A Career Forged in the Golden Era of American Cinema

Born in San Diego on January 5, 1931, Duvall studied acting in New York alongside a generation of future legends including Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Gene Hackman. His breakthrough arrived in 1972 with his portrayal of Tom Hagen, the Corleone family's adopted son and consigliere, in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather"—a role that earned him an Oscar nomination and cemented his place in cinematic history.

Six Decades of Unforgettable Performances

Over a career spanning more than 60 years, Duvall became renowned for his ability to convey profound emotion with remarkable economy. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his moving performance in 1983's "Tender Mercies" and received additional nominations for his work in "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now," where his portrayal of Colonel Kilgore delivered the unforgettable line, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

A Legacy of Truth in Storytelling

Luciana Duvall reflected on her husband's artistic philosophy, stating, "For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented. In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all." Funeral arrangements have not been announced, and the family has requested privacy as they celebrate his life and legacy. Duvall's passing marks the end of an era, leaving behind a body of work that will continue to inspire generations of actors and film lovers.

Navigating the Digital Shift and Imperialism Risks

Saygili noted the evolution from written text to the big screen and now to digital channels, asserting that modern diplomacy must engage with digital media. He issued a critical caveat, warning against the dominance of a single cultural narrative. "Cultural diplomacy should not turn into cultural imperialism. Cultures should develop with each other, but we should not impose one culture on another," he emphasized, referencing globally homogenizing content from major studios.

"Ayla" as a Case Study in Soft Power

The 2017 Turkish-South Korean co-production "Ayla" was presented as a successful application of film diplomacy. Director Can Ulkay explained the film fostered awareness and prompted international audiences to research the Korean War, while a political youth branch representative noted a specific scene symbolized Türkiye's peacekeeping role. The film is credited with tangibly improving cultural and diplomatic relations between Türkiye and South Korea.

A Global Gathering for Cinematic Diplomacy

The three-day conference, themed "Building Diplomats Through Lens," brought together global participants for training workshops, a 24-hour film challenge on peace, and award ceremonies judged by diplomats and directors. The event underscored a collective move to strategically harness storytelling for fostering cross-cultural understanding and cooperative international dialogue.

A selection committee of 15 representatives from professional organizations in the film industry met to evaluate and determine Türkiye's nominee in the category of "Best International Film."

During the meeting, which assessed seven films submitted to the Cinema Professional Unions Solidarity, Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "About Dry Grasses," featuring award-winning actress Merve Dizdar, was selected as Türkiye's nominee for "Best International Film."

The award ceremony will take place in the US scheduled for next March.

*Writing by Necva Tastan

Türkiye's public broadcaster, TRT, won an award Friday at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF).

TRT competed with three award-winning films: Kanto, Club Zero, La Chimera and Blaga's Lessons.

More than 230 films from 70 countries were screened at the festival.

Kanto by director Ensar Altay, tells the story of an elderly woman who suddenly disappeared but her disappearance was not noticed. Kanto was awarded the "Cinelink Impact Award" in the "Work in Progress" category.

The festival ran from Aug. 11 and ended Friday after a closing and awards ceremony.

The Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi series, broadcast on TRT's digital platform, Tabi, had its world premiere at SFF.

Forty-nine films in the feature films, short films, documentary films, and student films categories competed for the "Heart of Sarajevo" award -- the name given to the awards.

The festival began 29 years ago to make the city a center of culture and art, and help heal the memories of the Bosnian War in the 1990s.

Past festival attendees included luminaries such as Robert de Niro, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Orlando Bloom, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, Morgan Freeman and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

Mujahid highlighted how the industry often portrays a distinct national image through themes like music, dance, unity, and joy, effectively showcasing the essence of Indian life. Notably, he pointed out that a notable portion of Indian films receives government funding and, in some instances, carries pronounced anti-Muslim sentiments. According to him, "There are major films which are most popular in India are blatantly anti-Muslim."

Mujahid highlights that certain prominent Indian films depict Muslims in a negative light, portraying them as terrorists, criminals, and villains. Despite these concerns, Mujahid observes that the Indian film industry enjoys global popularity, reaching audiences as far as Arab and Turkish societies. He posits that due to its immense influence, the Indian government tolerates and even promotes Muslim actors, such as Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan, who often have Hindu spouses or partners. This approach, he suggests, aligns with the government's diplomatic efforts to present an image of interfaith harmony and cooperation.

Mujahid emphasizes the broader context of diversity representation within government services. He contends that while Muslims are scarcely represented in Indian government services, their presence in the foreign service hovers around three to four percent. This seems to be a way of showcasing to the world that Muslims hold significant positions within India, including roles like ambassadors, to project inclusivity.

Similarly, he draws a parallel between the film industry and diplomacy, stating, "The film industry is part of their diplomatic effort." They include Muslim names in the industry, who might not necessarily have a strong Muslim background – perhaps born to a Muslim father and a Hindu mother, with a Hindu wife. He argues that India strives to portray these individuals as the "ideal" and "acceptable" version of Muslims.

Indian government can make anti-Muslim fake news go viral: rights activist

The just over three-hour movie stars Peaky Blinders actor Cillian Murphy, who also collaborated with Nolan for The Dark Knight Trilogy, as well as Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh and Matt Damon.

The film is the adaptation of Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2005 book, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Known as the “father of the atomic bomb,” Oppenheimer led the Manhattan Project, the undertaking during World War II which produced the first atomic bomb.

The premiere coincides with actors and screen writers in Hollywood starting a strike over wages, the use of artificial intelligence and profits from digital streaming.

As the son of a Harlem imam, Tawfiq drew from his own life experiences to inject faith into the character of Agent Zuma, and worked tirelessly to ensure that the character was an accurate reflection of Muslim beliefs and practices.

In an interview with Gothamist, Tawfiq explained that he had always had to work hard to support himself and his family, and that he had worked in a variety of jobs, including as a dancer in Paris and as a New York City firefighter for almost 20 years.

“Losing my parents at an early age and being the oldest of five, I always had to have a job. There was nobody giving us money. So a job was like waking up and brushing your teeth: It was just one of those things I had to do,” said the 52-years-old actor of his experiences prior to joining the cast of The Blacklist in 2013.

