Iranian film screened for late Yılmaz Güney

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Iranian director Amir Naderi (R) participate in the film’s screening along with lead actor Hidetoshi Nishijima. ‘Cut’ (below) tells the story of a young filmmaker.

Internationally acclaimed Iranian film director Amir Naderi honored legendary Turkish director and actor Yılmaz Güney by dedicating the April 11 screening of his latest film, “Cut,” to the late movie icon. 

“I would like to thank and dedicate this screening to Yılmaz Güney whom I admire very much. Don’t forget that,” Naderi said both before and after the screening of his film.

“The film is a dedication to film directors that have influenced me deeply, and Yılmaz Güney is one of them,” Naderi said. 

“Cut,” which was shot in Japan, is regarded as “homage” to pure cinema. 

“I have a long interest in and feel a deep relation with Japanese cinema. For me, Japanese cinema, especially from their Golden Age, has always been one of the most important. What I have seen in Japanese cinema has been ‘secret’ and ‘pure cinema,’” Naderi said.

The film tells the story of a young filmmaker, Shuji, who is dedicated to changing the state of cinema, saving it from being an entertainment tool and bringing it back to its aesthetic qualities. His struggle starts, however, when he learns that he has to pay back the huge debt of his brother, who took out the money to help finance Shuji’s films until he was killed by the yakuza. Shuji, in turn, decides to pay back the money by charging members of the yakuza to punch him in the toilets were his brother was killed.

Naderi participated in the film’s screening along with lead actor Hidetoshi Nishijima.

“Cut,” which has Turkish producers in its team, will compete in the festival’s International Competition section, which will be announced tomorrow.