Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts and sponsored by AKBANK, the International Istanbul Film Festival celebrates its 26th year in 2007.

The festival will be held March 30th-April 15th. As Turkey's primary film festival, the Istanbul Film Festival will unite outstanding films, movie stars and master directors with cinema-lovers in Istanbul, and as always, present a wide panorama of Turkish movies as well. Festival goers are promised a variety of novelties and surprises not to be missed...

There are over 200 films in 20 sections of the 26th International Istanbul Film Festival. Some of these sections are:
First of all...


Saturno Contro / Ferzan Özpetek

The festival will open with Ferzan Özpetek's latest film Saturno Contro, starring famous Italian actors Margherita Buy, Stefano Accorsi, Pierfrancesco Favino and the director's indispensable Turkish actress Serra Yılmaz. The Turkish premiere of Saturno Contro will take place on Friday, March 30th following the festival's Opening Ceremony. This will be the first time that the International Istanbul Film Festival opened with a film by a Turkish director.
Turkish Cinema 2006-2007
The Turkish movie industry produced an exceptional number of blockbusters and independent features in 2006. Because of the record number of high quality films released last year, more films than ever will compete in the National Competition of the Istanbul Film Festival. Some of the contestants in the "Best Turkish Film of the Year" category are:
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Kader / Destiny / Zeki Demirkubuz

• announced by critics as one of the best movies in Zeki Demirkubuz's filmography: Kader / Destiny;
• presenting an alternate viewpoint to religious orders and developments in Turkey: Özer Kızıltan's Takva / A Man's Fear of God;
• characterized as the most important genre movie ever produced in Turkey: Durul and Yağmur Taylan's Küçük Kıyamet / The Little Apocalypse;
• depicting a love story stretching from Istanbul to the East in the 17th Century Ottoman Empire; Derviş Zaim's historical road movie: Cenneti Beklerken / Waiting for the Paradise;
• Biket İlhan's biography of Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet: Mavi Gözlü Dev / Blue Eyed Giant and
• Sırrı Süreyya and Önder-Muharrem Gülmez's politically charged musical Beynelmilel / International
International Competition


Delirious / Tom DiCillo

The unforgettable director of such independent hits as Johnny Suede, Living in Oblivion and The Real Blonde, Tom DiCillo will compete for the "Golden Tulip" with his latest film Delirious.

Among the thirteen films competing for the "Golden Tulip" Award in 2007 are George Hickenlooper's Factory Girl starring Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce and Hayden Christensen and Joachim Trier's Reprise.
Retrospective


Mala Noche / Gus Van Sant

Gus Van Sant's first screenplay and cult hit Mala Noche and his fictionalized adaptation of Kurt Kobain's last memories, Last Days will be screened in a special section dedicated to the legendary director. Other highlights of this section are Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho and Elephant.


In Memoriam


Fear of Fear / Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Rainer Werner Fassbinder
On the occasion of the 25th year of his death, Istanbul Film Festival will pay tribute to Rainer Werner Fassbinder with a special section titled "Water Drops on Burning Rocks." This section will include movies not only directed by him, but also inspired by Fassbinder like Francois Ozon's Gouttes d'eau sur Pierres Brulantes and Atıf Yılmaz's Düş Gezginleri / Walking After Midnight. The curator of the section is writer and cinema critic Fatih Özgüven.
Mined Zone


I Don't Want to Sleep Alone /
Tsai Ming-Liang

Evolved into the favorite section of cinephiles looking for discoveries at the festival, the Mined Zone section will screen Tsai Ming-Liang's latest feature, the winner of the Cinema For Peace Award in 2006 in Venice; Hei Yan Quan / I Don't Want to Sleep Alone. Tsai Ming-Liang will visit Istanbul as a guest of the Film Festival.


Nokia Nseries Short Film Competition
Nokia Nseries Short Film Competition encourages everyone to shoot their own short film, especially so amateur film makers can discover themselves. The competition is inspired by the technologically advanced Nokia Nseries multimedia computers, and its winners will be awarded 5,000, 3,000 and 2,000 YTL.