“Even though I was getting more money than I had received from the fire department, it was still very scary just to have the idea of leaving a job to pursue acting, which was kind of this dream all my life,” Tawfiq added.

As a Sunni Muslim, Tawfiq realized that there was originally no element of faith in the character description as he auditioned for the role of Agent Zuma.

“It was like this African freedom fighter, and that was it. Because it was an improv audition, I actually took everything from my life experiences as a Muslim and kind of injected it into this character,” he added.

Tawfiq's portrayal of Agent Zuma was groundbreaking in the television industry, as it defied the common stereotypes of Muslim characters as terrorists.

“We just had some amazing conversations about my experiences. And it was like, if this character is Muslim, then this is what it looks like,” he said.

“With Muslim characters, when we do see them, they’re yelling ‘Allahu akbar’ and blowing up a building, or something like that. So I am grateful, and I understand that we have done something that I've never seen before on TV,” he added, emphasizing the importance of portraying how Muslims go about their daily lives on TV shows, which rarely if ever show Muslim characters in a positive light.

By showing Agent Zuma's religious beliefs and practices, including scenes of him praying and speaking with his imam, Tawfiq hoped to provide a more accurate and positive representation of Muslims in popular culture, portraying his character with a sense of duty as he believed that the opportunity is “vital.”

Despite his success on "The Blacklist," Tawfiq expressed his eagerness to take a break and rest after the show's 10th and final season.

writing by Mustafa Ghanim

Fans have been eagerly anticipating news about a potential fifth season, and the actor had some good news to share.

Özçivit, who has a five-season contract with the project, was able to give fans some reassurance and put an end to any speculation during an interview with Turkish news outlet Sabah, in which he finally revealed that the show, locally known as Kuruluş Osman, will indeed return for another season.

In addition to talking about the series, Özçivit also shared some personal details. He discussed his visits to Qatar and his efforts to promote his home country. He also spoke about his fashion sense, which has been a topic of interest among fans. As it turns out, his wife, Turkish actress Fahriye Evcen, plays a big role in his wardrobe choices.

The actor went on to add that he and his wife work together to choose his outfits. She helps him put together stylish combinations that are both flattering and comfortable. Their supportive relationship is a testament to their strong bond, which has captured the hearts of fans both on and off screen.

For the past four years, the mega historical drama set in Istanbul, has captivated millions of viewers worldwide.

Resurrection: Ertuğrul takes place in 13th century Anatolia and tells the story of Ertuğrul Gazi, the father of the Ottoman Empire's first leader, as he and his warriors fight against various adversaries, from the Knights Templar to Mongol invaders.

Its sequel, The Ottoman, which focuses on the founding of the Ottoman Empire and the life of Osman Bey, the son of Ertuğrul Gazi, has also gained a large following. Burak Özçivit stars in the lead role of Osman Gazi, the fearless warrior and founder of the Ottoman Empire.

Türkiye is among the top five countries exporting series globally, captivating viewers from Latin America to Central Asia. Türkiye’s Culture Ministry reports that over 500 million viewers in more than 150 countries are following dozens of Turkish series.

writing by Mustafa Ghanim

Duzyatan, who came to Canada at the invitation of Human Concern International (HCI), one of the oldest humanitarian organizations established by Canadian Muslims, held a news conference in the national capital of Ottawa with the group’s CEO Mahmuda Khan and Liberal Party lawmaker Iqra Khalid.

The actor said he is committed to raising awareness about the effects of climate change around the world.

He said he traveled to Africa to document the effects of the lack of access to clean water on communities and noted his striking encounter with facts that deeply affected him, starting in Kenya.

“Fifty-three percent of African people do not have access to clean water, and three out of 10 newborns die from diseases caused by contaminated water,” he said.

The Canadian government supports water infrastructure investments in fragile and post-conflict countries, he said, but it needs to do more to support sustainable water projects in developing countries.

“As part of the UN's commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Canada has a responsibility to its own people by eliminating long-term water restrictions on indigenous peoples' reserves,” he said.

“I support HCI's call for the government of Canada to fulfill its commitment to addressing access to clean water in Canada,” the Turkish actor added.

Duzyatan will attend a donation event in Toronto on Sunday organized by HCI to ensure that Canadian natives have access to clean drinking water.

HCI is a global charity founded in Canada in 1979.

“Festivals are not a bubble closed off to contemporary reality,” artistic director Alberto Barbera said last month unveiling the program of the new edition, which this year includes initiatives in support of Ukraine and filmmakers persecuted around the world.

The annual film festival – the only major international event that did not cancel its physical edition due to the coronavirus pandemic – has also removed after two years the barriers it set up to shield its world-famous catwalk from the crowd of excited fans, ready to welcome again a flurry of celebrities.

Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel White Noise kicks off the festival’s competition, starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, and marking Baumbach’s return to Venice after 2019's Marriage Story.

Twenty-three films are vying for the top prize, the Golden Lion, which will be assigned by a jury led by US actress Julianne Moore at the festival’s close.

Five Italian titles are running in the competition, including Lord of the Ants, by Gianni Amelio, a movie about the controversial Braibanti case which sparked a controversy in Italy in the 60s, with the conviction of an intellectual for plagiarism.

Italian filmmaker Emanuele Crialese also returns to the festival with L’immensità, a story about motherhood starring Penelope Cruz. Internationally-acclaimed Italian director Luca Guadagnino presents his Bones and All, a portrait of the victims of the American dream, shot in the US with his favorite star Timothee Chalamet.

The other two Italian movies in competition are Monica, by Andrea Pallaoro, starring trans actress Trace Lysette, and Chiara by Susanna Nicchiarelli, which shines a light on the story of Santa Chiara.

Among the highly-anticipated titles, Ana de Armas debuts as Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s Blonde ; Brendan Fraser stars in Darren Aronofsky’s new film The Whale, while Cate Blanchett plays an orchestra conductor in Tár, by director Todd Field.

The only debut in competition is Saint Omer, directed by Alice Diop, who comes from the world of documentaries.

As part of the initiatives dedicated to Ukraine, a Ukrainian Day will be held on Sept. 8 to show solidarity with the war-torn country and support its artists, with special focus on the condition of the film industry.

The opening ceremony was held at the National Theater with a red carpet parade that saw the participation of top names from the world of cinema.

