TRT films set to compete at prestigious international film festivals

By Ahmet Esad Sani

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish public broadcaster TRT’s co-produced film Quiet Life will have its world premiere in the Orizzonti competition at the 81st Venice Film Festival, which will be held from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7.

Directed by Alexandros Avranas and produced by Alejandro Arenas and Sezgi Ustun San, the film is a co-production involving Türkiye, France, Germany, Sweden, Greece, Estonia, and Finland. It won the TRT International Co-Production Award at TRT 12 Punto in 2022.

The film tells the story of refugees Sergei, Natalia, and their two daughters, focusing on their efforts to create a secure and stable environment for their sick daughter after their asylum applications are denied.

- Film 'Gulizar' to compete in Toronto and San Sebastián

The TRT co-produced film Gulizar will have its world premiere in the Discovery section at the 49th Toronto Film Festival, running from September 5-15. It will also have its European premiere in the New Directors section at the 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival, from September 20-28.

Directed by Belkis Bayrak and produced by Mehmet Bahadır Er and Murat Yasar Bayrak, this Türkiye-Kosovo co-production was featured in TRT 12 Punto in 2021. The film, starring Ecem Uzun, follows Gulizar's claustrophobic journey to identify her attacker after an incident of harassment during wedding preparations.

All Turkish films selected for Toronto in the past three years have been TRT co-productions.

- 'March to May' and Shambhala at international festivals

At the 58th Karlovy Vary Film Festival, the TRT-supported March to May premiered in the Proxima competition and previously won the TRT Award at the Trieste Film Festival. TRT co-produced Shambhala was also screened in the Horizons section. Shambhala won the TRT International Co-Production Award at TRT 12 Punto in 2019 and premiered at the 74th Berlin Film Festival.

- TRT Award given at Africa’s major film market

TRT's support for international festivals extends beyond Europe and the Balkans to Africa as well. At the 15th Durban FilmMart, held concurrently with the 45th Durban Film Festival in South Africa, the TRT Award was presented to a developing feature film project.

The partnership between TRT and the Durban FilmMart aims to enhance African filmmakers' access to the global film industry and support the development of African cinema and stories. This year, among 22 film projects competing in documentary and fiction categories, the Tunisia, Palestine, Italy, and Sweden co-production Dear Tarkovsky won the TRT Award.

Directed by Palestinian filmmaker Firas Khoury and produced by Asma Chiboub, the project tells the story of a director in Ramallah trying to make his first film, focusing on social and political issues in Palestine.