The 50th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival has announced ten awe-inspiring films for its International Feature Film Competition.
The festival will be held from 4th to 11th October 2013 and will be celebrating its 50th edition bigger than ever before. The festival is organized by the Antalya Culture and Art Foundation (AKSAV) and Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. The event is held annually since 1963 and it is the most prestigious international film festival in Turkey.
International Feature Film Competition aims to discover new talents and names those of which have managed to develop a unique language and brought a different perspective to cinema in Asia, Europe, and Middle Eastern countries. Ten films have been selected for this year’s Golden Orange Film Awards as follows;
- Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s first feature film, “36” – (Thailand, 2012, 68min.)
36 is the number of shots on an analogue roll of film. It's also the number of shots in this film. It's the playful quest of a young photographer for the photos that disappeared on her computer: a whole year's worth, including one of a challenging encounter. In a playful way, this film tackles the issue of changing memory. These days a lot is remembered for us, but what do we still remember ourselves? Thamrongrattanarit's first feature film 36 competed in International Film Festival Rotterdam for the Hivos Tiger.
- Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu’s, “When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism. The film had its world premiere in Locarno Film Festival. (Romania & France, 2013, 89’)
It’s the middle of a film shoot and Paul, the director, is having an affair with Alina, an actress playing a supporting role. With Alina’s last day on set imminent, Paul decides to rewrite the script in order to shoot a nude scene with her. But tomorrow is always another day. Paul wakes up in the morning and decides not to shoot the scene after all. Instead, he calls the producer and tells her he’s having problems with his ulcer. “When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism” is Corneliu Porumboiu’s fourth film. The film made its world premiere at Locarno Film Festival in International Competition section. Porumboiu also won Critics Awards at Golden Orange International Film Festival in 2006 with his film 12:08 East of Bucharest.
- Polish director Tomasz Wasilewski’s, Floating Skyscrapers (Best Film - Karlovy Vary East of the West Film Festival) (Poland, 2013, 93’)
Strong and disciplined Kuba lives with his girlfriend and his mother. He is sideswiped by the feelings unearthed when he meets Mikal. Their connection is instantaneous and intoxicating, leaving Kuba to grapple with conflicting emotions. Suddenly his comfortable life with his girlfriend Sylwie is less interesting. Unable to deny himself any longer, Kuba begins a relationship with Mikal. As Sylwie’s dreams of a life with Kuba slip away, Kuba accepts who he is and what he wants, only to find himself drowning in the destruction of his desires. Tomasz Wasilewski's second film, Floating Skyscrapers, won Karlovy Vary's East of the West competition this year and participated to the Tribeca IFF’13.
- Israeli director Tom Shoval’s, “Youth”. (Best Film – Jerusalem Film Festival) (Israel & Germany, 2013, 107’)
Brothers Yaki and Shaul live with their parents in Petah Tikva, a satellite town of Tel Aviv. Yaki is doing military service. As for all other 18-year old Israelis, this means he is allowed to carry a gun. This weapon gives the brothers the power to change their lives and that of their family – or so they believe.The debut film of Tom Shoval has been screened in many international film festivals like Berlin, Durban, Hong Kong, Karlovy Vary, CPH:PIX and among many prizes from the Jerusalem Film Festival the director won The New Talent Grand Prix in Taipei Film Festival.
- Egyptian director Hala Lotfy’s, Abu- Dhabi Film Festival winning debut, “Coming Forth by Day”. The film was screened at Berlinale’s Forum section. (Egypy & UAE, 2012, 96’)
One day in the life of Soad, who lives with her mother andbed-ridden father on the outskirts of Cairo. While bright sunlight and the sounds of the city can be made out behind the half-closed shutters, everything in the flat exudes the smell of old age, and sickness. Her mother works nights in a hospital and has barely any energy to spare during the day. Soad too is no longer young, having resigned herself to caring for her incapacitated father and putting her own life on hold. Hala Lotfy’s impressive debut focuses on the relationship between light and shadow, within and without, life and death.
- French director David Perrault’s, “Our Heroes Died Tonight”. The film made its world premiere at Cannes’ Critics Week. (France, 2013, 97’)
Paris, the early sixties. Wrestling is a prosperous business. Simon, known as “The Specter”, recruits Victor to play “the Bucher”, a villain everybody hates. Lonely and insecure Victor finds it hard to play the bad guy, fearing that he will actually become one. Simon offers him an exchange. Victor will enter the ring as “The Specter”, and receive all the cheers for once. The match starts and nobody notices the difference. But something goes wrong… Writer-director David Perrault’s minimalist, semi-experimental throwback to early 60s filmmaking had his world premiere in Critics Week at Cannes.