Thousands of moviegoers from across the world will attend the SFF, which will last until Aug. 19, where viewers will have the opportunity to watch more than 200 films from 62 countries.

Ukrainian director, screenwriter and producer Sergei Loznitsa and Swedish director Ruben Ostlund were awarded the "Heart of Sarajevo" Honorary Award during the opening ceremonies.

Festival director Jovan Marjanovic expressed his happiness that the festival is being held in its original form after two years due to coronavirus pandemic reasons.

The festival features six TRT films, including five TRT co-productions and one TRT award-winning film.

The festival will screen 235 films from 62 countries in 19 programs, 54 of which will have their world premiere. It is set to feature 51 films in four categories.

Fifty-one will compete for the Heart of Sarajevo awards.

The festival began 28 years ago to make the city again a destination of culture and art and help heal the memories of the bloody Bosnian War in the 1990s.

Past festival attendees include luminaries as Robert de Niro, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Daniel Craig, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Gerard Depardieu and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

“My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” said "Grease" co-star John Travolta in an online post. “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much."

The cause of death of the beloved star has not been released, but she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and had been battling the disease for decades.

“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” her husband, John Easterling, wrote on her official Facebook page.

“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer,” he continued, adding she was surrounded by family and friends when she passed away.

Newton-John was a Grammy-winning superstar who crossed over multiple musical genres: country, pop, adult contemporary and dance.

Her hits included the 1978 "Grease" tune "You're the One that I Want" and 1981’s "Physical."

In addition to playing the role of "Sandy" in "Grease," she also starred in the 1980 musical fantasy film "Xanadu."

Newton-John is survived by her husband, daughter Chloe Lattanzi, sister Sarah Newton-John and brother Toby Newton-John.

"We will see you down the road and we will all be together again," said Travolta. "Yours from the moment I saw you and forever!"

“I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk,” Smith said in the prerecorded video.

“I’m human and I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s**t. I am deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.”

During the Academy Awards broadcast on March 27, Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, quipping, “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.”

Rock’s joke was a reference to Pinkett Smith’s shaved head in comparison to Demi Moore’s US Navy Seals character’s military haircut in the movie G.I. Jane.

Pinkett Smith has alopecia, a medical condition that causes hair loss.

Smith then walked on stage and slapped Rock across the face, following up with a curse-filled tirade directed at Rock.

“I was fogged out by that point ... it’s all fuzzy,” Smith said.

“You know, that was one of the things about that moment. I just didn’t realize, you know, I wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment.”

Smith apologized to Rock’s mother and brother in the video, in addition to his own family and his fellow actors who were nominated.

“To all my fellow nominees ... I won because ... you voted for me ... and it really breaks my heart to have stolen and ... tarnished your moment,” he said.

“I can still see Questlove’s eyes, you know, it happened on Questlove’s award ... it’s like ... ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t really sufficient.”

Smith went on to win the Oscar for best actor just moments later for his role in the film King Richard, but the slap is the only topic everyone talked about that night and in the days that followed.

In his apology, Smith addressed the millions of fans and viewers who witnessed that moment.

“Disappointing people is my central trauma ... I hate when I let people down,” he said.

“It hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I didn’t live up to ... people’s image and impression of me.”

As punishment for the incident, Smith was banned from attending any Academy Awards ceremonies for the next decade.

In his apology video, he said his goal is to regain the trust of those he disappointed.

“So I would like to say to those people, I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking,” said Smith.

“I promise you, I am ... deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world and, you know ... if you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”

“It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6,” his family wrote in a statement on the actor’s Twitter account Thursday. “The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”

Caan is known worldwide for playing Santino “Sonny” Corleone, the brother to Al Pacino’s character, Michael, in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 blockbuster mafia movie.

In an interview for the film's 50th anniversary earlier this year, Caan reflected on the film’s incredible staying power.

“One of the things that made ‘The Godfather’ successful, besides brilliant directing and writing and wonderful actors … was that everyone really enjoyed making it,” he said. “That comes off on the screen. And I think the audience can tell that we were having a good time doing what we were doing up there.”

Caan earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor along with co-stars Al Pacino and Robert Duvall. “The Godfather” went on to win best picture at the Academy Awards.

The New York City native was known for his versatility on the big screen.

In addition to his mobster role in “The Godfather,” Caan played author Paul Sheldon in the 1990 psychological thriller “Misery,” in which his character is held captive and tortured by an obsessive fan played by Kathy Bates, who forces him to rewrite the finale to his book series.

Caan also played the role of Brian Piccolo, a Chicago Bears football player stricken with terminal cancer in the 1971 television biography “Brian’s Song.”

A cause of death was not released.

The show will include 456 real players who will compete for $4.56 million.

"As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show - plus surprising new additions - their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them," Netflix in a statement Tuesday.

The firm opened a website for applications.

Squid Game is a game where people, who are deeply in debt, compete for money at the cost of their lives.

Producer Irfan Malik told Anadolu Agency that it is the third film he shot in Turkiye, a country he views as his second home.

"Turkiye has excellent technical facilities for filming and there is a large TV industry in the country. They said that there are 8,000 movie theaters here. I would like my films to be released here as well," said Malik. “TV series from Turkiye are shown on Pakistani televisions, but the Turkish films are not shown in Pakistani cinemas. We aim to take steps in this regard to improve the brotherhood and good relations between the two countries.”

Underlining that he is in talks with distributors for his new movie to be screened in Turkiye, Malik said: "My goal is to broadcast this movie in Turkiye with subtitles and dubbing. Thus, this movie will be the first Pakistani movie to be released in Turkiye.”

Saeed said: "I am very happy to be in Turkiye. All Pakistanis love Turkiye. Turks also love and respect us.”

Hayat said crews started shooting the movie in Pakistan and shooting the second part continues in Turkiye.

"We are shooting the movie in a very beautiful place. I am having a great time with the professional shooting team,” said Hayat.

Underlining that Turkish television series have a great influence in Pakistan, Hayat said: "Turkish actors are very popular in Pakistan. I think Turkiye and Pakistan should work together to conduct projects involving Turkish and Pakistani players.”

The cast includes Kubra Khan, Vasay Chaudhary, Sohail Ahmed and Gohar Rasheed.

A portion of the film will be shot in London in the coming days.

The streaming company lost 200,000 subscribers in the first three months of 2022, Netflix said on Tuesday.

