Awards Night at the 5th Izmir International Film and Music Festival
The 5th Izmir International Film and Music Festival, which began on September 10, was celebrated by cinema lovers in Izmir during six days of film screenings and workshops at IstinyePark Teras Renk Cinema and the French Cultural Center. Last night, at the French Cultural Center, the Awards Ceremony hosted by Meltem Cumbul highlighted French director Grégory Magne’s film The Musicians, which won two awards.
The jury evaluating the nine films in the International Competition was chaired by director-producer Ömer Vargı. Other jury members included Malek Dahmouni, director of the Rabat Auteur Film Festival, Argentine orchestra conductor and current İzmir State Opera Chief Tulio Gagliardo, renowned jazz vocalist Şenay Lambaoğlu, and Ukrainian producer Olena Yershova.
The jury awards were as follows:
- The Musicians – Best Film Award
- Kneecap (Ireland-UK co-production) – Best Music Award
- Köln 75 (Germany) – Special Jury Prize
The Musicians also received the Audience Jury Award, making it the standout film of the evening. The Audience Jury, established for the first time this year, was composed of intellectuals from various professions: Erkan Sevinç, Esat Erçetingöz, Salim Çetin, Mustafa Yıldız, Ferbal Yıldırım, Şenay Ulucan, Güven Yüksel, and Zerrin İlbay.
Honorary Awards
This year’s Honorary Awards were presented to two esteemed musicians, Derya Köroğlu and Selim Atakan, founders of the band Yeni Türkü. During the evening, the two artists performed a few special pieces together.
Awards for Music in Our Cinema
Out of a total of 99 feature and short films in the program, the jury for the Music in Our Cinema section consisted of Serdar Yalçın, Asu Maro, Burak Göral, Cumhur Canbazoğlu, and Müge Turan.
- Best Music Award: Ozan Tekin for the music in Türker Süer’s Edge of Night
- Special Jury Prize: Gürcan Keltek and Murat Gültekin for the sound design of New Dawn Fades
Another novelty this year was the Youth Jury, composed of university students, which awarded Best First Film to Nehir Tuna’s Dormitory.
Television Awards
As in previous years, the festival also evaluated TV Series Music. The jury was chaired by Serdar Kalafatoğlu, with members Ali Can Sekmeç, Oya Doğan, Sina Koloğlu, and Tuğçe Madayanti Şen.
As the composer of new episodes could not attend, Sena Naz Albayrak accepted the award on behalf of the series Eşref Rüya produced by TİMS Yapım.
Special Jury Prize: Sertaç Özgümüş and Çağlar Haznedaroğlu for the music of Şakir Paşa – Mucizeler ve Skandallar.
Festival Director’s Speech
Festival director Vecdi Sayar stated that the festival was organized collaboratively by the Intercultural Arts Association and thanked the cinema industry, presenting plaques to the supporting organizations. Supporting institutions included: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Directorate General of Cinema, IstinyePark Teras, Renk Cinema, Swissotel Büyük Efes Izmir, Izmir Development Agency, Arkas Holding, Yükseliş Otomotiv, Alaçatı Tatlıcısı İmren, En Hotel, Ramada Hotel Kemalpaşa, Kordon Çankaya, Mövenpick Hotel İzmir, Karaca Hotel, Kaya Prestige, Goethe Institut, Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center, Poland Opla Animation Festival, Aegean Touristic Enterprises and Accommodation Association, Danish and Irish Embassies, Portugal Film, Sinematek-Cinema House, Patlıjan Creative Studio, Izmir Life, Sev Medya, Bahçeşehir University Animation Department, Izmir Film and Television Producers Association, and BSB Professional Association of Cinema Works Rights Holders.