkish filmmakers to move into U.S.-style genre and f/x, boasting gruesome procedurals, a serial killer plot and multiple-personality plotting.

Shattered Soul/Beyza'nin Kadinlari
120 min Color/2006/Psycho Thriller/Turkish/16.9
Directed by: Mustafa Altıoklar; Written by:
Nuket Bicakci, Ebru Hacioglu
Cast: Tamer Karadagli (Fatih),Demet Evgar (Beyza),Levent Üzümcü (Doruk), Arda Kural (Naim), Engin Hepileri (Huseyin), Berrak Tüzünataç (Figen), Asli Bayram (Teacher
Sinopsis
A number of mutilated legs found around Istanbul push the city into the terror of a serial murderer. Doruk, The Police Lieutenant Faith investigates the gruesome murders with his new expert partner. As the police follows the trail of the murderer, Beyza, a muslin woman thrown of balance with strange, occasional memory blackouts faces the truth about herself and the victims.

Festivals
WINNER : BRONZE GRYPHON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ST.PETERSBURG// INT'L MEDITERRANEAN FILM FESTIVAL// FLANDERS IFF GHENT, BELGIUM// PUSAN IFF SOUTH KOREA// INT'L ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL

Berlinale | Award for Takva

In the Panorama section, Ozer Kiziltan's Turkish drama "Takva -- A Man's Fear of God," about a man whose faith is challenged by his social status, took the international critics' award.

Prizes of the FIPRESCI Juries
The juries of the Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique (FIPRESCI), the international film critics association, view films from the Competition programme and the Panorama and Forum sections. They award a prize for the best film in each of these sections. The three FIPRESCI juries at the Berlinale 2007 are as follows: Phillip Bergson, Heike Hurst, Jerzy Plazewski (Competition); José Carlos Avellar [1], Jürgen Kiontke [2], Dinko Tucakovic[3](Panorama); Salome Kikaleishvili, Dana Linssen, Rüdiger Suchsland (Forum).

Competition
Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále (I Served The King Of England)
by Jirí Menzel

Panorama
Takva (Takva - A Man's Fear Of God)
by Özer Kiziltan

Forum
Jagdhunde (Hounds)
by Ann-Kristin Reyels

[1]José Carlos Avellar, a journalist and film critic, has written for newspapers and film magazines including Jornal do Brasil (1962-1985) and Cinemais. He also contributes to online publications including Polemica.com, an online magazine published by UERJ, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, and TheThinkingEye.com, an online magazine published by Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico.Mr. Avellar was cultural director of Embrafilme (1985-1987); director of Rio de Janeiro's municipal film agency, Riofilme (1994-2000); and adviser for the International Film Festival in Berlin for Brazilian cinema since 1980.
[2]Jürgen Kiontke, co-editor of the weekly journal Jungle World, author and film critic, Berlin.
[3]Dinko Tucakovic from the Yugoslav Film Archives/Jugoslovenska Kinoteka

Mennan Yapo |Premonition

"Union rules and hierarchies definitely take some time getting used to," adds Turkish-German helmer Mennan Yapo, who's completing Sony thriller "Premonition," [1] a March release starring Sandra Bullock. "I'm used to working with a much leaner machine where everybody does everything and overtime is not so much an issue."

Yapo, whose feature debut "Soundless"[2] wasn't very popular in Germany but was well received in Hollywood, took a long time to commit to a U.S. project. "It was ridiculous. I was sitting in my Berlin apartment with $5 to my name and kept turning down directing jobs in the U.S."

Eventually he chose a project where the talent understood his Teutonic idiosyncrasies (Bullock's family has German roots and she speaks the language) and thus got himself the best insurance policy any helmer can have in the business: an excellent relationship with his star.

[1] A housewife is shocked when her husband dies in a car crash and reappears the next day. She realizes it was a premonition and tries to avoid the tragedy.

[2]The hit-man Viktor makes the biggest mistake possible in his line of work: he falls in love. The silent angel of death, who has always carried out his jobs with ice-cold precision, saves the life of the mysterious Nina.

Yapo BioFilmography
Mennan Yapo was born in 1966 the son of Turkish parents in Munich. He started his film career in 1988, working with various German distributors in marketing. In 1995, he began writing scripts in English and German, produced several shorts and appeared in Peter Greenaway’s "The Pillow Book" (1996) and in Wolfgang Becker’s "Good Bye, Lenin!" (2003). Also active as a writer, producer and director

Premonition (2007)
Lautlos (2004) ... aka Soundless (USA: DVD title)
Framed (1999)