The company hiked prices in markets such as the US and the UK, and suspended operations in Russia.

Netflix is expected to see more losses in the upcoming period after signaling it will curb account sharing to get new members.

Account sharing has become a big issue for Netflix with the company predicting more than 100 million households are sharing passwords.

Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush tells the real story of a Turkish-German mother’s fight to get justice for her son Murat Kurnaz, who was held at the Guantanamo military prison camp on the island of Cuba for half a decade, between 2001 and 2006.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Turkish-German actor Meltem Kaptan, who plays the role of Rabiye Kurnaz, said that the film transcends geographical borders and could be the story of any mother anywhere in the world.

"The subject in the film is a general life issue," said Kaptan, who also won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at this year’s Berlinale.

"We all know about Guantanamo, the whole world knows it, and the feeling of a mother's battle, the mother's heart, it is the same all over the world," she added.

Directed by Andreas Dresen, the film won two awards at this year’s Berlinale. Laila Stieler got the Best Screenplay award.

After kicking off on April 8, the 41st Istanbul Film Festival wraps up on April 20. During the festival, films by 164 directors from 43 countries are being screened over the course of a dozen days.

- 'Learned about Kurnaz family's struggle 20 years ago'

Cologne-based comedian Kaptan told Anadolu Agency that she first heard the story of the Kurnaz family around 20 years ago through German media.

“I remember that he was on the news for a while. He had long hair and slow speech ... That image of a person who had suffered a lot had a huge impact on me and my family,” said the 41-year-old comedian.

But Kurnaz’s story stayed on the back burner until director Dresen, who is known for his documentary-like realism, sought her out with the film’s screenplay.

Kaptan said that the film is told from the perspective of the prisoner’s mother, Rabiye Kurnaz. “I would play this role completely seriously because it is a very serious topic,” she said, adding that they wanted to portray Rabiye as her real self: “sparkly and lively.”

“We understood that this is a very important character,” she said, as Rabiye Kurnaz lived through a tragedy but “still does not feel hatred towards people, can look at people so positively, and is a character that can make us both cry and laugh in an instant.”

Kaptan said that the director only wanted to show the most natural state of mind.

“These people would never actually meet in real life, but they are fighting for the same thing in this way, they come together, but they are so different that such a comedy is formed,” she said, referring to Rabiye Kurnaz and her lawyer Bernhard Docke, portrayed by veteran actor Alexander Scheer.

The real Rabiye Kurnaz was sitting in the audience when the film was screened last week at the Istanbul festival. She addressed the audience, and 10 minutes in, they were all roaring with laughter.

Kaptan said humor gave Rabiye Kurnaz strength while fighting for justice for her son.

- Preparing to play Rabiye

To prepare for the role, Kaptan said that she met with almost the whole family, except Murat Kurnaz himself. All the communication with the Guantanamo survivor was done “through others,” she said, as he had gone through a lot and wanted to have “a little more calm life.”

As there was little material available to study Rabiye Kurnaz online, she used older footage of her from news reports. "Three or four videos, I tried to approach her that way, a little bit from her diction and her voice while watching the videos."

"She’s not a woman who speaks a typical Turkish-German dialect, she has a speaking style that is unique to Ms. Rabiye," she said. "Then I switched to body language and then I tried to include it in my daily life."

"And then of course, when I met her personally, there were also phone calls," she explained.

Germany has a large Turkish population, currently about 7 million, dating back to “guest workers” who emigrated there in the 1960s.

- Turning tragedy into comedy

On the difficulties of trying to tell such a tragic story through the help of comedy, Kaptan said: “We know that this is a very fine line, we also know that it is a very sensitive point and it should be approached very sensitively.”

“When you make a film you just want to share it with the audience, (and) especially on an issue like this one, you want other people to hear it,” she said.

The team behind the film was happy to have its world premiere in Germany when it was accepted by the Berlinale, she said.

The movie “also shows mothers' power and mothers' unlimited love for children,” she explained.

“How much struggle some people have faced, whether in the legal sense, they put effort, that is, they fight against the injustices done in life, and this is one of them,” she said of the film.

About her Best Performance Award in Berlin, Kaptan said that although some members of the media told her after the film’s screening that she would get the prize, she told herself not to “fall into this.”

When the film won for Best Screenplay, she especially thought she would not get the Best Performance Award as it is rare for any one film to receive more than one honor.

When she saw her name on the screen as the winner, she said she was already on the stage and talking. And in her acceptance speech, Kaptan dedicated her award to “all the mothers whose love is stronger than borders.”

The decision to ban Smith comes after the Academy's Board of Governors convened to discuss its response.

In addition to being banned from a decade-worth of Oscars, Smith is also barred from attending any Academy events during that time. Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson cited Smith's "unacceptable and harmful behavior" during the March 27 event in an open letter to Academy members.

Rubin and Hudson acknowledged the Academy "did not adequately address the situation in the room" during the show itself when Smith later went on to accept the Academy Award for best actor. The Academy leaders apologized for fumbling the response, saying they "fell short" and were "unprepared for the unprecedented."

"We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances," they wrote. "This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith's behavior is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy."

Smith announced his resignation from the Academy last week in the midst of searing criticism for his attack on Rock.

After the March 27 slap, Smith repeatedly shouted at Rock to “Keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth.”

A Tehran court found evidence that the two-time Oscar-winning director violated the copyright of his former student, Azadeh Masihzadeh, by stealing his idea from a documentary, All Winners All Losers, according to US magazine The Hollywood Reporter.

The court said the 49-year-old director, known for his open-ended and dilemmatic movies, “violated Masihzadeh’s copyright for All Winners All Losers and of plagiarizing key elements of the documentary for his film without crediting Masihzadeh,” according to the magazine.

But Farhadi’s French producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy, who is the head of the Paris-based Memento production and distribution company, denied reports that the director was found guilty of plagiarism.

According to a statement given to the entertainment magazine Variety, Mallet-Guy said that rather than a “legally binding ruling on this case” there was “a preliminary investigation to decide whether it should be brought to trial, and it has been decided that it will.”

The magazine said the court “dismissed any potential claims by Masihzadeh pertaining to revenues” from Farhadi’s film, citing Mallet-Guy.