- Austrian director, Barbara Albert’s, “The Dead and The Living”. The film competed at San Sebastián Film Festival 2012. (Austria & Poland & Germany, 2013, 112’)
What did you do in the war, grand-daddy?” is the question that drives the heroine of The Dead and the Living (Die Lebenden), the fourth feature from Austrian writer/director Barbara Albert and her first since 2006’s ensemble-piece Falling. The Dead and the Living tells the journey of 25-year-old Sita into the dark and loaded past of her family during World War II. The journey leads Sita from Berlin to Vienna, to Warsaw and to Romania The Dead and the Living is a film about losing your homeland, a film about self-discovery and identity about responsibility and hope. The film is nominated for Golden Seashell in San Sebastián International Film Festival and won the best editing prize in Austrian Film Awards at the Viennale’13.
·Israeli director Ari Folman’s animated film “The Congress”. The director’s “Waltz with Bashir“ (2008) was nominated for the Oscar and the film won many awards at the international festivals. (Israel & Germany & Poland & France & Luxembourg, 2013, 122’)
The Congress is an adaptation of Polish writer Stanislaw Lem’s sci-fi novel The Futurological Congress about a Hollywood star -who wants to withdraw from the limelight - who sells her scanned image to a studio for use in future films. The actress agrees to a large payment to have a full body imaging that will be digitized and utilized to create a digital actress. As part of the agreement, she will no longer control her likeness and the studio will then utilize the new virtual thespian in any manner they see fit. Folman’s last film The Congress is screened at Cannes this year and won critics’ praise.
- German director Ramon Zürcher’s, “TheStrange Little Cat”. The film was screened at Cannes and Berlinale. It was also awarded with new talent Grand at CPH PIX-Copenhagen. (Germany, 2013, 72’)
An ordinary day, Karin and Simon are visiting their parents. That evening, other relatives will be joining them for dinner. Over the course of the day, domestic chores are done and people sit together at the kitchen table, The characters living in a hermetic universe, the film illustrates the human quality of being ‘thrown’ into an absurd existence, behind seemingly everyday activities and conversations. As the director’s statement, The Strange Little Cat is a minimalistic production that delivers no shock revelations, offers no resolutions, and reveals almost nothing about its characters. This debut feature of Ramon Zürcher met the spectators in Berlin and Cannes Film Festivals and won New Talent Grand PIX at CPH PIX in Copenhagen.
- Turkish director, Deniz Akçay’s“Nobody’s Home”. The film was competed for the ‘Lion of the Future Award’ in Venice this year. (Turkey, 2013, 81’)
Nobody's Home is the story of four people who cannot manage to become a family again after a loss and who destroy each other with each passing day. After her husband's death, Nurcan is left alone with her grown-up daughter Feride and two younger children, İlker and Özge. Little by little, the eldest child, Feride, is forced by her mother to become the head of the family and shoulder all the responsibilities that entails. As the only son, devoted to his father ́s memory, İlker reacts fiercely when his sister Feride takes charge, and feels alienated from the family. As a teenager in need of her family more than ever, Özge is unable to reach out to her mother or her sister, both of whom are wrapped up in their own grief. She tries, in vain, to attract attention, to feel a part of the family, to "belong".
The Mayor of Antalya City and Honorary President of AKSAV; Prof. Mustafa Akaydın said “The excitement of the 50th festival has already begun to be felt throughout Antalya. We are going to mark the festival with a cinematic feast to celebrate its 50 astonishing years.”
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Ms. Müge Çetinkaya – International Press Coordinator
About AKSAV:
The Antalya Kültür Sanat Vakfı (AKSAV) was founded in 1995 in order to establish a corporate identity for the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival which had been taking place under the guidance of the Municipality of Antalya from 1964 to 1985. The Trust was founded in 1995 under the leadership of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, took the name of the Altın Portakal Kültür ve Sanat Vakfı, and was constituted of 52 members. It has been serving as the Antalya Kültür Sanat Vakfı (AKSAV) since September 2002. The founding committee of the Trust includes important names from the world of business, politics, the media and culture and arts in Antalya, and consists of a total of 113 people. The fundamental aim of the Trust is "to evaluate the cultural, artistic, historical, folkloric, and touristic potential, values and riches of Antalya to the highest extent; to support and develop film, music and other areas of art; and to promote the place of Antalya and our country, together with our national culture and artistic values, in an international platform, amongst global public opinion.
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