The 39th Istanbul Film Festival, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) with the support of Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, announced the winners of the National Competition and National Short Film Competition at the ceremony held at Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM), on Tuesday evening, 28 July. 11 feature and 12 short films vied in the competitions.
Kerem Ayan / Photo by Poyraz Tütüncü
Presented by the director of the festival Kerem Ayan, the 39th Istanbul Film Festival’s Award Ceremony was held in cooperation with Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM) and saw the announcement of the official awards of the National Competition and National Short Film Competition, as well as the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize, and FIPRESCI Awards.
Both competitions were held within the Turkish Cinema section of the festival, organised under the sponsorship of Anadolu Efes for the 31st time.
The competition films were screened between 17-27 July at the open-air theatre set up on the terrace of the Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum, and online screenings were also held on filmonline.iksv.org during this period.
The delayed international screenings of the 39th Istanbul Film Festival will be held between 9-20 October. The programme of the festival, which will be held conjoined with Filmekimi, will be announced on the social media outlets and the website of the festival in due time.
National Competition
11 films produced in the 2019-20 season vied for the Golden Tulip in the National Competition of the 39th Istanbul Film Festival. The jury evaluating the films in the National Competition was headed by director Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun. Fellow jury members are producer Sevil Demirci, actor Berk Hakman, cinematographer Deniz Eyüboğlu Aydın, and writer Hakan Bıçakçı.
The National Competition Jury distributed awards in 9 categories: Golden Tulip Best Film, Best Director, Special Prize of the Jury, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematographer, Best Editing, and Best Original Music.
The Golden Tulip for Best Film in the National Competition was awarded to Aşk, Büyü, vs. / Love, Spells and All That, directed by Ümit Ünal for “its plainness, effortless conveying of its story without romanticising its protagonists or environment; its comprehensive, external as well as internal perspective, and for making us believe its story more and more at each step.” Supported by a 200.000 TL monetary prize, the award was presented by jury president, director Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun.
Film crew of Aşk, Büyü vs. / Love, Spells and All That / Photo by Poyraz Tütüncü
The Special Jury Prize in memory of Onat Kutlar was given to Bina / The Antenna directed by Orçun Behram for “being an engaging body horror film–rare in our cinema–with its atmosphere and sound design as well as its plot, and a dystopic genre film that succeeds to include a myriad of references to present day and history of film while avoiding being didactic.” The award was presented by actor Berk Hakman. The Special Jury Prize is supported with a 50,000 TL monetary award.
Ercan Kesal won the Best Director Award for his film Nasipse Adayız / You Know Him. The award was announced by writer Hakan Bıçakçı, and Tuğrul Ağırbaş, the General Manager of Anadolu Efes Turkey, presented the award. The Golden Tulip for Best Director is supported by the Turkish Cinema Sponsor Anadolu Efes with a monetary award of 50,000 TL.
Selen Uçer & Ece Dizdar won the Best Actress Award for their roles in Aşk, Büyü, vs. / Love, Spells and All That. The award was presented by renowned film and stage actor Metin Akpınar. The winner of the Best Actress Award receives 10,000 TL.
The Best Actor Award was given to Fatih Al for his role in Körleşme / Going Blind. The award was presented by producer Sevil Demirci. The Best Actor Award is supported with a 10,000 TL monetary award.
The Best Screenplay Award in the National Competition was given to Ümit Ünal for the film Aşk, Büyü, vs. / Love, Spells and All That. Founder of Axolotl, director Kaan Müjdeci presented the award. The Best Screenplay Award is supported with 10,000 TL presented by Axolotl.
The Best Cinematographer Award in the National Competition was given to Engin Özkaya for the film Bina / The Antenna. Cinematographer Deniz Eyüboğlu Aydın presented the award.
The Best Editing Award in the National Competition was given to Ali Aga for his work in the film Nasipse Adayız / You Know Him. The award was presented by actor Özgür Emre Yıldırım.
The Best Original Music Award in the National Competition went to Can Demirci for the film Bina / The Antenna. The award was presented by the founder of Lu Records Ahmet Kenan Bilgiç. The Best Original Music Award is supported by Lu Records with 5,000 TL.
National Short Film Competition
The National Short Film Competition is spearheaded with the objectives of encouraging short film making, supporting the development in this field, and bringing together the audience and outstanding short films. The jury, composed of director Konstantina Kotzamani, director Gökalp Gönen, and actor Boran Kuzum, chose the Best Short Film from among 12 films to receive the monetary award of 5,000 TL granted by Anadolu Efes.
The jury decided to award Siyah Güneş / Black Sun directed by Arda Çiltepe with the Best Short Film Award: “An eternal circle joining death, dead times, and dreams within the fragmented voyage of its protagonist in an enigmatic atmosphere. A mysterious film that with its cinematic language succeeds to encapsulate coasts and the quotidian beneath an eclipse. The Best Short Film Award goes to “Siyah Güneş / Black Sun”, which shines like a new sun in Turkish cinema.” Director Gökalp Gönen presented the award.
