CONTEMPORARY TURKISH CINEMA

Anlat Istanbul / Istanbul Tales

2005, 100 minutes
35 mm, color; Turkish with English subtitles

October 28, Saturday, 5:30 pm

Directed by Umit Unal, Kudret Sabanci, Selim Demirdelen, Yucel Yolcu and Omur Atay
Screenplay by Ümit Ünal
Cinematography by Mehmet Aksin
Edited by Niko
Music by Gökhan Kirdar
Produced by Erol Avci
Featuring Altan Erkekli, Azra Akin, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Çetin Tekindor, DJ Bülent, Erdem Akakçe, Erkan Can, Fikret Kuskan, Güven Kiraç, Idil Üner

Contact Information

Yasemin C. Sutlas
TMC Turkey
Gazeteciler Sitesi, Dergiler Sok., No: 29/2
34394 Esentepe, Istanbul, Turkey
Tel: +90 212 288 9260
Fax: +90 212 288 9271
E-Mail: yasemin@tmc.com.tr

"Tickets must be purchased at least 4 days before the screening in order to be mailed. Tickets purchased after this cut off date can be picked up at the theater."

The winner of the Istanbul International Film Festival’s Best Film Award, Istanbul Tales is a poignant tribute to the city of Istanbul.

From the press

"Deftly interweaving five contempo vignettes with fairy tale flavors, slick criss-crosser ‘Istanbul Tales’ is both a compulsively watchable entertainment as well as an atmospheric love letter to one of the world's most beautiful cities... Criss-crossers set during a limited timeframe have been an established genre, especially in European cinema, for some time. But Unal's complex script, which continually surprises with its cleverness without sacrificing character development to plot mechanisms, makes the format shine anew... " (Derek Elley, Variety, April 26, 2005)

From Atilla Dorsay

Tales That Suit a Fairy-Tale City Very Well

“...Should I leave the word to director Umit Unal? ‘The rich and the poor, the beautiful and the ugly, the criminals and the innocent, the marginals, the power brokers-Istanbulites of all kinds and ages-turn into fairy tale characters against the backdrop of a panoramic Istanbul that embraces the City from Beyoglu to Aksaray, from the Bosphorus to the underground.’ Racing into the night to ease the pain caused by his young and adulterous wife, The Pied Piper, leads all the other heroes and heroines with his clarinet (a Felliniesque scene). Snow White can save herself from the evil stepmother with the help of the eighth dwarf. Cinderella takes a midnight train to run away from the bowels of the City hoping to start anew. The Sleeping Beauty wakes up amongst family pictures in a run-down mansion and encounters the ghost of her grandfather disguised as a poor Kurd. Little Red Riding Hood flies away to a new life after getting rid of the ‘bad wolf’... It is not easy to tell about a film that is this good. Please go and see it for yourselves.”

Festivals and Awards

2006 Ankara International Film Festival (Turkey): Mahmut Tali Öngören Special         Award, Best Actress (Idil Üner)
2006 Bangkok Film Festival (Thailand): Special Jury Award
2005 International Istanbul Film Festival (Turkey): National Competition, Best Film, Best
        Actress (Yelda Reynaud)
2005 Mediterranean Film Festival (Italy): Jury Award for Artistic Expression (Original         Idea)
2005 Adana Golden Cocoon Film Festival (Turkey): Best Film, Best Editing, Best Art         Director, Best Studio, Best Cinematography