The 45th Istanbul Film Festival, organized by Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), kicked off on April 8 with an opening gala held at Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar Congress and Exhibition Center.
Hosted by actor Onur Özaydın, the ceremony featured a welcome speech by festival director Kerem Ayan, who noted that leading figure of modern African dance Germaine Acogny was also present at the opening. He added that a documentary about her life, “The Essence of Dance,” will be screened during the festival.
Former festival directors Azize Tan and Hülya Uçansu also went on the stage to present the Cinema Labor Award to Nuray Muştu, who has been part of the festival team for 40 years.
This year’s Cinema Honorary Awards were given to veteran actress Nilüfer Aydan and acclaimed director Gianfranco Rosi for their contributions to cinema.
Aydan, 86, received her award from actress Nur Sürer. In her speech, she expressed her gratitude, saying the award meant a great deal to her and brought her happiness. She also called for unity and peace, referencing Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s famous motto “Peace at home, peace in the world.”
Rosi received his award from Ayan and said he was deeply honored to be recognized in Istanbul, a city where he spent part of his youth. He recalled studying at the Italian High School and beginning his journey in photography and filmmaking in the city. Describing Istanbul as a place layered with encounters, transitions, history and stories, he said cinema similarly brings together reality and unpredictability, adding that for him, there is no distinction between fiction and documentary, only the language of cinema.
During the ceremony, Yeşim Gürer Oymak presented a plaque of appreciation to Ayşegül Adaca Oğan.
The program concluded with the screening of “Three Goodbyes,” the latest film by director Isabel Coixet, starring Alba Rohrwacher and Elio Germano.
Festival runs through April 19
The festival will run until April 19, offering a rich program of 127 feature films and 13 short films, including recent examples of world cinema, cult classics, works by master directors and films by emerging talents.
In addition to screenings, the festival will host talks and special events with guest directors and actors. Student ticket quotas for weekday daytime screenings will be unlimited.
Screenings will take place across multiple venues, including Atlas 1948 Cinema, Beyoğlu Cinema, City's Nişantaşı, Kadıköy Cinema, Kadıköy Municipality Cinematheque and Paribu Cineverse Nautilus.
As part of the festival, an exhibition titled “A City Like a Film” is being held at Borusan Music House, featuring illustrated posters of 34 films set in Istanbul from the 1920s to the 1970s. The exhibition is open to the public free of charge.
