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FESTIVALS Turkey

The Antalya Film Festival turns 54

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- The leading Turkish festival focuses its line-up on the refugee crisis and gender equality, as the industry section expands with a staggering selection of 81 projects

The Antalya Film Festival turns 54
Never Leave Me by Aida Begić

The oldest Turkish film gathering, the Antalya Film Festival, is getting ready for its 54th edition, which will run from 21-27 October at the famous resort on the Turquoise Coast. Thirty films will be screened, and 14 of them comprise the Official Selection, which also includes three world premieres of Turkish co-productions. The programme is curated by the festival’s new artistic director, Mike Downey, and is focused on key topical issues, such as the global refugee crisis and gender equality. It should be noted that half of the movies are by female filmmakers.

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The festival will open with the world premiere of Never Leave Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 (Turkey/Bosnia and Herzegovina), the new film by acclaimed Bosnian director Aida Begić (Children of Sarajevo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aida Begić
film profile
]
), and Aki Kaurismäki’s The Other Side of Hope [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Aki Kaurismäki
film profile
]
(Finland/Germany), Little Harbour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iveta Grófová
film profile
]
 (Czech Republic/Hungary/Slovakia) by Iveta Grófová and the closing film, Loving Vincent [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dorota Kobiela
film profile
]
(UK/Poland) by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, will all be showcased out of competition.

The ten films that will be vying for one of the seven key awards at the Antalya Film Festival are: Angels Wear White [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vivian Qu
film profile
]
by Vivian Qu (France/China), April’s Daughter by Michel Franco (Mexico), The Florida Project by Sean Baker (USA), The Guest by Andac Haznedaroglu (Turkey/Jordan – world premiere), Human Flow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Ai Weiwei (China/Germany), A Man of Integrity by Mohammad Rasoulof (Iran), Radiance [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Naomi Kawase (Japan/France), Redoubtable [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Michel Hazanavicius
film profile
]
by Michel Hazanavicius (France), Scary Mother [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ana Urushadze
film profile
]
by Ana Urushadze (Georgia/Estonia) and Ugly Duckling by Ender Özkahraman (Turkey – world premiere).

The industry side of the festival, the Antalya Film Forum (22-26 October), will be celebrating its fourth edition and has now become the largest film-development platform in Turkey, with a record selection of 41 feature-length and 40 short projects set to take part in its various categories, all eyeing the prestigious Forum awards, which come with financial support. Zeynep Atakan, director of the Antalya Film Forum, stresses the need to increase the Forum’s contribution to Turkish cinema by bringing the country’s filmmakers and producers into the international spotlight, thus fostering potential future competitors for the Antalya Film Festival.

The already-established sections of the platform will welcome nine projects competing in Fiction Pitching, six in Documentary Pitching and ten as Works in Progress. Furthermore, new categories have been added to this year’s Forum selection. Projects Looking for Producers will include ten features, while six projects are angling for backing from the Sümer Tilmaç Antalya Film Support Fund. In the shorts section, ten titles will be screened as Works in Progress, and 30 finished shorts are included in the Shorts@Antalya event.

All of the participants, directors and attached producers also have the opportunity to attend tailor-made sessions that are intended for both groups and individuals, and span different aspects of film production, including script consulting, co-production, legal, sales, marketing and distribution advice. Lastly, over 250 industry experts will be on site to guide them through specialised tutorials, master classes, case-study sessions and panels.

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