“We firmly believe that the court will dismiss Ms. Masihzadeh who cannot claim ownership on matters in the public domain given that the prisoner’s story has been disclosed in both press articles and TV reports years before Mrs. Masihzadeh’s documentary was published,” said Mallet-Guy.

A Hero tells the story of Rahim who was in prison for unpaid debt. During a two-day leave, Rahim returns a handbag full of gold coins to its owner but his story ends up being more complex.

The film won the Grand Prix prize at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and was Iran’s entry in the Best International Film at the 2022 Academy Awards.

“I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct,” Smith said in a statement. “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable.”

Smith’s resignation comes nearly a week after walking onstage at the Oscars and slapping Chris Rock across the face because he took offense to a joke the comedian made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

After the slap, Smith shouted at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth.”

“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” said Smith.

“I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.”

The Academy’s board of governors held an emergency meeting this week to begin a formal review process, in which Smith could have faced potential suspension or expulsion.

Despite the resignation, the Academy could still choose to take back Smith’s Oscar for best actor he won for his role in King Richard.

But that is unlikely and has never occurred regarding an issue of conduct.

The Academy’s board meets again April 15 to determine additional consequences as part of its review process.

Smith said at the end of his statement that he “will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate.”

“Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”

During Sunday night’s Oscars telecast, after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, actor Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith went up to the stage and slapped the comedian.

“Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” said an Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences statement quoted by trade journal Variety. “While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.”

Disciplinary proceedings against Smith were also initiated “for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy,” the statement added.

The newly Oscar-winning actor “is being provided at least 15 days’ notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response,” it said.

The next board meeting of the academy’s board of governors is set for April 18.

The academy also apologized to Rock “for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience at that moment.”

Earlier, the academy condemned the slapping and said it had officially launched a formal review of the incident.

- Slap heard round the world

During the broadcast, Rock said of Jada Pinkett Smith, “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” apparently referring to Smith’s close-shaven hair, comparing it to the military cut actress Demi Moore got in the 1997 movie G.I. Jane.

Jada suffers from a condition called alopecia areata, a disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss.

After seeing his wife’s reaction to the joke, Will Smith approached the stage and slapped Rock across the face with an open hand.

“Oh wow. Wow,” a stunned Rock replied. “Will Smith just smacked the sh*t out of me.”

Smith then shouted at Rock twice, saying: “Keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth.”

Later in the same ceremony, Will Smith was honored with a Best Actor Oscar.

“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” Smith said the next day in a statement issued by his publicist.

“My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

The incident set off a wide-ranging public debate over such issues as treating Black women with respect and the increasing normalcy of violence being used as a way to address issues.

Chomsky died while sleeping on Monday, the TheWrap news outlet said on Tuesday night, citing the director's son.

He won the Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (1978's Holocaust), Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special (1980's Attica and 1982's Inside the Third Reich), and Outstanding Miniseries (1986's Peter the Great).

His feature film credits included 1971's Evil Knievel, 1975's Live A Little, Steal A Lot, 1976's Mackintosh and T.J., 1979's Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff, and 1984's Tank.

“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,” the organization said in a statement. “We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.”

During the broadcast, Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” said Rock, making an apparent reference to Pinkett Smith’s shaved head in comparison to Demi Moore’s US Navy Seals character’s military haircut in the movie G.I. Jane.

Smith then approached the stage – which was not shown on the broadcast, but was immediately released uncensored through online platforms – and slapped Rock across the face with an open hand.

“Oh wow. Wow,” a stunned Rock replied. “Will Smith just smacked the sh*t out of me.”

The cameras then cut back to Smith, who shouted at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.”

Some Academy members were appalled by Smith’s actions.

“He disgraced our entire community tonight,” tweeted Academy member Marshall Herskovitz. “I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith.”

Smith went on to win the Best Actor Oscar for his role in King Richard, but there is now speculation he may be stripped of his award for violating the Academy’s code of conduct.

The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that Rock “declined to file a police report,” but what the Academy decides to do is an entirely different matter.

“The Academy does not condone violence of any form,” the group tweeted immediately after Sunday night’s broadcast.

“He could have killed him,” director Judd Apatow said in a since-deleted tweet, “That’s pure out-of-control rage and violence.”

Smith has not yet received his gold statuette, and there is a possibility he never will, depending on what the Academy decides after its investigation.

“We’re not going to take that Oscar from him,” Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the Academy’s board of governors, said on The View. “There will be consequences, I’m sure.”

"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable," Smith said in a post on Instagram. "Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” he said, referring to his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith.

"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness," he wrote.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences earlier condemned the slapping and said it has officially launched a formal review of the incident "and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law."

Smith also apologized to "the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.

"I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress," he added, referring to Venus and Serena Williams, who star with him in the movie King Richard.

During the broadcast, Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada.

“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” he said in an apparent reference to Pinkett Smith’s shaved head in comparison to Demi Moore’s US Navy Seals character’s military haircut in the movie G.I. Jane.

Smith then approached the stage – which was not shown on the broadcast but was immediately released uncensored through online platforms – and slapped Rock across the face with an open hand.

“Oh wow. Wow,” a stunned Rock replied. “Will Smith just smacked the sh*t out of me.”

Jada suffers from a condition called alopecia areata, a disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss.

Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, while introducing the nominations for Best Documentary.

“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” Rock joked, apparently making reference to Pinkett Smith’s short haircut in relation to Demi Moore’s US Navy Seals military haircut in the film G.I. Jane.

The broadcast was interrupted by an awkward tape delay, cutting to Smith saying something to Rock with faint audio of the interaction.

Online video of the uncensored part of the broadcast showed Smith walking up on stage and slapping Rock with an open hand across the face before walking back to his seat.

Right after the hit, Rock said, “Wow. Oh wow.”

The cameras cut back to Smith, who shouted at Rock: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f-ing mouth!”

Smith later won the Oscar for Best Actor for the film King Richard, where he plays the protective father to tennis phenoms Venus and Serena Williams.

He cryptically addressed the situation in his acceptance speech, referring to his role in the film.

“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” said Smith. “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said…like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams.”

“I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people,” Smith continued. “I know to do what we do, you gotta be able to take abuse, you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespect you, and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that’s okay.”

