Saturday, Jun 6, 2009
He's rude, crude and prone to furious outbursts and threats of physical violence. He's also Turkey's biggest movie success story. Meet Recep Ivedik, played by the comic actor Sahan Gokbakar, a caricature of a loud-mouthed taxi driver whose lewd and uncouth behaviour has had Turks guffawing in cinema aisles. Recep Ivedik broke all previous box-office records when it was released last year. A sequel, Recep Ivekik 2, went on general release in February to great commercial success.
No one can dispute his widespread appeal, but what the Ivedik character says about Turkish culture is a different matter: many see him as a grotesque figure whose conduct reflects a general coarseness in society. Some see Ivedik as emblematic of the socially conservative forces now breaking into Turkey's previously undisturbed and refined secular middle classes. Others see him as sadly typical of an oikish character all too common among the lower classes in Istanbul.
Ivedik is intimidating in appearance. He is fat, badly dressed and has several days of stubble. He also has cartoonish eyebrows that meet in the middle. Equally striking - and as apparently hilarious - is his loutish behaviour. Ignorant of modern social conventions, he is seen in his hotel room unable to use the bathroom, peeing in flower vases and using his towel as a turban. Such traits can make him seem folksy. But he also has a rich seam of bad language, pouring out obscenities rarely before heard in Turkish entertainment.
But Turks are touched by sentiment and, accordingly, Ivedik has a soft heart. After getting involved in a fight, he rescues the wallet of a rich hotel owner and hitchhikes all the way to the southern resort of Antalya to return it. There, he glimpses his childhood sweetheart and tries to reignite a romance with her, at one point inducing her into a burping contest.
Recep Ividik contrasted sharply with its predecessor as Turkey's most successful movie. Kurtlar Vadisi Irak (Valley of the Wolves, Iraq) grossed US$25m at the Turkish box office after its 2006 release, with an excoriating condemnation of the US invasion of Iraq. Directed by Serdar Akar, it tapped into rising anti-American feeling by focusing on a notorious real-life incident: the 2003 arrest and detention of 11 Turkish special forces members by the US 173rd airborne brigade in Suleimaniyeh, northern Iraq. The event has left an enduring mark on the Turkish national psyche. Robert Tait
Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk
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Saturday, Jun 23, 2012
The Second "Kazakhstan Montage of Cinemas: Film & Cultural Festival" launches at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in Los Angeles on Aug. 3 for a one-week celebration of Kazakh cinema and culture, including musicians.
The festival is a stellar opportunity for directors, producers, location scouts, and the general public to get an understanding and appreciation of this exotic locale without leaving home.
Sweeping from the Caspian Sea on its Russian border to the Altai Mountain range on the Chinese border, Kazakhstan has a rich nomadic history as well as a powerful current tapestry of cultures. Since gaining independence in 1991, the Central Asian Republic has embraced its remarkable filmmaking past that dates back to the 1930's, when Sergei Eisenstein made his classic “Ivan the Terrible” in this mystic land, and has even given rise to several "New Wave" movements.
Opening night on Aug. 3rd begins with a reception at 7 pm, and includes a program of live entertainment until 11 pm, at the DGA Theater.
Sponsored by Kazakh Geographic Society (KazGeo.kz ), helixfilmsinc.com , the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Los Angeles, the festival includes Advisory Board Members Steven-Charles Jaffe (GHOST, K19), David Marconi (Screenwriter, ENEMY OF THE STATE), and Ambassador Erlan Idrissov.
Tickets cost $10 (including free parking) can be purchased from the festival’s website. "Kazakhstan Montage of Cinemas: Film & Cultural Festival 2012" will be held Aug. 3 - 9 at the Directors Guild of America on 7920 Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, California
For more information, please see www.kazakhfestival.com - KazakhFilmFestLA@gmail.com
Source : HelixFilmsInc.com
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Sunday, May 27, 2012
The 65th Festival de Cannes drew to a close tonight with the closing awards ceremony hosted by Academy Award nominated actress Berenice Bejo.
The top prize was captured yet again by Michael Haneke for his portrait of an elderly couple Amour. This is the second time he has bested Jacques Audiard who was also in competition with De rouille et d'os (Rust and Bone). Haneke becomes one of the few two-time Palme d'Or winners alongside Alf Sjoberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Bille August, Emir Kusturica, Shohei Imamura, and Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne and only the second after August to win with consecutive films – his previous Palme d'Or was for his 2009 film Das weiße Band (The White Ribbon).
Matteo Garrone picked up his second Grand Prix for his film Reality. Previously, he had won in 2008 for Gomorrah.
The surprise winner for the Jury Prize was Ken Loach with The Angels' Share. He previously won the Palme d'Or in 2006 with The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
Another previous Palme d'Or winner won Best Screenplay. Cristian Mungiu who made 4 luni, 3 săptămâni þi 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) returned with După dealuri (Beyond the Hills), and it also shared the Best Actress for its stars Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur.
In spite of the heavy American representation in the selection, the only American film to win a prize was Benh Zeitlin's Un Certain Regard entry Beasts of the Southern Wild which won the Camera d'Or for first film. Last night, it had won the FIPRESCI international critics' prize.
Complete list of winners for the 65th Festival de Cannes
Palme d'Or
Amour, Michael Haneke (France-Germany-Austria)
Grand Prix
Reality, Matteo Garrone (Italy-France)
Jury Prize
The Angels' Share, Ken Loach (U.K.-France-Belgium-Italy)
Best Director
Carlos Reygadas, Post tenebras lux (Light After Darkness) (Mexico-France-Germany-Netherlands)
Best Actress
Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur, După dealuri (Beyond the Hills) (Romania-France-Belgium)
Best Actor
Mads Mikkelsen, Jagten (The Hunt) (Denmark-Sweden)
Best screenplay
Cristian Mungiu, După dealuri (Beyond the Hills) (Romania-France-Belgium)
Caméra d'or
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin (U.S.)
PALME D'OR FOR BEST SHORT FILM
SESSÝZ-BE DENG (SILENCE), REZAN YEÞÝLBAÞ
Source : www.ensonhaber.com
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