The jury decided to award a Special Mention to Ahtapot / Octopus, directed by Engin Erden. The award was presented by actor Boran Kuzum: “As young artists of the jury who acknowledge that resources are limited to tell a story in this region, we would like to present a special mention to a director and his crew, in hopes that it will be a reason for them to tell more stories to which we are looking forward: for making us all watch with a sweet smile and telling in an enchanting manner the atmosphere of a summer vacation and summer town through two young friends, “Ahtapot / Octopus” by Engin Erden.”
Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize
The Istanbul Film Festival presents the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize in memoriam director and producer Seyfi Teoman, who passed away in 2012. The jury comprised of director Emine Emel Balcı, actor Özgür Emre Yıldırım, and musician Ahmet K. Bilgiç.
Six debut fiction feature films by filmmakers from Turkey and screened in the festival’s “Turkish Cinema” section were nominated for the prize.
Bina / The Antenna directed by Orçun Behram won the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize which is supported with a monetary award of 30,000 TL granted by C M Y L M Z Fikirsanat. The jury selected the film “For its coherent atmosphere created in accordance with all cinematic elements, and its bold narrative. “Bina / The Antenna” directed by Orçun Behram, puts forth an impressive effort in genre filmmaking, and evokes wonder as to his future work.”
FIPRESCI Award
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) presented an award within the National Competition. The FIPRESCI Jury was headed by Bojidar Manov from Bulgaria, and includes Ofer Liebergall from Israel, and Aylin Sayın Gönenç from Turkey.
The winner of the FIPRESCI Award is Nasipse Adayız / You Know Him directed by Ercan Kesal in the National Competition for “conveying the mainstream political stage onto the screen in a plain but effective manner, revealing the fragility of ruling power and emphasising that these fragile relations are committed to money, organisations that are not secular or modern, and traditions. It underlines the social class aspect of the issue all the while depicting the frailty of the politically ambitious individual.”
The awards were announced by film critic and FIPRESCI representative Esin Küçüktepepınar, an advisor to the festival.
International screenings to be held between 9-20 October
As the National Competition and National Short Film Competition Award Ceremony ends, the films selected for the National Documentary Competition to be held in October as part of the 39th edition of the Istanbul Film Festival were also announced. The films in the National Documentary Competition section are:
Göbeklitepe Sakinleri / Residents of Göbeklitepe by Sedat Benek
Ah Gözel İstanbul / Invisible to the Eye by Zeynep Dadak
Kadınlar Ülkesi / Women's Country by Şirin Bahar Demirel
Kuyudaki Taş / The Stone in the Well by Gökçin Dokumacı
Miss Holokost Survivor / The Pageant by Eytan İpeker
Mimaroğlu / Mimaroğlu: The Robinson of Manhattan Island by Serdar Kökçeoğlu
Muhammed Ali by Nursen Çetin Köreken, Ümit Köreken
Asfaltın Altında Dereler Var! / Under The Road, The River! by Yasin Semiz
Tenere by Hasan Söylemez
Atık Sözlüğü: Tanımların ve İmajların Geri Dönüşümü / Dictionary of Waste: Recycling Definitions and Images by Alper Şen
Maddenin Halleri / Phases of Matter by Deniz Tortum
The Best Documentary Award in the National Documentary Competition is supported by a monetary award of 10,000 TL.
The documentary “İyi ki Yapmışım / Glad I did it!” was screened following the award ceremony
The world premiere of the documentary İyi ki Yapmışım / Glad I did it!, a biopic on renowned film and stage actor Metin Akpınar, directed by Selçuk Metin, was held following the award ceremony with the participation of Akpınar, director Selçuk Metin, screenwriter Zeynep Miraç, director of photography Uğur İçbak and composer Murat Evgin.
Glad I did it! will be screened for the general public in October out of competition during the festival as part of the National Documentary Competition section.
39TH ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS
National Competition
Golden Tulip Best Film – Aşk, Büyü, vs. / Love, Spells and All That / Ümit Ünal
Best Director – Ercan Kesal (Nasipse Adayız / You Know Him)
Special Jury Prize – in memory of Onat Kutlar: Bina / The Antenna / Orçun Behram
Best Screenplay – Ümit Ünal (Aşk, Büyü, vs. / Love, Spells and All That)
Best Actress – Selen Uçer & Ece Dizdar (Aşk, Büyü, vs. / Love, Spells and All That)
Best Actor – Fatih Al (Körleşme / Going Blind)
Best Cinematographer – Engin Özkaya (Bina / The Antenna)
Best Editing – Ali Aga (Nasipse Adayız / You Know Him)
Best Original Music – Can Demirci (Bina / The Antenna)
National Short Film Competition
Best Short Film – Siyah Güneş / Black Sun / Arda Çiltepe
Special Mention – Ahtapot / The Octopus / Engin Erden
Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Award
Best Debut Film – Bina / The Antenna / Orçun Behram
FIPRESCI Awards
National Competition – Nasipse Adayız / You Know Him / Ercan Kesal