“Denzel said to me a few minutes ago,” Smith went on, referring to his conversation with fellow Best Actor nominee Denzel Washington, “he said ‘at your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.’”

Smith did not mention Rock by name, but offered a general apology to the Academy during his speech.

“I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees,” he said. “Thank you. I hope the Academy invites me back.”

Pakistani fans of the dreamboat Düzyatan, who has a serious following, especially in Middle Eastern and Asian countries, held an honorary dinner for the famous ghazi at the Royal Regency headquarters in London’s Stratford district.

Qurban Hussain and Wajid Khan from the British Parliament's House of Lords, the opposition Labor Party's Imran Hussain, former member of the European Parliament Sajjad Karim and Turkiye's Consul General in London Bekir Utku Atahan also attended the dinner.

"I am very happy to be here. Thank you very much for organizing such an event and inviting me," the famous actor said, conveying his heartfelt greetings to the audience who showered him with attention throughout the event.

The producer of the series, Kemal Tekden, was awarded the "best producer" award, while RGB production, owned by producer Umit Sonmez, was given the "organization" award.

Often described as the Turkish Game of Thrones, the series is woven around 13th century Anatolia and tells the story prior to the establishment of the Ottoman Empire. It illustrates the struggle of Ertugrul Gazi, father of the empire's founder.

The series illustrates the struggle of Ertuğrul and his warriors against a plethora of adversaries from the Knights Templar to Mongol invaders.

writing by Mustafa Ghanim

"Everyone needs to do as much as they can ... there's been a record number of people volunteering to take people into their homes, I hope to be part of that myself," Benedict Cumberbatch told Sky News Sunday on the red carpet of the British Academy Film Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The British government’s "Homes for Ukraine" scheme will allow members of the public, and businesses alike, to offer refugees accommodation in Britain—even if they don’t have any family ties in the country.

 "We all need ... to do more than wear a badge. We need to donate, we need to pressure our politicians to continue to create some kind of a refugee safety and a haven here for people who are suffering," he said.

Istanbul's Sisli district Mayor Muammer Keskin announced the death of the veteran actress on Twitter.

Girik was born in Istanbul in 1942.

The actress is renowned for her roles in cult Turkish movies, such as 1981’s Kanli Nigar (Bloody Mary) and 1962's Yilanlarin Ocu (Revenge of the Snakes) and in various TV shows.

She also participated in active politics and served as mayor of Sisli district from 1989 to 1994.

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of our former Sisli Mayor, dear Fatma Girik," Keskin said.

The documentary, named "Afgan Kadini (The Afghan Woman)" and produced by TRT, was directed by director Zeynep Kececiler, featuring the struggle of women in the war-torn country.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Kececiler highlighted the challenges that Afghani women had to endure.

"Especially now, my main character is in a very difficult situation because of what's going on in the country. But, they're still fighting for their girls to (be able to) go to school," she said.

The documentary was previously awarded in the 2020 Sicily Independent Film Awards and Sweden Film Awards.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk

Poitier's death was confirmed by officials in the Bahamas where he lived prior to his death. Additional details, including a cause of death, were not immediately available.

Bahamanian Prime Minister Philip Davis hailed Poitier as a "great Bahamian: a cultural icon, an actor and film director, an entrepreneur, civil and human rights activist."

"We admire the man, not just because of his colossal achievements, but also because of who he was: his strength of character; his willingness to stand up and be counted; and the way he plotted and navigated his life’s journey," Davis said in remarks broadcast on social media.

In addition to breaking multiple barriers for Black actors seeking to hit the big screen, Poitier was the first Black man and first Bahamanian to win an Oscar for best lead actor in 1964 for his role in "Lilies of the Field." In that film he portrayed a handyman who helped East German nuns build a chapel.

Poitier's on-screen credits include nearly five dozen films that hit screens from the 1940's to the 2000's. They include "The Defiant Ones," "The Greatest Story Ever Told," and "A Patch of Blue." He also had a handful of director credits.

“Sony’s comic-book epic has eclipsed that milestone in a near-record 12 days, tying with 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as the third-fastest film to reach the billion-dollar benchmark,” US entertainment magazine Variety reported on Sunday.

This came at a time when countries are taking measures to stem the spread of the highly transmissible omicron coronavirus variant and restricting closed-door events.

The blockbuster film, which stars Tom Holland, 25, in the lead role, is “the only movie since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” to surpass $1 billion globally,” the magazine said.

“No other Hollywood film has come close to nearing those box office revenues in the last two years,” it added.

The sequel is directed by Jon Watts and stars Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch as well as Zendaya.

“For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero's identity is revealed, bringing his Super Hero responsibilities into conflict with his normal life and putting those he cares about most at risk,” according to the film’s website.

The film hit Turkish theaters on Dec. 17 and has been seen by 1.3 million people so far, according to the Turkish Box Office.

Laxe's remarks came during the 7th Mercy to Universe film festival in Istanbul where he heads the gala’s international jury.

"When people ask me the secret of success, I answer: I haven't changed. Because I still keep my original innocence inside me like in early days," he said during his master class for industry professionals.

"I still go on as a boy, a boy who doesn't have too many fears, who doesn't calculate. And when you are like that, you have faith, you become optimistic," he said. "My advice is if you can connect with your inner child it will be very helpful.”

He said he is afraid when a path is "so easy, I don't like that" and he becomes afraid.

Referring to his work in cinema, he said he questions if the things are coming from the heart or ego when he needs to make a decision, adding, "one of the keys to knowing that it is coming from the heart -- it will not disappear in time."

Laxe noted that innocence always has a role in his films, especially feature-length projects.

In his first feature-length film, You All Are Captains, he saw himself as a child.

"One of the good things of trying to be a child as an adult is living things like a first time," he said.

"In my second feature-length film, Mimosas, you see that innocence again which we don’t have nowadays," he said. "There is an almost angelic innocence there."

He added that his last one, Fire Will Come, also has a character that symbolizes innocence but fails to express it.

Laxe has received three awards at the Cannes Film Festival for his feature-length films.

- Image-based cinema

"There are many types of cinema directors. I am an image cinematographer," said Laxe. "The ontology of my cinema is image-based."

He said he feels content when there are two to three images that affect the audience in the movie.

"I want these images to impress the audience during and after the movie. I am working for this," he said.

