TIFF 2010: The CITY TO CITY Program Heads To Istanbul.
I'll let the official announcement speak for itself on this one ...
YAŞASIN! ISTANBUL SPOTLIGHTED IN FESTIVAL'S CITY TO CITY PROGRAMME
Toronto - In a highly anticipated announcement, Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, confirmed today that the city of Istanbul, Turkey, will be highlighted in the 2010 Festival's City to City programme. This is the sophomore year for the City to City series, which explores the evolving urban experience by immersing audiences in the most interesting films from and about a selected city.
"This has been a hard secret to keep! When we began discussions about a short list of possible cities back in January, Istanbul quickly emerged as a leading candidate," said Cameron Bailey. "Most people know Istanbul as a dynamic city with a rich history, but its film scene is less well-known. Over the past five years, filmmakers from this vibrant metropolis have been winning awards at Cannes and Berlin. Now, some are making the leap to festivals outside of Europe. We're so pleased to feature films from Istanbul this year: audiences will have access to strong emerging filmmakers, at the moment just before they're sure to be discovered somewhere else."
"We programmed City to City to give our audience a window into a city from the perspective of filmmakers who live and work there," added Kate Lawrie Van de Ven, co-programmer of the City to City section. "Istanbul's filmmakers are a varied lot and they're actively engaged both in capturing and helping to lead all the changes that are happening in that city right now. We look forward to introducing our audience to that exciting scene."
The ten feature-length films and seven short films that comprise this year's programme present a mix of brand-new and retrospective titles from the city that reveal the complex political and social currents that run through Istanbul.
In addition, a panel session entitled "Istanbul - A Conversation" will feature several guests, including Richard Florida, author of The Great Reset and Who's Your City? director, Martin Prosperity Institute, University of Toronto and founder, Creative Class Group; Reha Erdem, director of My Only Sunshine; Pelin Esmer, director of 10 to 11; and Seren Yüce, director of The Majority. This panel will be open to the public and will take place on Thursday, September 16 at 7 p.m. at the Art Gallery of Ontario's Jackman Hall. Admission is free.
CITY TO CITY - FEATURES
10 to 11 Pelin Esmer, Turkey/France/Germany North American Premiere
An elderly man clashes with his neighbours as they try to remove him - and his elaborate collections of ephemera -- from his apartment.
40 Emre Sahin, Turkey International Premiere
Capturing the dazzling intensity of Istanbul's 12 million souls, Sahin's groundbreaking feature crisscrosses the lives of a petty crook, an ambitious nurse and an African migrant as they seek money, luck or just a way out.
Block-C Zeki Demirkubuz, Turkey Canadian Premiere
Zeki Demirkubuz's career-launching debut feature dissects the melancholy and repression inherent in bourgeois life in dreary apartment blocks.
Dark Cloud Theron Patterson, Turkey North American Premiere
A black comedy in the style of a lucid dream, Dark Cloud looks at a middle-aged man who can't move on from the death of his wife, and the teenaged son who needs him to wake up.
Distant Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey
Distant maps Nuri Bilge Ceylan's signature exploration of existential heartache onto the wintry shores of Istanbul.
Hair Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, Turkey North American Premiere
An ailing Istanbul wig-maker becomes obsessed with a woman who enters his shop one day.
The Majority Seren Yüce, Turkey North American Premiere
A young middle-class man rebels against his father's brutish authority and seeks a rough romance with a woman of ethnic minority. Yüce's moral tale draws from the example of today's Turkish youth and the timeless shadow of fathers over sons.
My Only Sunshine Reha Erdem, Turkey/Greece/Bulgaria Toronto Premiere
In this potent, widescreen portrait of an Istanbul wild child, Hayat lives in a shack beside the Bosphorus sea with her criminal father and wheezing grandfather. Life is harsh, but Hayat watches and learns.
September 12 Özlem Sulak, Turkey/Germany North American Premiere
In this meditative and monumental examination of the legacy of Turkey's 1980 military coup, individual narrations of the tumultuous event are juxtaposed with quotidian routines, 30 years on.
Somersault in a Coffin Dervis Zaim, Turkey
A thief with bizarre compulsions - and possibly good reasons - tries to get by in this essential Istanbul film.
CITY TO CITY - SHORTS
ascents in february Yoel Meranda, Turkey World Premiere
An abstract, impish spot of light leads the camera onto Istanbul's streets.
not be or... Yoel Meranda, Turkey World Premiere
This whiplash montage of Istanbul's urban imagery conveys a pure sense of speed and disorientation.
On Thin Ice Burcak Kaygun, Turkey Canadian Premiere
A painterly composition explores movement and sound in the abstract, as skaters on a winter ice rink swirl round and round.
rauscht Yoel Meranda, Turkey International Premiere
A politician's televised speech is utterly transformed into stunning abstraction.
Science Lab Eytan Ipeker, Turkey International Premiere
This short is a visual compendium of experimental techniques, all uncannily mined from footage of the filmmaker's piano keys.
straitscaping Yoel Meranda, Turkey World Premiere
Yoel Meranda completely transforms brief footage of a ferry trip across the Bosphorus.
Waves Belmin Soylemez, Turkey North American Premiere
This striking experimental documentary focuses on the boys and young men who jump into the Bosphorus to escape the city and the heat.
