The Turkish film OUR GRAND DESPAIR (2011) screened in the IN FOCUS section in Sarajevo during the SFF 2011. Directed by Seyfi Teoman, The film saw its open at the 2011 Berlinale and this lyrical tribute to love and life's little ironies continues to make its way to festivals around the world.  **Read an in depth interview with the film's award winning DOP, Birgit Gudjonsdottir, here: On April 17th, during the closing ceremony of the 30th Istanbul Film Festival (IFF), the award for the...

 On April 17th, during the closing ceremony of the 30th Istanbul Film Festival (IFF), the award for the best DOP went to Birgit Gudjonsdottir for her work in the Turkish film, OUR GRAND DESPAIR (2011). Recently, I conducted an interview with the award-winning and highly accomplished DOP/Producer. Aside from working on widely known films such as THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004) and GOODBYE LENIN! (2003), she has worked as DOP on a number of documentaries, most recently including IN THE BEGINNING ...

 On April 17th, during the closing ceremony of the 30th Istanbul Film Festival (IFF), the award for the best DOP went to Birgit Gudjonsdottir for her work in the Turkish film, OUR GRAND DESPAIR (2011). Recently, I conducted an interview with the award-winning and highly accomplished DOP. Aside from working on widely known films such as THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004) and GOODBYE LENIN! (2003), she has worked as DOP on a number of documentaries, most recently including IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS...

On April 17th, during the closing ceremony of the 30th Istanbul Film Festival (IFF), the award for the best DOP went to Birgit Gudjonsdottir for her work in the Turkish film, OUR GRAND DESPAIR (2011). Recently, I conducted an interview with the award-winning and highly accomplished DOP/Producer. Aside from working on widely known films such as THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004) and GOODBYE LENIN! (2003), she has worked as DOP on a number of documentaries, most recently including IN THE BEGINNING TH...

INTERVIEW with director Johannes Stjärne Nilsson, SOUND OF NOISE (2010)   THE SOUND OF NOISE (Sweden, 2010) screened in competition at the 30th Istanbul Film Festival IFF. Co-directed by directors Johannes Starne Nilsson and Ola Simonsson, this film is a one of a kind experiment of music on film. Many have compared the lively inventive percussionists in the film to the traveling band STOMP but as Johannes explained, ‘well, maybe it’s a bit similar but our band will ...

INTERVIEW with director Johannes Stjärne Nilsson, SOUND OF NOISE (2010)   THE SOUND OF NOISE (Sweden, 2010) screened in competition at the 30th Istanbul Film Festival IFF. Co-directed by directors Johannes Starne Nilsson and Ola Simonsson, this film is a one of a kind experiment of music on film. Many have compared the lively inventive percussionists in the film to the traveling band STOMP but as Johannes explained, ‘well, maybe it’s a bit similar but our band will ...

• FESTIVAL’S WINNERS ANNOUNCED The closure gala of the 30th Istanbul Film Festival took place at Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Centre. In the evening, which was presented by Mehmet Ali Alabora and broadcast live on NTV, the Golden Tulip International Competition Award was given to Egyptian director Ahmad Abdalla’s Microphone. In the International Competition, the Special Jury Prize was given ex aequo to Seyfi Teoman’s Our Grand Despair and Federico Veiroj’s A Useful Life. Th...

• AWARDS TIME IN MEETINGS ON THE BIRDGE The winners will be announced at Meetings on the Bridge, the sixth of which takes place this year and which aims to create a platform for the cinema industry to meet. The awards ceremony, which will start at 19.00, will take place in Cezayir. • A BRIDGE OF FILMS BETWEEN ITALY AND TURKEY Italian Chamber of Commerce and Roma MedFilm Festival will hold bilateral meetings in Lütfi Kırdar Congress Center under the scope of the 30th Istanbul Film Fes...

• MEETINGS ON THE BRIDGE CONTINUE Meetings on the Bridge, the sixth of which takes place this year and which aims to create a platform for the cinema industry to meet, continue. Representatives from CNC and Unifrance, producers that target or are in the process of a co-production, and distributors will attend “Meetings on the Bridge Turkey-France Panel: Co-productions and New Media.” The panel is due to start at 10.00 in the French Cultural Center. This panel will be followed by another pa...

BANGKOK ~ The 30th Istanbul Film Festival will take place during April 2-17. With approximately 150, 000 participants last year Istanbul Film Festival is again the biggest cinema event of Turkey and once again offers rich content. Some 230 films in 21 sections will be shown in the festival. A  wide-ranging programme composed of special retrospectives exclusive to the 30th year includes new films premiered in January at Sundance and in February at Berlin, Golden Tulip International and Na...