The director called his latest film, Fire Will Come, the "most mature" work he has done.

He said the film not only affected those who follow cinema closely but those who have been away for 30 years.

"It was the first time I felt that my work, my film, served the community this good," he said.

- 'My motivation is less egoist today'

Underlining that his motivation right now is "less egoist" compared to his motivation for his first film, Laxe said: I think after Mimosas, I realized that the service I will give to the audience is more important than my work."

"I don't have a tendency to make as many films as I used to, but now I'm doing them to serve the cinema a little more," he said, adding that he questions if his current work and service are sufficient.

The project he is working on now takes place in Morocco and "it will be an instinctive movie like Mimosas."

On Turkey, the director said it is a country "with a lot of tradition, with great excellence and a beautiful image"

- 7th Mercy to Universe film festival

The week-long festival, which kicked off on Monday at Atlas Cinema is being organized in cooperation with the Siyer Foundation and the Fidan Art Foundation and is supported by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, with Anadolu Agency as its global communication partner.

The festival aims to introduce the teachings of Prophet Muhammad to the world.

The ceremony at an in-person black-tie gala in New York City was hosted by Yvonne Orji.

The UK dominated the top acting categories with David Tennant receiving the award for his serial killer role in Des and Hayley Squires for Adult Material.

Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice received the first-ever Emmy for a program from Thailand.

The 11 winning programs and performances span eight countries: France, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, China, Thailand, the UK and the US.

"We are delighted to be able to gather the global television community, in-person again, in New York to celebrate the world’s best television," said International Academy President amp; CEO Bruce Paisner.

"The diversity and geographic spread of tonight’s winners demonstrate once again the universal power of great storytelling and performances," added Paisner.

A virtual event was held last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the winners:

Arts Programming: Kubrick By Kubrick - France

Best Performance By An Actor: David Tennant in Des - UK

Best Performance By An Actress: Hayley Squires in Adult Material - UK

Short-Form Series: INSiDE - New Zealand

Non-English Language US Primetime Program: 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards - US

Documentary: Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice - Thailand

Non-Scripted Entertainment: The Masked Singer - UK

TV Movie/Mini-Series: Atlantic Crossing - Norway

Telenovela: The Song of Glory - China

Comedy: Call My Agent! – Season 4 - France

Drama Series: Tehran - Israel

The documentary, The Factory, will "reveal the sinister network behind funding international terror," on the sixth anniversary of the 2015 Paris terror attacks, at TRT News, TRT World and TRT Arabi, a news release by TRT World said Thursday.

The documentary is "the result of a 2-year investigation and analysis of more than half a million documents," according to a statement that added the film revealed, "one of the darkest episodes of the Syrian War."

It details why Lafarge "decided to stay in Syria and keep its factory operative throughout the war, how EU funds were diverted to DAESH and the PKK, with the knowledge and cover-up of the French intelligence agencies, the steps taken by French politicians and intelligence agencies to save Lafarge from legal proceedings, and how the process of funding Daesh in Syria ended up financing 2015 Paris attacks," it said.

The Factory also includes interviews with former French figures like the head of the General Directorate for External Security Alain Julliet, Finance Minister Michel Sapin, Ambassador to Syria Michel Duclos, lawmaker Gerard Bapt, and "specialists from French intelligence and security, attorneys, Lafarge's former employees and victims of Paris attacks."

It was produced by the Exclusive News and Content Department at TRT World, with executive producer and director Abdulkadir Karakelle, producer Omer Faruk Tunc and director of cinematography Guray Ervin.

French support for Daesh

Documents obtained by Anadolu Agency showed Lafarge told French intelligence agencies about its ties to the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

The documents exposed how Lafarge, charged with complicity in crimes against humanity regarding funding Daesh/ISIS operations in Syria, had a relationship with the terror outfit that French intelligence fully knew about.

French agencies, according to data obtained, used Lafarge's network to get intelligence in the region and maintain operations.

More than 150 actors and others from the world of film and TV from various countries attended the award ceremony held in Dubai.

Celal Al, who plays Abdurrahman in the wildly popular historical series Resurrection: Ertugrul, and Emre Uctepe, who plays young Osman Bey, were both recipients of the Global Influence Award.

Celal Al told Anadolu Agency that he was honored and grateful to receive an award from his “Pakistani brothers.”

Saying that he is very happy to be deemed worthy of international recognition, Al thanked those who made the award possible.

He added that Turkish TV series are loved and watched in Pakistan, like in many other countries outside Turkey.

Al encouraged his Pakistani fans to come and visit Turkish cities like Istanbul, Bursa, Ankara, Artvin, and Rize.

The fourth edition of the country’s star-studded International Pakistan Prestige Awards (IPPA) was held with the participation of Pakistani and Turkish officials, actors, directors and producers.

Pakistani actors Adnan Siddiqui, Iqra Aziz, Meera Ji, Hania Amir and Sonya Hussyn were among the celebrities who attended the awards in addition to producers and other film industry staff from the South Asian nation.

Imran Ismail, governor of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said Pakistan and Turkey are “working to bridge the gap” in the film industry.

“Pakistan and Turkey started this journey of love and solidarity ever since the Khilafat Movement,” Ismail told the audience, referring to help extended by Muslims of South Asia to Turkey during its war of independence after World War I.

“Istanbul is close to our hearts,” he said to a rousing reception from the audience as the hall glittered with red and green colors while the national anthems of the two countries were played.

“We take love from Istanbul when we return to our homes…We take inspiration from each other’s culture, and now we are trying joint projects in the film industry.”

“This is the biggest, star-studded and only independent Pakistani international awards event that recognizes Pakistani talent in the fields of music, fashion, television and films and celebrates them overseas, in order to improve the image of Pakistan on a global platform,” the IPPA Awards notes on its website.

‘Gov’t to provide good platform to film stars’

Ismail, a senior member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said the “stars of the Pakistani industry need a good platform.”

“It is the responsibility of the government to provide such a platform for this honorable profession,” he said, adding “Pakistan and Turkey will together provide a good platform to our stars who are no less than anyone else in the world’s film industry.”

He said exchange programs and joint projects in the film industry between the two countries “will help us learn, exchange experiences, surge viewership and reinforce our industry.”

