National Competition enthuasiasm oh 8th Bosphorus Film Festival goes on!

Meeting with the audiences at the movie theatres this year with the slogan #AgainstAllOdds, second day of 8th Bosphorus Film Festival enjoyed talks with film crews of “Koku / Fragrance”, “Kumbara / Penny Bank” and “Flaşbellek / Flashdrive, all National Feature Competition titles, following the screenings.

National Competition enthuasiasm oh 8th Bosphorus Film Festival goes on!

Meeting with the audiences at the movie theatres this year with the slogan #AgainstAllOdds, second day of 8th Bosphorus Film Festival enjoyed talks with film crews of “Koku / Fragrance”, “Kumbara / Penny Bank” and “Flaşbellek / Flashdrive, all National Feature Competition titles, following the screenings.

Continuing to bring to the cinephiles a rich selection of films despite the pandemic, second day of 8th Bosphorus Film Festival delivered awaited national films of the year. Baris Gordag and Yasin Cetin’s Koku / Fragrance, Ferit Karol’s Kumbara / Penny Bank and Dervis Zaim’s Flaşbellek / Flashdrive were screened in Beyoglu movie theatre with the attendance of the film crews. Showing great interest in the talks, audiences had the chance to delve into the films with the Q&A sessions.

 “Ilhan’s Motivation is More of Raising an Individual than Raising a Child”

Baris Gordag and Yasin Cetin’s Koku / Fragrance, a National Feature Competition title, was screened yesterday at 13.00 at Beyoglu movie theatre. After the screening of the film based on the story of a little girl living with her deaf-mute grandmother and Ilhan, a philosophy teacher based in Istanbul, the film’s directors Yasin Cetin and Baris Gordag, lead actor Nergis Ozturk and cinematographer Kaan Caliskan appeared before the audiences. Q&A was moderated by Artistic Director of Bosphorus Film Festival Emrah Kilic.

At the outset, the film’s directors Yasin Cetin and Baris Gordag talked about their co-directing process. Mentioning that they did not have a distribution of tasks, Cetin said that they acted together in all the processes, asked questions to each other and gave the final decisions together. Specifying that they had a pre-production process for two year and a half, Gordag said “We had a common perspective regarding all of the problems”. And the lead role; Nergis Ozturk answered questions regarding why she accepted the script. Emphasizing that she first checked the consistency of the script, Ozturk said she was impressed by the story and hence accepted the offer. Noting that Ilhan, her character in the movie and herself have totally different characteristics, Ozturk said “I thought the film had a theme, that’s why I wanted to be a part of it”.

“First, we centered the film around Ilhan, however afterwards we increased the role of the character Zel, and formed our story focusing on both Ilhan and Zel. And regarding the character’s transformation, we considered Ilhan’s motivation; which is not having a child, nor sublimating motherhood, but creating a person” said Baris Gordag and specified that they had constructed the story on such idea.

 “All the viewers can Find Something About Their Lives in Penny Bank”

Ferit Karol’s Kumbara / Penny Bank, a National Feature Competition title, was screened yesterday at 15.30 at Beyoglu movie theatre. After the screening of the film based on the story of Orhan, an ordinary family man, and his relationship with his family during troubled times, the film’s director Ferit Karol, producer Nefes Polat, actors Murat Kilic, Onur Gokcek and Gulcin Kultur Sahin, cinematographer Baris Aygen and art director Ceyda Yüceer met with the audiences. Q&A was moderated by Artistic Director of Bosphorus Film Festival Emrah Kilic.

Noting that he had been inspired from his own life writing the screenplay, director of the film, Ferit Karol said “I am also a member of the middle class. That should be the reason, I think, of the film’s realistic aspect. We have worked on this project for almost eight years now and because all the crew members are my close friends, I was comfortable even it was my debut feature.

Mentioning about the development processes of the film, producer Nefes Polat noted that she and Ferit Karol started their working process by brainstorming about the idea and said “I felt it was very courageous to think about his own grandmother’s death as a director. That’s why, I can say that I was impressed when I heard about the project.”

Leading actor Gulcin Kultur Sahin also spoke about the film. Noting that she could closely sense the relationship of the couple, Sahin said that she knows the story well from her own circle of friends. She also specified that the two character’s constant support to each other while having quarrels makes the situation very realistic. And the other lead actor Murat Kilic evaluated his role and answered the audience questions as well. Emphasizing his love for his role, Kilic said that the character is someone that everyone will recognize from their own lives and everyone who has ever felt an impasse could feel something about themselves in this role. 

“You May Know that You are Subjective, Still You Can Distance Yourself from the Lived Experiences”

Dervis Zaim’s Flaşbellek / Flashdrive, a National Feature Competition title, was screened yesterday at 18.00 at Beyoglu movie theatre. After the screening of the film based on the story of a wounded Syrian soldier who risks his life to stop the bloodshed in his country, the film’s director Dervis Zaim, line producer Emre Oskay, actors Hanin Abaji, Emin Abaci, Muhammed Rifki, Husam Ali, Muhammed Muhammed and Nadi Guler and crew members Ozgur Ozden and Utku Bildirgen met with the audiences. Q&A was moderated by Riza Oylum.

Giving information about the film’s production process, Dervis Zaim said that he wanted to make a film about the tragedy in Syria, which affected the entire humanhood and emphasized that this was a matter of conscientious debt for him. Specifying that most of the films about the Syrian issue are related to the tragedies of the immigrants, Zaim noted “Syria is not only this. There were events both before and after and they should have been told. One of my motivations to start this project was this.” Emphasizing that no project can be objective, Zaim continued; “You may know that you are subjective, still you can distance yourself from the lived experiences. This was my technique in making this film from start to finish.” Mentioning that the casting is composed of very successful actors, Zaim noted that after talking about the characters with the actors, the problems could easily be overcome thanks to the contribution of the actors.

October 25, Sunday at the Festival

Third day of 8th Bosphorus Film Festival will have the screenings of the films within National Feature Film Competition, International Feature Film Competition and Galas sections. In Beyoglu movie theatre, Bandar Band will be screened at 13.00. And Mavzer / Mauser at 15.30, Ölü Ekmeği / Food for Funeral at 18.00 and at 21.00 Sadece Farklı / Just Different will be screened with the participation of film crews. Sadece Farklı / Just Different, also an International Feature Competition title will be having its world premiere.

And at Kadikoy movie theatre, cinephiles will be watching Sister at 13.00. Nasipse Adayız / You Know Him at 15.30, and Kodokushi at 18.00 will be screened with the participation of film crews. Kodokushi, also a title within International Feature Film Competition will be having its world premiere. And My Salinger Year, a Galas title will be screened at 21.00.

Screening info and trailers are accessible at the festival’s social media accounts and detailed information are accessible at the festival catalogue present at www.bogazicifilmfestivali.com.

Tickets Available at Mobilet!

Physical screenings to take place in Beyoglu and Kadikoy movie theatres, 8th Bosphorus Film Festival will provide an enriched programme with 60 films from 30 countries. Festival tickets are identified as 10 TL for daytime (13.00 and 15.30) and 15 TL for evening (18.00 and 21.00) screenings. And the tickets for the competition short film screenings will be available for 5 TL!

Festival tickets are available at mobilet.com.