10th !f Istanbul AFM International Independent Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The 10th !f Istanbul AFM International Independent Film Festival was a film festival
held in Istanbul
, Turkey
, from February 17 to 27, 2011, and in Ankara
, Turkey from March 2 to 6, 2011. 85 films were screened in 17 different categories at Beyoğlu AFM Fitaş, Caddebostan AFM Budak, AFM İstinye Park, and Cinebonus Maçka G-Mall in Istanbul. Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky
was in attendance as guest of honour at the festival, which included the first ever Turkish theatrical screening of his Santa Sangre
(1989). British director Chris Morris
was also in attendance to present his debut feature Four Lions
(2009).
This edition of the AFM International Independent Film Festival
, which opened on February 16 with a gala screening of Womb
directed by Benedek Fliegauf
, held its opening party, featuring a live set by Jim Stanton
, at The Hall club in Beyoğlu on February 18.
The Sundance Institute
hosted nine film screenings, a screenwriting panel, a panel on Sundance Lab and an interactive case study on how the full circle of the Institute works, featuring American screenwriters Bill Wheeler and Wesley Strick
, Israeli director Etgar Keret
and several of the institute's directors at this edition of the festival as part of the Film Forward program initiated under the incentive of U.S. President Barack Obama
.
Other features of the festival included two performances of director Sam Green's live cinema Utopia in 4 Movements supported by the U.S. State Department, a one-off showing of Hamo Beknazarian
's Zare
(1926) with live accompaniment by Kurdish harpist Tara Jaff
, and the !f 2: Istanbul Live project, initiated last year in cooperation with MUBI, simultaneously screened five festival films in 25 cities across the region.
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
held in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, from February 17 to 27, 2011, and in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey from March 2 to 6, 2011. 85 films were screened in 17 different categories at Beyoğlu AFM Fitaş, Caddebostan AFM Budak, AFM İstinye Park, and Cinebonus Maçka G-Mall in Istanbul. Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Alejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky, known as Alejandro Jodorowsky, is a Chilean filmmaker, playwright, actor, author, comic book writer and spiritual guru...
was in attendance as guest of honour at the festival, which included the first ever Turkish theatrical screening of his Santa Sangre
Santa Sangre
Santa Sangre is a 1989 Mexican-Italian surrealist film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky and written by Jodorowsky along with Claudio Argento and Roberto Leoni...
(1989). British director Chris Morris
Chris Morris (satirist)
Christopher Morris is an English satirist, writer, director and actor. A former radio DJ, he is best known for anchoring the spoof news and current affairs television programmes The Day Today and Brass Eye, as well as his frequent engagement with controversial subject matter.In 2010 Morris...
was also in attendance to present his debut feature Four Lions
Four Lions
Four Lions is a 2010 British satirical comedy film. It is the debut feature from director Chris Morris, written by Morris, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. The film is a jihad satire following a group of homegrown Islamist terrorist jihadis from Sheffield, England.-Plot:A group of young Muslim men...
(2009).
This edition of the AFM International Independent Film Festival
AFM International Independent Film Festival
AFM International Independent Film Festival, more commonly known as !f Istanbul is an annual, international film festival dedicated to independent films from all around the world...
, which opened on February 16 with a gala screening of Womb
Womb (film)
Womb is a 2010 film written and directed by Benedek Fliegauf and starring Eva Green and Matt Smith.-Plot:The film commences with a pregnant woman telling her unborn child that the father has departed for good, but that together they will start a new life. A love story is then told between two...
directed by Benedek Fliegauf
Benedek Fliegauf
Benedek Fliegauf , is a Hungarian film director. As founder of the 'Raptors collective', he is also involved in sound design and set design. Living in Budapest he is a leading figure of the new generation of Hungarian filmmakers...
, held its opening party, featuring a live set by Jim Stanton
Jim Stanton
Jim Stanton is a composer and writer.-Musician:Stanton was a drummer with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the mid-1960s. He played with various small groups and big bands through the 1960s and early 1970s...
, at The Hall club in Beyoğlu on February 18.
The Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981 that actively advances the work of filmmakers and storytellers worldwide...
hosted nine film screenings, a screenwriting panel, a panel on Sundance Lab and an interactive case study on how the full circle of the Institute works, featuring American screenwriters Bill Wheeler and Wesley Strick
Wesley Strick
Wesley Strick is an American screenwriter who has written such films as the comic-horror hit Arachnophobia, the Martin Scorsese remake of Cape Fear and the videogame adaptation Doom.-Life and career:...
, Israeli director Etgar Keret
Etgar Keret
Etgar Keret is an Israeli writer known for his short stories, graphic novels, and scriptwriting for film and television.-Personal Life:Keret was born in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1967. He is a third child to parents who survived the Holocaust. He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife, Shira Geffen, and...
and several of the institute's directors at this edition of the festival as part of the Film Forward program initiated under the incentive of U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Other features of the festival included two performances of director Sam Green's live cinema Utopia in 4 Movements supported by the U.S. State Department, a one-off showing of Hamo Beknazarian
Hamo Beknazarian
Hamo Beknazarian , also known as Hamo Bek Nazarov or Amo Bek-Nazarian, was an Armenian and Soviet film director.-Biography:...
's Zare
Zare
Zare is a river of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
(1926) with live accompaniment by Kurdish harpist Tara Jaff
Tara Jaff
Tara Jaff is an Iraqi Kurdish musician who has been exposed to many influences. Her father was an Iraqi diplomatr from Halabja. Over the years, she experimented with different string instruments, but it was her fascination with the ancient harps of Sumeria, Assyria and Elam, dating as far back as...
, and the !f 2: Istanbul Live project, initiated last year in cooperation with MUBI, simultaneously screened five festival films in 25 cities across the region.
!f Inspired International Film Competition
Eight features by emerging international directors from, chosen to highlight films which show technical innovation, bold narrative and courageous storytelling, were selected to compete for the Most Inspired Director Award.- Winner: The Four Times directed by Michelangelo Frammartino
- 22nd of May directed by Koen Mortier
- Merry-Go-RoundMerry-Go-Round (2010 film)Merry-Go-Round is a 2010 Turkish drama film directed by İlksen Başarır, which tells the story of a family dealing with incest. The film, which is the second collaboration between writer-director İlksen Başarır and co-writer Mert Fırat following the former's award-winning directorial debut film...
directed by İlksen Başarır - Our Day Will ComeOur Day Will Come"Our Day Will Come" is a popular song composed by Bob Hilliard and Mort Garson which was a #1 hit in 1963 for Ruby & The Romantics.-Ruby & the Romantics:...
directed by Romain GavrasRomain GavrasRomain Gavras is a French director, best known overseas for directing M.I.A.'s controversial video for "Born Free". His films and music videos are often portrayed in a gritty and realistic manner as well as using flashing images.-Biography:... - NuummioqNuummioqNuummioq is a 2009 Greenlandic drama film directed by Otto Rosing and Torben Bech and produced by Mikisoq H. Lynge. Nuummioq means "a man from Nuuk" in the Greenlandic language. Nuummioq premiered in Nuuk on 31 October 2009.- Synopsis :...
directed by Torben Bech & Otto RosingOtto RosingOtto Rosing is a Greenlandic/Danish film director. Grew up in Ilulissat, Greenland and later resided in Greenland's capital Nuuk. He now lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. In collaboration with film producer Mikisoq H. Lynge, Otto Rosing and Torben Bech directed Greenland's first... - Pál AdriennPál AdriennPál Adrienn is a 2010 Hungarian film directed by Ágnes Kocsis. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Éva Gábor* István Znamenák* Ákos Horváth* Lia Pokorny* Izabella Hegyi-Awards:...
directed by Ágnes Kocsis - R directed by Michael NoerMichael NoerMichael Noer is an American business writer and editor who has worked for Forbes Magazine and Wired Magazine, and is currently the executive news editor for Forbes.com.-Career:...
& Tobias Lindholm - We Are What We Are We Are What We AreWe Are What We Are is a 2010 Mexican film directed by Jorge Michel Grau. The film is about a family of cannibals who, after the death of the father, try to continue a ritualistic tradition of kidnapping and eating other humans. The film stars Paulina Gaitán and Daniel Giménez Cacho in the...
directed by Jorge Michel Grau