Jeyan Tözüm has a long, continuous artistic journey dating back to 1939. The traditionally clichéd “I started when I was a kid,” is a true statement for Ms. Tözüm. She took the stage for the first time in 1939 in Peer Gynt at Istanbul Municipal Theatre where her father, the monumental actor and the right arm man of Muhsin Ertuğrul, Necdet Mahfi Ayral took her to. Following this, Ayral’s artistic life continued through 50 years of stage and exquisite voice-over work. During her film period, which started with Allah’ın Cenneti, she appeared in films such as Gençlik Günahı, Seven Ne Yapmaz, Uçuruma Doğru, Bozkurt Obası, Efsuncu Baba, Dertli Pınar, and the unforgettable Beklenen Şarkı / A Song to Long For. When asked “Who did you voice?” she answered “Ask me who I didn’t voice.” Except for Neriman Köksal, she voiced every leading lady in the history of Turkish Cinema along with Adalet Cimcoz and Nevin Akkaya. A poet once said: “Language is the ornament of the mind, word is the ornament of the language”. Jeyan Tözüm has so beautifully ornamented the words with her voice that her name which means “the roar of a lion” has put on a new meaning on stage, on film and behind the microphone; the painter who draws pictures of emotions with her voice. Scientists claim that sound never disappears, preserved forever in the universe. As one of the genuine stars of our cinema and stage, Jeyan Tözüm will remain and be remembered as a dulcet sound through her ever young voice in recordings and on film. I am utmostly elated by Istanbul Film Festival’s crowning of my beloved friend Ms. Tözüm as the diva of stage, cinema, and voice-over. Congratulations. Necip Sarıcı (Lale Film)