At Istanbul Festival, Foreign and Homegrown Films

By SUSANNE FOWLER

On April 2, the curtain rises on the 30th annual Istanbul Film Festival, offering two weeks of nearly nonstop screenings of Hollywood blockbusters, Oscar winners and international box office hits at seven theaters around town. But for visitors, the festival is also a rare chance to see Turkish films with English subtitles.

This year, to celebrate the milestone, the festival is looking back over three decades of classic films, while also casting an eye forward toward who might be the cinematic forces of tomorrow, including, its sponsors hope, some from Turkey.

Organizers have divided the 231 participating films into 21 chapters with titles like “Human Rights,” “Documentaries” and “Young Masters,” as well as “30 Years in Film.” For that series, 20 new-generation Turkish filmmakers who credit this festival as inspiring them to make movies, have each chosen a film they first saw here, said the festival director, Azize Tan. It’s a chance to see classics like Ingmar Bergman’s ‘‘Wild Strawberries’’ and ‘‘8 1/2’’ by Federico Fellini along with more recent titles from Jim Jarmusch (‘‘Stranger than Paradise’’) and Derek Jarman (‘‘Blue’’).

Each of the 20 Turkish directors has also written an essay about the movie he or she nominated that will become part of a commemorative book, along with photos of the directors at Istanbul movie houses that will be on display in the Atlas arcade on Istiklal Caddesi.

“Thirty years is a long time for a country like Turkey that goes through massive changes,” said Ziya Akkurt, chief executive of Akbank, which has sponsored the festival for the past seven years. “To institutionalize an activity and to sustain its survival is a special case.’’

More than 50 of the films in the overall program are from Turkey, including ‘‘Do Not Forget Me Istanbul,’’ which strings together six short pieces by six directors; Erden Kiral’s documentary ‘‘Halic Golden Horn,’’ about the multicultural blend of social and religious activities along the city’s often overlooked shoreline; and Yavuz Ozkan’s ‘‘Love in Istanbul” (above), which reprises romances that took place over the centuries during the various empires.

‘‘The festival is always proud to present a generous showcase of films from Turkey,’’ Ms. Tan said. ‘‘And this year’s diverse selection is no exception.’’

There’s also a 30th anniversary blog, www.filmgibi30yil.com, where viewers are encouraged to post their impressions of this year’s screenings as well as memories of events from past years.

Prices range from 4 Turkish lira (about $2.55) for morning screenings and for many of the Turkish films to 15 lira (about $9.60) for gala screenings. Tickets can be purchased at theater box offices and through Biletix.com.

via At Istanbul Festival, Foreign and Homegrown Films – NYTimes.com.