ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
The Sundance Institute, which manages the Sundance Film Festival, one of the most prestigious independent film festivals in the world, and the !f Istanbul AFM International Independent Film Festival are set to collaborate on a new project.
Film Forward, a program initiated under an incentive of the United States President Barack Obama to develop worldwide inter-cultural dialogue, has chosen Istanbul as one of its 10 partner cities and !f Istanbul as the collaborating film festival for the project.
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, the Sundance Institute has chosen 10 films from various countries for the program. These films will be screened in the 10 chosen cities and discussions with the directors and the Sundance Institute crew will run after the screenings.
The program is set to begin in New York in December, 2010 and will conclude in Washington, September 2011, with a screening of all the films in the project.
The Istanbul leg of the program will take place during the 10th !f Istanbul Film Festival, running from Feb. 17 to 27, with the support and collaboration of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.