14th Bosphorus Film Festival opens with 'Diva: Umm Kulthum' screening

The 14th Bosphorus Film Festival opened with a ceremony at Atlas Cinema in Istanbul. More than 60 films will meet audiences at the festival, chaired by Iranian director Majid Majidi, through November 15.

The 14th Bosphorus Film Festival, organized by the Bosphorus Culture and Arts Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's General Directorate of Cinema, opened with a ceremony at Atlas Cinema in Istanbul. The festival's opening film, for which Anadolu Agency is the Global Communications Partner, was "Diva: Umm Kulthum" (El Sett), about the life of the legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum.

Festival President Ogün Şanlıer said the international competition features films screened and awarded at major festivals around the world and in Europe, while the national competition includes productions that competed in Adana and Antalya and will have their premieres. Şanlıer said, "We will meet audiences with more than 60 films in the national short, international short and documentary categories."

Bosphorus Culture and Arts Foundation and Festival President Ogün Şanlıer

Şanlıer said they wanted to keep their sensitivity toward Palestine on the agenda with "13 Years Old in Gaza," one of the festival's special screenings. Andrey Zvyagintsev's film "Minotaur" is also on the program.

Jury president Majidi: Turkish cinema is very valuable to me

Iranian director Majid Majidi, president of the jury for the International Feature Film Competition, said the traditional audience had declined with the proliferation of digital platforms and that festivals play a vital role in keeping cinema alive. Emphasizing their strong cultural affinity with Türkiye, Majidi said, "Turkish cinema is very valuable to me. There are many highly successful filmmakers, such as Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Semih Kaplanoğlu, whom I have admired for a long time."

Iranian director Majid Majidi, president of the international jury

Christophe Leparc, Isabel Fernandez, Justine Barda and Atilla Klinçe are serving on the international jury chaired by Majidi. Director Özer Feyzioğlu is president of the jury for the National Feature Film Competition. Feyzioğlu said, "Life sometimes makes us forget art and cinema. Let us spend this week with cinema."

Masterclass and screenwriting workshop

As part of the festival, Majidi will give a masterclass titled "The Art of Telling the Human Story" at Atlas Cinema on November 9, following a screening of his film "The Sun's Children." Screenwriter Kerem Deren will also hold a two-day workshop for young screenwriters titled "From Writing to the Screen." Festival Artistic Director Enes Erbay emphasized the importance of festivals in preserving the experience of watching films with a live audience in the theater.

Birol Güven, director general of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's General Directorate of Cinema, Amir Faiz Ahmed Mahmud, cultural attaché at the Egyptian Consulate, and Mahmut Özdil, president of the Türkiye Maarif Foundation, attended the opening ceremony, along with many figures from the cinema world. Screenings will continue through November 15 at Atlas Cinema, AKM Yeşilçam Cinema and World Cinezone Grandpera.

Photos: AA

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14th Bosphorus Film Festival opens with 'Diva: Umm Kulthum' screening