Antalya Film Forum 2017
For the second time I am at the Antalya Film Forum in Turkey that is the industry event connected to the festival that celebrates its 54th edition. Last year I was in a documentary jury that gave awards to two Turkish projects, and did a pep talk on documentaries with clips – http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3728/ – this year I have been part of the committee that selected the projects to be pitched this year. There are 6 of them, two will be awarded with $ 8000, each.
I had the pleasure of making a training session for the filmmakers behind the 6 projects that will be pitched on wednesday. With follow-up meetings like the one on the PHOTO, where I am looking at a trailer for a film called ”Ada” (The Island). To the left the director Sevinc Baloglu, to the right the producer Su Baloglu, mother and daughter, who are making a film from Cyprus from a personal point of view and including a 99 year old woman, who is living in the buffer zone in the divided island. She just published a book called ”My First Hundred Years”!
This morning I went to watch AiWeiWei’s ”Human Flow” at 9. But
the screening was cancelled because the DCP was not ok… The festival has issued a long statement explaining why the screening last night had to be stopped and the screenings today cancelled. The management calls the incident ”painful beyond belief” and ”we are currently in discussions to confirm a screening venue and slot, to allow the public to watch in full Wei Wei’s extraordinary film. It would seem we are all owed an apology from Deluxe technicolour in London, but at this stage apologies, apportioning of blame, and pursuit of the guilty would seem to be irrelevant. It is our sole aim and goal to get the jury to see the film in the best possible conditions and to arrange a supplementary screening and deal with all the concomitant advertising and ticketing issues.”
Back to The Forum that takes place in a pyramid building with meeting rooms and whatever is needed to make the visitors network and have informal meetings. It is in the middle of an amusement park so there are kids running around in the sunshine and there were crowds of kids queuing up to watch youth films. It is said to be part of the new concept of the festival, to reach a young audience. No objections.
There was a pitching of short films – works in progress – this afternoon, 8 of them, awards will be announced on thursday. I was not impressed of what I saw, I have to confess.
But I was happy to listen to the panel on women in the audiovisual industry including strong optimistic speakers with good information like Francine Raveney from Eurimages and Debra Zimmermann from Women Make Movies… Harvey Weinstein was not talked about, just mentioned. Thanks!
