24th Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival Award Ceremony Has Been Held!
24th Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival, organized with the contributions of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cinema started its physical screenings with an award ceremony held with a limited number of participants in accordance with the pandemic conditions and the circular issued yesterday evening. The night, hosted by Şenay Gürler and Yetkin Dikinciler, was broadcast live on ABBTV and the festival’s social media channels.
The ceremony started with the presentation of plaques to the institutions that did not spare their valuable support for this year’s festival. Ankara Metropolitan Municipality General Secretary Reşit Serhat Taşkınsu started his speech by conveying the respect and love of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş and said, “Our determination to transform Ankara into a capital of culture and arts continues. In this sense, we are very happy to support and attend the opening of the 24th Flying Broom Women’s Film Festival. I wish you a week full of culture and art,” he said.
City Council President Halil İbrahim Yılmaz, on the other hand, underlined in his speech that one of its most valuable components is the Flying Broom Foundation and that Ankara City Council is the only city council that receives gender equality training and expressed his gratitude; Ankara Chamber of Commerce President Gürsel Baran said, “I would like to express that I am very happy to be together with you. Being together physically, albeit in a limited number, makes me very happy. In the next period, Ankara will meet with art, and I believe that good days are waiting for us. We missed going to the cinema, theaters and concerts. I would also like to thank the Flying Broom Foundation for hosting such an important event.”
Ankara Chamber of Industry 2nd Organized Industrial Zone Chairman of the Board of Directors Seyit Ardıç thanked for the opportunity to contribute and gave the good news that his contributions will continue. Göknur Atalay, who received the plaque on behalf of KAİSDER, the Association of Women Employers and Industrialists, said, “We thank Flying Broom for valuing women and art. We always wish women to be in the lead role. Because if women take the lead, the country wins,” he said.
After the plaque ceremony, the awards given every year to make the women’s work in our cinema visible and to encourage the new generation of female filmmakers were given to their owners. The writer, director and screenwriter Işıl Özgentürk, who was awarded the Bilge Olgaç Achievement Award last year, was given the award that she did not receive due to the pandemic by Biket İlhan this year. Özgentürk said, “When I really look at my life, I see it as an award that I love. Flying Broom was of course a child born into the hands of many people. She is 24 years old. I was with him every moment. For 6 years, we managed workshops for students from different cities with Flying Broom. I would like to thank my sisters and all women who gave this award.”
Actress Ahsen Eroğlu, who received the Young Witch Award, said, “I am very excited, I am receiving this award first on behalf of my strong fellows in this sector and then on behalf of all women in Turkey and the world, I am very happy. I believe that someone like me, especially supported by family and colleagues, should speak up and fight for equality. I hope the work I do from now on will continue to be my words. I would like to thank firstly to Flying Broom, to my mother, apart from my family, to the directors who believed in me and believed in me, to my friends whose support I always felt, and finally to my fellow actors with whom I shared the scene.”
Nur Sürer, one of this year’s Honorary Award winners, received her award from the Flying Broom Foundation President Halime Güner and started her words by sharing her happiness with the increase in female filmmakers in the sector, “Long live female directors. Indeed, as a female filmmaker, I am so happy to lean on women and the festival, that I feel very safe. I felt very good here today. This festival is very precious to me. I would also like to say that I am with Ezgi Mola, and finally, Long live the Istanbul Convention,” she concluded by saying.
Ayta Sözeri, one of the Bilge Olgaç Achievement Award winners, received her award from Ayça Damgacı and in her award speech, “Everything has been said, actually. I want to say please don’t be afraid of the rainbow, love it because it’s Pride Week. Being a very valuable award, a success award for me also brings a responsibility. I always repeat a word Levent Kırca said while receiving an award; ‘gift is also subject to compliment’. I also take every award I receive as a compliment and I promise to always be more ingenious. Thank you, it is a very valuable award for me,” she said.
Receiving the Bilge Olgaç Achievement Award from Ceylan Özgün Özçelik, musician Ekin Fil started her speech by thanking and said, “I would like to commemorate the musicians and stage workers who have been ignored and ignored for a long time.” Ceylan Özgün Özçelik, before presenting the award, said, “I am truly amazed at the limitlessness and immensity of her talent and creativity every time. We worked together on all 4 films, now we are working on the fifth one,” she said.
Meetings on the Bridge Director Gülin Üstün, on the other hand, after receiving the award from Nisan Dağ, for which she gave great support for her first film, said, “I am very touched, one understands better what he is doing when others tell him. Thank you,” he said. In his speech, the director of the film, One Breath More, which will premiere in Turkey at the festival, Nisan Dağ said, “I want to give this award both for myself and on behalf of many filmmakers that I am sure it encourages. Gülin is someone I took courage and inspired by her stance while fighting for our first film in a climate where there are many people who say you can’t do it, and it is an honor for me to give this award.”
Demet Evgar, who was awarded the Bilge Olgaç Achievement Award, and Zuhal Olcay, the Honorary Award winner, attended the ceremony with video messages. Demet Evgar said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you at the witches meeting because I was chasing another witchcraft. I dedicate this meaningful award to the days when not a single woman’s hair was harmed,” Zuhal Olcay said, “There are times when it is very difficult for an artist to continue his art, maintain his stance and resist. My heartfelt thanks to all friends of filmmakers who continue their profession with dignity despite all the difficult conditions, with the bright and hopeful power of art behind them, and to all honorable friends and fellow female filmmakers who keep this festival alive.”
Meral Güner, who received the award on behalf of the EŞİK-Women’s Platform for Equality, in her speech, said, “We are very happy to come together with you at the Flying Broom Film Festival, where the dreams, hopes and efforts of women from all over the world, especially the Istanbul Convention and the law of violence, come together. . We will stand up, resist and change. Long live women’s solidarity for our cross-border struggle for freedom and equality,” she said. The young witches of the Flying Broom Foundation, Ceren Kurt and İlayda Önal presented the award to EŞİK.
Ni Una Menos (We Will Not Miss One More) initiative in its message to the Flying Broom; “We are grateful to you for considering us worthy of the award you gave at your Festival with the theme of Getting Out of Purgatory, and we gladly accept the award. We express our solidarity with the Turkish feminist movement, which we follow closely through our friends and comrades here. We admire your strong resistance, your methods of struggle and your brave organization and believe that together we can change the global misery created by the neoliberal system. In solidarity,” they said.
The ceremony ended with a mini concert by Ayta Sözeri. Physical screenings to be held until 11 June meet with the audience at Doğan Taşdelen Contemporary Arts Center and CerModern indoor hall due to the curfew at 22:00 in accordance with the circular announced on 1 June. Festival tickets are on sale on Biletix. Organized with the theme of Getting Out of Purgatory this year, the festival features productions that tell the stories of resisting, inspiring and solidarity women from 33 countries around the world.
The online screenings of the festival continue!
Today is the last day to watch the films Sokaklara/Street Out, the world premiere of Nunzia De Stefano’s Nevia and Sofía Rocha, in the festival’s online screenings reaching all over Turkey. Amanda Kernell’s Winter Vacation/Charter and Farah Nabulsi’s BAFTA-winning, Oscar-nominated short film The Present will be available on Festivalscope until tomorrow.
Festival Tickets
Tickets for the 24th Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival are on sale through the online screening platform Festivalscope. Each film will be screened on the day and time determined in the program, and will remain on display for three days. Tickets for the screenings to be held in the indoor hall of Doğan Taşdelen Contemporary Arts Center and CerModern are on sale through Biletix.
Ticket prices
For online screenings between May 27 and June 3, tickets can be purchased at https://www.festivalscope.com/page/ucan-supurge-uluslararasi-kadin-filmleri-festivali/.
A single ticket for online screening is 12 TL.
Tickets for the physical screenings to be held between 4-11 June can be purchased on Biletix.
Ticket Prices: student 12 TL, full 20 TL.
