A passion, a legend, a factory of masterpieces: Kubrick
The 38th Istanbul Film Festival celebrates the great filmmaker Stanley Kubrick in a section called Factory of Masterpieces: Kubrick. On the twentieth anniversary of his death, his entire filmography from his first film Fear and Desire, which he pulled off from circulation, to his final film Eyes Wide Shut, which we didn’t see its release, is shown during the Festival. Held with support from the State Department of the United States, which also supports the screenings, a talk titled “Factory of Masterpieces: Kubrick” took place at the Bosphorus University Mithat Alam Film Center, moderated by film writer Ali Deniz Şensöz, with director Kutlukhan Kutlu, art director Natali Yeres, and actor Ahmet Rıfat Şungar in attendance.
Director Kutlukhan Kutlu answered moderator Ali Deniz Şensöz’s question “What does the cinema of Kubrick mean to us?”: “Kubrick became a passion for me. Kubrick’s legacy is that he says something about the essence of cinema.” Art director Natali Yeres added “I think what made Stanley Kubrick a legend is that he always pursued innovation.” Actor Ahmet Rıfat Şungar focused on the uniqueness of Kubrick’s storytelling style: “When I watched Kubrick’s films I saw that they don’t have the catharsis we were taught of at school. I love his clarity about expressing the totality of the incident that enables me to empathize with everyone as opposed to experiencing catharsis at the resolution of the film.”
Life after Prison: The Truk
Premiered at the New Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival, Sarah Marx’s first feature-length screened at the Young Masters section of the Festival. Following the screening of the film, actor Sandor Funtek answered audience questions.
How did you prepare for the film?
It was a difficult film to make because it had a very low budget so we had many production issues, and limited time to shoot. When Sarah first started to think about this project, it was supposed to be a documentary about the experience in jail. She thought about how you go back in life after experiencing prison and how hard it is to find a job once you are convicted. People go back to jail not because they like to commit crimes but because of how difficult it is to fight and live in the real world, life can be harder outside than inside.
You said that this was supposed to be a documentary. Did you have any kind of primary work with people who have a similar experience to your character?
In a way, that character is pretty close to me. I was raised by a single mother, we faced a lot of money issues. This is not an autobiographical of course. So my preparation was my background. Sarah, the director knew a little bit of my life after we discussed it.
Will the film be screened in France?
It will be released on the 15th of September in France, China too, maybe in the USA later on. We had the chance to go to the Venice Film Festival where we found a distributor. The budget for this film was almost €500,000. There are no films in France that have a budget this low.
For further information about the film click here.
The voice of freedom: My Favorite Fabric
Syrian director Gaya Jiji’s first feature-length My Favorite Fabric premiered at the A Certain Look section of Cannes. Screened at the No More Flowers section of the Istanbul Film Festival, the film offers a feminist critique to the double standards in a patriarchal society. The film, which takes place around the time when the Syrian Civil War started, was screened at Cinemaximum Zorlu Center. Following the screening Gaya Jiji and actor Metin Akdülger answered audience questions.
Can you talk about your experiences during the production?
Gaya Jiji: I knew I wasn’t going to be able to shoot the film in the city I lived in Syria, so I looked for cities that have the same level of authenticity. After inquiring about it, we decided that Istanbul was the best fit. I knew we weren’t going to be able to film inside the mosques in Istanbul. I was a little apprehensive about the exterior shoots, but as you see we have plenty of them; restaurants, streets…The exterior locations resembled Syria and that was very crucial for the film. Even though we had a very small budget we made it happen. It was very difficult to tell the situation of the country while telling the story of a young woman at the same time.
What did you want to tell about Syria? Will you go back?
G.J.: I’ve been living in France since 2014. I didn’t go back to Syria. For me the situation there is very complicated; regimes, dictatorships, insurgencies… It’s all a mess. For me, this film is in support of the liberation of women and people in general. This is the voice of a woman who wants to be sexually and politically liberated. This film is the voice of freedom.
Was your character fictional?
Metin Akdülger: In the script, the code name of my character was Dream Man. I am more of a fantasy than a character with any basis in reality.
Which films and directors are you inspired by? You made a justification through women’s rights and political events in the film. Which films influenced you on that?
G.J.: There are two films that inspired and helped me. One of them is Luis Buñuel’s Belle de Jour. It’s about a very beautiful and rich, bourgeois French woman who works as a prostitute. And the other one is an Italian film. It inspired me about how to bring political life experiences to the big screen.
For further information about the film click here.
The forgotten trial of Spain
The signing of “Pact of Forgetting” after Franco’s death in 1975 and the end of dictatorship made it impossible for the victims to claim their rights and confront the countless crimes against humanity and the pain it caused. Robert Bahar and Almudena Carracedo, the directors of The Silence of Others, which is a documentary about the victims who decide to pursue justice in Argentina and the “Argentinean Lawsuit”, answered audience questions following the screening at the Pera Museum Auditorium.
You’ve spent 6 years shooting the film. How did this process affect you?
Almudena Carracedo: It was a difficult process. We had to relay the emotions. We were crying alongside our subjects. If we can’t feel the emotion then we can’t reflect it to you. Sharing the collective pain and crying together is a positive thing. Relaying emotions through empathy, lyricism and beauty is very effective.
