On Saturday, 19 April the 33rd Istanbul Film Festival’s Awards were presented at the Awards Ceremony, held at Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.
The International Jury of the 33rd Istanbul Film Festival presided over by director Asghar Farhadi, and composed of actress Defne Halman, director Philippe Le Guay, producer and director of the National Film&TV School Lynda Myles and scriptwriter Răzvan Rădulescu decided to give the Special Jury Prize to “Papusza” by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze.
The jury’s motivation of this choice is: “We found the voice of this film out of the ordinary: loving but respectful, resisting the anecdotal, sometimes even distant and just observant, as required by such a sensitive topic – a gipsy woman poet who gets condemned by the very community the memories of which she tries to preserve.”
Also Andrzej Wajda’s life force and passion for cinema were appreciated – Polish director received the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Andrzej Wajda was unable to attend the festival due to health reasons, but he prepared a short video message:
“Images, videos are perceived and understood in almost the same way for everyone in the world, not only for us. But I’m sure Turkish cinema has some secrets inaccessible to us. (…) When I wake up in the morning, I say to myself “A film needs to be made, there is no occasion for laziness.” Of course my goal is not to make films for myself. I think about what people live for, what they search for… I am aware that I have a great occupation. And an award like this, A Lifetime Achievement Award, is the greatest reward a director can receive.”
Source: 33rd Istanbul Film Festival
Photo © “Papusza” directed by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze