Renowned Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi has been selected as the head of the international jury for the XIV Bosphorus Film Festival, which will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, from November 8 to 15. According to ISNA, the jury members will evaluate films participating in the international feature film competition vying for the 'Golden Dolphin' award.
The jury also includes Christophe Leparc, director of 'Quinzaine des Cinéastes' at the Cannes Film Festival; director and producer Isabelle Fernandez; Justin Bard, programmer and producer of the Seattle International Film Festival; and Attila Klinche, who has over forty years of experience in theater, cinema, television, and academia.
Furthermore, Majidi will conduct a masterclass for film enthusiasts on November 9. During this session titled 'The Art of Storytelling: On Cinema with Majid Majidi,' he will share his approach to narrative, the formation of a unique cinematic language, and the subtleties of his directorial practice.
This meeting will allow for an in-depth study of Majidi's creative world, whose works speak about everyday human struggles, hope, and solidarity through a simple yet powerful language. Last month, Majidi received the 'Best Film' award at the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) for his recent film 'Lunch in the Midday.'
Majidi's films often focus on children or adolescents, exploring themes such as childhood innocence, family bonds, poverty, social issues, and solidarity, and are characterized by a humanistic worldview. Among his notable works are 'Children of Paradise' (1997), 'Color of Paradise' (1999), 'Ram' (2001), and 'Song of Sparrows' (2008). The film 'Children of Paradise' was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
'Children of Paradise' made it into the top five nominees for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1998, making him the first Iranian filmmaker to receive an Oscar nomination. Majidi also holds the record for the most 'Simorgh Crystal' awards for Best Director at the Fadr International Film Festival, having won four such awards.
According to available information, eight feature and short films by Iranian filmmakers will also be screened at this edition of the Bosphorus Film Festival. Among the Iranian films scheduled for screening are 'Sunny Children,' directed by Majid Majidi; 'Orange Forest' by Arman Hansarian; 'In the Embrace of the Tree' by Babak Hajepashi; and 'Wolf Fur' by Fereydoun Najafi, all of which will be part of the special screenings section.
The documentary '32 Meters' by Morteza Atabaki, co-produced by Turkey, Iran, and Qatar, will participate in the National Turkish Documentary Competition. Three short films will also be shown: 'Solo' by Amirhossein Ajali; 'Lost and Found' by Reza Rasouli, produced in Austria; and 'Shell' by Hamed Soleymanzadeh and Hakan Unal.
The Bosphorus Film Festival, organized by the Bosphorus Culture and Arts Foundation (BKSV), aims to promote the development of ethical, aesthetic, and technical aspects of cinema, as well as to finance and motivate young producers and directors to create new films, thereby promoting national cinema both domestically and internationally.
