The 29th International Istanbul Film Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and held between the 3^rd and 18^th of April as part of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture events this year, was marked by two very important absentees. The first absentee was ?akir Eczac?ba??, who, from 1996 until his death in 2010, was the Chairman of IKSV and launched an international film competition within the framework of the International Istanbul Film Festival. A charismatic figure in the culture and arts life of not only Istanbul, but all over Europe, Eczac?ba?? was an art-lover who dedicated his whole life and fortune to the development of culture and arts in his country. Apart from his many solo and group exhibitions both in Turkey and abroad as a photographer, he has translated and published works by George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, and was among the founders of the Turkish Cinematheque Association in 1965 and served as its president for 10 years. Having lost Eczac?ba?? on January 24^th 2010, the organizer IKSV will present the International Golden Tulip Award in memory of ?akir Eczac?ba?? from this year on.

The second absentee of this year’s film festival was the Emek Movie Theatre, one of the landmarks of Istanbul’s cultural and architectural heritage, which has hosted the International Istanbul Film Festival for 28 years as the main venue. The Emek Movie Theatre was closed this year due to the restoration project of the Cercle d’Orient building complex where it is located. According to the project, the movie theatre will be demolished and a shopping mall will be built on its premises with a chain multiplex movie theatre inside, including a replica of Emek, which has unique decorations and paintings on its walls and ceiling. IKSV organized a panel discussion on the subject during the festival with the participation of an executive from the construction company of the project, representatives of the Chamber of Architects of Turkey and the festival director Azize Tan. The project, which has been severely criticized by a public sensitive about cultural heritage, has been the target of many protests throughout the festival, and was marked with a demonstration on the last day, with the participation of more than a thousand opponents of the project including important figures of the cinema and theatre circles in Istanbul. The audience protested the project in almost all of the screenings by clapping and whistling just before the start of the films.

Although there was the melancholy of missing the two absent friends among festival followers, there was also a great deal of excitement during the fifteen days. Like every year, this year’s festival boasted films from all over the world, as well as special events such as master classes and discussions with important directors from all around the globe.

 In the opening ceremony of the festival at the Lütfi K?rdar Convention and Exhibition Centre, on the 2^nd of April, Italian director Marco Bellocchio received “The Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Chairman of IKSV, Bülent Eczac?ba??. The opening film of the festival, The Last Concert in Paris (Radu Mihaileanu, 2009) received a positive reaction from the audience, both on the opening night and in its screenings during the festival; the only problem being that the French dubbed version of the film was screened rather than the Russian original.

After 15 days with more than 200 films, the awards ceremony and the closing gala of the festival was held on Saturday, April 17, at Lütfi K?rdar Convention and Exhibition Centre. At the gala, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Festival was presented to Austrian actor and director Klaus Maria Brandauer, who presided over this year’s festival jury composed of producer Tom Luddy, actress Anamaria Marinca, cinematographer Anders Refn and director Jasmila Zbanic. The Golden Tulip given in the memory of ?akir Eczac?ba?? this year went to a film from Belgium, The Misfortunates (Felix Van Groeningen, 2009) for “giving us a contemporary, raw, energetic and truthful picture of how hard it is to grow up; and for portraying with precise and sensible details, individual change and the power of art.”* The film opens a window into a family of outcasts, in one of the most liberated societies of Europe, through the eyes of a 13 year-old teenager, the youngest member of an all-male family in a filthy shack in a forgotten town. It derives a lot from successful acting in reaching its aims of illuminating the insights of a neglected teenager becoming a successful writer, after a difficult and extraordinary life among those who reject the values of the Western European middle class. Being based on an autobiographical novel by Dimitri Verhulst adds to the harsh realism of Belgium’s nominee for the Oscars, balanced by the neatly reflected emotions, particularly in the interior monologues by the main character Gunther.