Robert Bahar: The film took 6 years to shoot and 14 months to edit. We wanted the film to premiere outside of Spain, because we didn’t want it to be an internal discussion and then tossed aside. We premiered it in Berlin and received an award. When it was heard about in Spain, we wanted to release it there, too. It was well received by journalists both on the left and the right and it was instrumental in the national debate about amnesty and the pact of forgetting. We received the Goya Award in Spain. 70% of the audience applauded during the ceremony. Our mission was to make everyone in Spain aware of this issue. We managed that partially; the film aired on TV and over one million people watched it. Spanish Prime Minister even tweeted about the film.
Were you pressured not to make the film?
A.C.: Talking about what had happened is not banned. They just want it to be forgotten. When we received the award in Berlin there was no reaction from the government or the media. They want to make people forget by being silent about it.
How did you choose which victims to feature in the film?
R.B.: The film was structured around the on-going trial. We talked to lawyers and interviewed people who were involved with the case and not afraid to talk about it. We wanted to have different stories from different eras such as Franco’s early years or the student movements of ’68.
For further information about the film click here.
Screenings continue at the National Competition and National Documentary Competition
National Competition entry Saf is about a poor couple whose life changes due to urban transformation. Following the screening at the Atlas Film Theatre, a Q&A session was held with the participation of director Ali Vatansever and the film’s crew.
National competition entry Yuva, the sophomore feature-length of Emre Yeksan, screened with the director and film’s crew in attendance. The film tells the long overdue confrontation between two brothers through the discovery of a magical home.
Three films in the National Documentary Competition screened at the Pera Museum: Kâzım (dir. Dilek Kaya), which depicts the ’70s Turkish youth culture through found letters, Dog Movie (dir. Cem Hakverdi) about the living conditions of street dogs, and Heroes (dir. Köken Ergun), which examines the Çanakkale commemorations through Turkish, Australian, and New Zealander participants. The screenings took place with the directors and the film crews in attendance.
Meetings on the Bridge Awards are announced
The 14th edition of Meetings on the Bridge was held between 5 and 16 April within the scope of the 38th Istanbul Film Festival with the support of Anadolu Efes. The projects and films that received the Meetings on the Bridge awards were announced at a reception hosted by French Palais on Friday, 12 April.
20 projects and 8 films in post-production from Turkey and its neighbouring countries Georgia, Iran, Egypt, Romania, Ukrania, Lebanon and Greece presented their projects and films. Directors and producers had a total of 350 meetings with 130 international professionals and took the first steps of co-production partnerships
Yesterday at Meetings of the Bridge:
A “series” of changes
During the talk moderated by director Sezen Kayhan, directors and producers shared their opinions on the TV sector, and film and TV productions in their countries. SVT’s head of drama Anna Croneman and producers Amanda Livanou, Chaim Sharir, and Stinette Bosklopper were the speakers.
Travel the world with your documentary
Documentary producers and directors talked about the details of making documentaries, meeting international audiences, and screening on different platforms. Moderated by director Zeynep Güzel the panel included Clemence Lavigne (Sales and Acquisitions Manager / Doc & Film International), Adriek Van Nieuwenhuyzen (Industry Executive / IDFA), and Ayşe Toprak (Director).
Meet funds and markets
Representatives of film funds and co-production markets talked about the funding and marketing systems in their countries and the participation criteria and process. Moderated by producer Annamaria Aslanoğlu the event included Sona Karapoghosyon (Golden Apricot FF), Arben Zharku (Kosovo Cinematography Center), Jana Karaivanova (Bulgarian National Film Center), Georges Goldernstern(Cinefondation), Katriel Schory (Israel Film Fund), Adriek Van Nieuwenhuyzen (IDFA), Inke van Loocke (Cinemart), Teresa Hoefert de Turegano (Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg GMBH), Armin Hadzic (CineLink), Magalie Armand (CNC), Sergio Garcia de Leaniz (Eurimages), Sehad Cekic (Film Center of Montenegro), Una Domazetoski (Film Center Serbia).
Meet the festivals
The representatives of international film festivals talked about terms of application, programs and how to develop a network. Moderated by producer Nefes Polat the participants included, Elma Tataragic (Sarajevo FF), Anna Purkrabkova (Karlovy Vary IFF), Dimitris Kerkinos (Thessaloniki IFF), Daniela Persico (Locarno FF), Nebojha Jovanovik (IFF Kinenova), Catherine Bizern (Cinéma du Réel), Ryszard Mietkiewicz (Warsaw FF), Freddy Olsson (Göteborg FF), Jerome Baron (3 Continents Festival), Didier Boujard (Atmospheres Festival), Emilie Essadi Pianta (Les Cinémas du Monde), Ana Souza (Sundance FF), Justin Barda (Seattle IFF), Zviad Eliziani (BIAFF), Claudette Godfrey (Senior Programmer / SXSW), Anastasia Laukkanen (ECOCUP International Green Documentary FF & Love.Doc Documentary FF), Julia Sinkevych (Odessa FF), Edvinas Pukšta (PÖFF | Tallinn Black Nights FF).
Daily Film Selection:
Socrates | 16.00 | Rexx movie theatre
Border | 21.30 | Cinemaximum City’s Nişantaşı
Daily Documentary Selection:
What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire? | 13.30 | Kadıköy movie theatre
Aether | 16.00 | Pera Museum Auditorium
Festival in Photos
See daily photos from the festival at http://www.iksvphoto.com/#/folder/aa602o and on our Instagram account.
Images courtesy of IKSV.