YAŞASIN! ISTANBUL SPOTLIGHTED IN FESTIVAL'S CITY TO CITY PROGRAMME
Toronto - In a highly anticipated announcement, Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, confirmed today that the city of Istanbul, Turkey, will be highlighted in the 2010 Festival's City to City programme. This is the sophomore year for the City to City series, which explores the evolving urban experience by immersing audiences in the most interesting films from and about a selected city.
"This has been a hard secret to keep! When we began discussions about a short list of possible cities back in January, Istanbul quickly emerged as a leading candidate," said Cameron Bailey. "Most people know Istanbul as a dynamic city with a rich history, but its film scene is less well-known. Over the past five years, filmmakers from this vibrant metropolis have been winning awards at Cannes and Berlin. Now, some are making the leap to festivals outside of Europe. We're so pleased to feature films from Istanbul this year: audiences will have access to strong emerging filmmakers, at the moment just before they're sure to be discovered somewhere else."
"We programmed City to City to give our audience a window into a city from the perspective of filmmakers who live and work there," added Kate Lawrie Van de Ven, co-programmer of the City to City section. "Istanbul's filmmakers are a varied lot and they're actively engaged both in capturing and helping to lead all the changes that are happening in that city right now. We look forward to introducing our audience to that exciting scene."
The ten feature-length films and seven short films that comprise this year's programme present a mix of brand-new and retrospective titles from the city that reveal the complex political and social currents that run through Istanbul.
In addition, a panel session entitled "Istanbul - A Conversation" will feature several guests, including Richard Florida, author of The Great Reset and Who's Your City? director, Martin Prosperity Institute, University of Toronto and founder, Creative Class Group; Reha Erdem, director of My Only Sunshine; Pelin Esmer, director of 10 to 11; and Seren Yüce, director of The Majority. This panel will be open to the public and will take place on Thursday, September 16 at 7 p.m. at the Art Gallery of Ontario's Jackman Hall. Admission is free.
CITY TO CITY - FEATURES
10 to 11 Pelin Esmer, Turkey/France/Germany North American Premiere
An elderly man clashes with his neighbours as they try to remove him - and his elaborate collections of ephemera -- from his apartment.
40 Emre Sahin, Turkey International Premiere
Capturing the dazzling intensity of Istanbul's 12 million souls, Sahin's groundbreaking feature crisscrosses the lives of a petty crook, an ambitious nurse and an African migrant as they seek money, luck or just a way out.
Block-C Zeki Demirkubuz, Turkey Canadian Premiere
Zeki Demirkubuz's career-launching debut feature dissects the melancholy and repression inherent in bourgeois life in dreary apartment blocks.
Dark Cloud Theron Patterson, Turkey North American Premiere
A black comedy in the style of a lucid dream, Dark Cloud looks at a middle-aged man who can't move on from the death of his wife, and the teenaged son who needs him to wake up.
Distant Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey
Distant maps Nuri Bilge Ceylan's signature exploration of existential heartache onto the wintry shores of Istanbul.
Hair Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, Turkey North American Premiere
An ailing Istanbul wig-maker becomes obsessed with a woman who enters his shop one day.
The Majority Seren Yüce, Turkey North American Premiere
A young middle-class man rebels against his father's brutish authority and seeks a rough romance with a woman of ethnic minority. Yüce's moral tale draws from the example of today's Turkish youth and the timeless shadow of fathers over sons.
My Only Sunshine Reha Erdem, Turkey/Greece/Bulgaria Toronto Premiere
In this potent, widescreen portrait of an Istanbul wild child, Hayat lives in a shack beside the Bosphorus sea with her criminal father and wheezing grandfather. Life is harsh, but Hayat watches and learns.
September 12 Özlem Sulak, Turkey/Germany North American Premiere
In this meditative and monumental examination of the legacy of Turkey's 1980 military coup, individual narrations of the tumultuous event are juxtaposed with quotidian routines, 30 years on.
Somersault in a Coffin Dervis Zaim, Turkey
A thief with bizarre compulsions - and possibly good reasons - tries to get by in this essential Istanbul film.
CITY TO CITY - SHORTS
ascents in february Yoel Meranda, Turkey World Premiere
An abstract, impish spot of light leads the camera onto Istanbul's streets.
not be or... Yoel Meranda, Turkey World Premiere
This whiplash montage of Istanbul's urban imagery conveys a pure sense of speed and disorientation.
On Thin Ice Burcak Kaygun, Turkey Canadian Premiere
A painterly composition explores movement and sound in the abstract, as skaters on a winter ice rink swirl round and round.
rauscht Yoel Meranda, Turkey International Premiere
A politician's televised speech is utterly transformed into stunning abstraction.
Science Lab Eytan Ipeker, Turkey International Premiere
This short is a visual compendium of experimental techniques, all uncannily mined from footage of the filmmaker's piano keys.
straitscaping Yoel Meranda, Turkey World Premiere
Yoel Meranda completely transforms brief footage of a ferry trip across the Bosphorus.
Waves Belmin Soylemez, Turkey North American Premiere
This striking experimental documentary focuses on the boys and young men who jump into the Bosphorus to escape the city and the heat.
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