The Special Jury Prize of the festival was given to Sandrine Kiberlain in Mademoiselle Chambon (Stéphane Brizé, 2009) for being “a dream of an actress in a film." The National Jury of the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival was presided over by director Ye?im Ustao?lu, and composed of actress Ülkü Duru, actor Güven K?raç, executive director of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival Peter Scarlet and writer Latife Tekin, who decided to give the Golden Tulip to Vavien (2009) directed by Ya?mur Taylan and Durul Taylan. Set in a remote Anatolian town in modern day Turkey, this film could mark the start of a new trend in Turkish cinema, with its unique cinematic language which combines a striking atmosphere infused with mystery and black comedy and a beautiful photography that brings it closer to some outstanding examples of modern day Mediterranean cinema. The film’s cleverly written screenplay, by the leading male actor Engin Günayd?n, took the Best Screenplay Award, while The FIPRESCI Prize in the National Competition, in memory of Onat Kutlar, was presented to the film as well. Vavien has gained a good degree of popularity in Turkey, thanks to the successful acting of Engin Günayd?n and Binnur Kaya, both of whom have a large devoted audience, due to their roles in the well-acclaimed comedy series Avrupa Yakas? (The European Side). The Best Director Award in the National Competition was given to Miraz Bezar’s film Min Dît - The Children of Diyarbakir (2009) the screenplay of which was based on a story by Evrim Alata?, who died just a couple of days before the award was given to this film. The story of the film is based on some true incidents of journalists and political figures shot in the southeast Anatolian region of Turkey and tells about two siblings whose lives are changed forever, due to such unsolved murders where they live.

The special prize of the jury, as well as the People’s Choice Award went to Honey (Semih Kaplano?lu, 2009) and Bar?? Özbiçer was presented with the Best Director of Photography Award for his outstanding work in the film. Honey is the last piece of the Yusuf trilogy and took the Golden Bear award this year in Berlin. The film has been defined by some as “a film with nature in the leading role” and Özbiçer’s directing of photography was an outstanding success in creating an almost magical atmosphere through the endlessly green landscapes of the town of Çaml?hem?in on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, which is being threatened by plans for hydroelectric power plants to be built in the area. This last piece of the trilogy which follows Yusuf’s childhood mesmerizes the audience with the highly successful use of sound and photography. In the presentation of his film at the festival, Kaplano?lu drew attention to the fact that he didn’t use music in his film, and this made the use of sound particularly important while making it.

The FIPRESCI Prize in the International Competition was given to Mademoiselle Chambon (Stéphane Brizé, 2009) “for a magnificently told story about renouncement, a love story that puts ordinary people’s lives in turmoil, which talks to us through moments of silence rather than words.” This year’s FACE award (Council of Europe Film Award) was given to Ajami (2009) by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani for being an “original tale of a multilayered society where different religions, beliefs, traditions and interests have to co-exist.” The Special Jury Prize by the Human Rights jury was given to The Day God Walked Away (Philippe van Leeuw, 2009) “not to forget Rwanda.” The FACE award is presented every year to the director of a film that raises public awareness and interest in human rights issues.

It is not only the competitions that make the festival so exciting; again this year the festival offered audiences much more, with its many sections such as ‘From the World of Festivals,’ ‘Young Masters,’ ‘Mined Zone,’ and ‘Documentary Time with NTV’ where inspiring, brand new films from all over the world were introduced to audiences. Also, there were sections such as ‘In Memoriam’ and ‘The Best Debuts,’ where landmarks of the seventh art were seen and discussed once more in this vivacious cinematic setting. This year’s festival enjoyed the visits of masters such Elia Kazan, Todd Solondz and Priit Pärn, who presented their films and met with the audience in Q&A sessions, as well as in their master classes which drew a lot of participation, especially from young cinephiles. A workshop entitled ‘Film: A Face for Human Rights?’ organized as an event at the festival gave the audience the chance to discuss the potential of cinema in promoting a better world.

After fifteen busy days, Beyo?lu, where most of the venues of the festival are located, was marked by a pleasant exhaustion, and well-wishing that next year’s festival will be hosted again by Emek Movie Theatre through the hoped-for victory of its admirers who felt its absence every single day of this year’s festival.

* All quotations are taken from the IKSV official website and from the official festival handbook unless otherwise stated.

International Istanbul Film Festival website: http://www.iksv.org/film/english/film.asp?cid=513

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N. Buket Cengiz writes on popular culture in the national newspaper Radikal's Sunday

supplement, Radikal Iki.