Special selection of Istanbul Film Festival goes online

ISTANBUL

The 39th Istanbul Film Festival, which was planned to be organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) between April 10 and 21, but has been delayed to a later date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will meet with film lovers on the same date, but in a slightly different way.

MUBI, the online cinema platform sponsoring the festival, will present a selection of the festival’s award-winning films to the audience on the same dates in cooperation with the event.

This 12-film selection of MUBI, brought together for those who have missed or want to watch again, consists of films that have won the Golden Tulip Award, Jury Special Award and FIPRESCI Award in the festival’s national and international competitions.

The platform also announced that it will present a 30-day free trial period to moviegoers on mubi.com/istanbul so that they can watch the Istanbul Film Festival special selection.

One of the most notable films of the selection is “Tony Manero,” the first psychological satire of Pablo Larraín’s Pinochet regime trilogy. The film, in which the starring Alfredo Castro shines, tells the story of a man obsessed with the character of Tony Manero, played by John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever.”

“Blind,” which was one of the films that Istanbul cinema enthusiasts are waiting for, and is the first Sundance award-winning feature film of Eskil Vogt, will be available for screening for art lovers online.

“A Useful Life,” a remarkable film and a sneaky second feature by the Uruguayan director, Federico Veiroj, will also be shown in the selection. The film chronicles the death throes of a small independent movie theater in Montevideo, Uruguay, through the sad eyes of Jorge, its longtime programmer.

Another movie that is at the forefront of the list of films that must be watched by the selection is “Microphone” by Ahmad Abdalla.

As a bold example of New North African cinema in the way it blends fiction and cinema verité genres, the film is about an Egyptian immigrant’s return to Alexandria and meeting the city’s flourishing underground environments.

Norwegian film director Joachim Trier’s “Oslo, 31. August,” which is among the immersive films with its striking story, is one of the must-watch films.

The film focuses on a day of drug addict Anders, who has been granted permission to apply for a job at his rehabilitation center and meet his old friends and family in Oslo, where he spent his childhood.

Receiving the best movie award at the !F Istanbul International Independent Film Festival in 2013, “What Richard Did” is an Irish artwork by Lenny Abrahamson.

“Camille Claudel 1915” by director Bruno Dumont is one of the works that have attracted the attention of French film lovers. The film tells the diaries of the retreat life of a woman imprisoned by her family in a mental hospital in the south of France.

The film tells of a high school rugby star’s life that will irreversibly change due to the terrible tragedy caused by an unconscious act of violence.

Other films in the selection that will meet the audience on MUBI include “Estiu 1993,” “Noruwei No Mori,” “Papusza,” and “De Helaasheid Der Dingen.”

Successful examples of Turkish and world cinema are shown at the festival, Turkey’s largest international cinema event, which was scheduled to open tomorrow.

In the festival, which includes special and thematic sections, retrospectives and documentaries, as well as competitions, approximately 180 films, are shown every year.

The festival, which has reached a total of 4.2 million viewers by offering 5,759 films from 110 countries in 38 years, has been held in April every year since 1984.