Short films on screen at Istanbul festival

ISTANBUL

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Short films from around the world are to be screened in Istanbul as part of the 23rd Istanbul International Short Film Festival.

The festival begins on Nov. 23 with a ceremony at the French Culture Center. Turkish director and scriptwriter Ümit Ünal will make a speech on the “art of cinema and short film.” The opening will also feature a concert along with a selection of film entries from the festival.

This year the festival has received 870 film applications from across Europe, Asia, the U.S., Latin America, India, North Africa, Australia and the Middle East. The final program was developed via a careful selection process from all these films.

The program will be organized under four main titles: “Fiction Films,” “Animated Films,” “Documentaries” and “Experimental Films.”

As part of the festival, there will also be a section presenting short films from various directors under the title “Soiree Allemande.” The program includes German short films that were screened at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in February.

Besides film screenings, the festival will also bring together many Turkish and foreign directors. Guest directors from various parts of the world will be present during the screening of their film and answer questions from audiences after screenings.

Art Direction in Cinema

This year’s theme of the festival workshop is “Meaning and Importance of Art Direction in Cinema.” Art Director Natali Yeres, who has been the art director of many movies and has received many awards for her work, will be sharing her experiences with the audience.

The 23rd International Istanbul Short Film Festival runs in parallel with the National Short Film and Documentary Competition. As part of the competition, the Dutch Consulate General in Istanbul will present the Best Fiction Film Award to a selected fictional film.

The national competition award and closing ceremony of the festival will be held Nov. 30. Directors of the award-winning films and the creators of this year’s poster, Eylem Arbak and Baran Gündüzalp, will be presented their awards.

Free screenings will be shown at the French Culture Center, German Culture Center and Dutch Chapel halls.

Sponsored by the Culture and Tourism Ministry Cinema and Copyrights General Directorate, French Culture Center, Dutch Consulate General in Istanbul and Goethe Institute, the festival aims to become an environment for young directors to make their name heard in national and international area