Held on the banks of the Golden Horn, a major urban waterway in Istanbul, with “sweet” Urdu songs playing in the background, droves of Turkish and Pakistani big screen fans and Pakistani expats living in Turkey and their families were seen making their way to meet the visiting Pakistani actors and taking selfies and family photos with them.

Ahmet Misbah Demircan, Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, addressing the participants spoke on the historic relations between the two countries.

Shanaz Ramzi, Public Relations Officer for IPPA, told Anadolu Agency that the event was held twice in the UK and once in Norway. The inaugural edition was held in London in 2017.

“Because of our close cultural and historic ties with Turkey, the IPPA Awards had been scheduling the Istanbul edition for the past two years,” she said, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the event until today.

Ramzi said the Pakistani people have “developed a love for Istanbul, especially because of the Ertugrul Ghazi drama series.”

The Turkish production of Ertugrul Ghazi earned a heroic status in Pakistan after the country’s state television broadcast a version in Urdu.

Within days of the first broadcast, the fan following for the series and its actors surged, especially for Engin Altan Duzyatan.

Often described as a Turkish Game of Thrones, the series tells the story before the establishment of the Ottoman Empire in 13th century Anatolia. It illustrates the struggle of Ertugrul Gazi, the father of the empire's first leader.

“The IPPA Awards showcases the positive side of Pakistan, and we would like our Turkish friends and counterparts to visit Pakistan like we are doing,” she said.

The IPPA Awards on the occasion also honored successful Pakistani businessmen in Turkey.

Open to visitors in Istanbul from Oct. 23-30, the annual film festival will be held with the slogan Despite Everything, a reference to the novel coronavirus pandemic and its effects.

For National Feature, TRT co-productions Between Two Dawns and The Hoop will compete for a Golden Dolphin.

Corridor, an award-winning 2020 film, will also take part in the competition.

The Sacred Spirit, a Spanish production that premiered in the main competition section of the Locarno Film Festival, as well as The Hoop and Hungarian production Wild Roots which premiered at the Karlovy Film Festival, will also take part in the International Feature Competition Awards.

Two films from TRT will compete in the national competition, High Altitude or Awkwardness of the Things, directed by Turkish filmmaker Emir Kulal Haznevi, and Lifeline: The Brothers Who Hold the Same Breath produced and directed by Abdullah Sahin, will compete in the National Short Fiction Competition.

TRT Co-Production Award will be given to a project on the Pitching Platform, organized as part of the Bosphorus Film Lab, the industry section of the festival where projects at the scenario stage compete.

This year's jury of the Pitching Platform will include Cannes Film Festival Cinefodation Executive Director Georges Goldenstern, Polish Film Institute Film Production and Film Project Development Department Director Kamila Morgisz, and TRT Cinema Director Faruk Guven.

In total, 12 TRT co-productions are competing in the festival.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit

The festival, which is being held from Oct. 23-30 with contributions from the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s General Directorate of Cinema, TRT's Corporate Business Partnership and Anadolu Agency's Global Communication Partnership, is hosting famous and successful cinema professionals from around the world in Istanbul.

The festival opened with Bosnian director Danis Tanovic's film, Not So Friendly Neighborhood Affair, which made its world premiere at the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival in August.

Cinema lovers showed great interest in the masterclass held at Istanbul's Atlas 1948 Cinema, which was moderated by Bosphorus Film Festival Artistic Director Emrah Kilic.

Tanovic, who has produced films such as "No Man's Land,” "Death in Sarajevo,” "An Episode in the Life of An Iron Picker" and "Cirkus Columbia,” said he started his career with documentaries and then shot the war in Sarajevo.

He said when the war started, he had moved to Belgium, and said the reason he decided to shoot films was because the aired films were bad.

"I was thinking how I can shoot better ones, and so my wife encouraged me and I started to write scenarios," he said.

Film screenings at the Bosphorus Film Festival are being held at the Atlas 1948 Cinema and Kadikoy Cinema.

Festival tickets were offered for sale on mobilet.com for 10 liras ($1) for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. sessions and 15 liras ($1.50) for 6.30 p.m. and 9 p.m. sessions. In addition, tickets can be purchased from the Atlas 1948 Cinema and Kadikoy Cinema box offices during the festival.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit

Released by the global streaming service on Sept. 17, the South Korean drama series was watched by 142 million member households in its first four weeks, according to the company's financial results statement on Tuesday.

"The breadth of Squid Game’s popularity is truly amazing; this show has been ranked as our no. 1 program in 94 countries, including the US," it said.

The company's global paid memberships hit 213.5 million in the July-September period of the year -- up 9.4% from 195.1 million the same period of last year.

Netflix said it estimates global paid memberships climbing to over 222 million in the October-December period of this year.

It saw its net income reach around $1.45 billion in the third quarter, which rose 83.5% from $790 million in the same period of 2020.

Its revenue increased around 17% to almost $7.5 billion, from $6.4 billion, year-over-year.

Tanovic is set to receive an honor award on the festival's opening night that will feature a showing of his movie, Not So Friendly Neighborhood, which had premiered at the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival in August.

He is also scheduled to meet film lovers during a masterclass event on Oct. 24 at the Atlas Cinema.

For the movie No Man's Land, the 52-year-old Tanovic had won an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and a Golden Globe for Best Picture in a Foreign Language.

His 2013 drama An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker got a Jury Grand Prix and Award for Best Actor at the 63rd Berlin Film Festival where it premiered.

He won another Jury Grand Prix at the 66th Berlin Film Festival for Death in Sarajevo, along with a FIPRESCI Award. The film also got an honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the 20th Sarajevo Film Festival.

The last screening of this year's Bosphorus Film Festival will be on Oct. 29 of director Will Sharpe's The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, which stars British actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy.

The screenings will be at Atlas 1948 on Istanbul's European side and Kadikoy Cinemas on the metropolis’ Asian side.

Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner for the festival.

All details are available on the event’s website – www.bogazicifilmfestivali.com – and social media accounts.

*Writing by Merve Berker

The Bosphorus Culture and Arts Foundation announced the jury members for the event which is organized with the support of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry as well as Turkey's national broadcaster TRT. Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner for the festival.

Among the jury members is Anne Delseth who has been a member of the Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight selection committee since 2012. She also joined the selection team of the Locarno Festival for the 2018 edition. Delseth has also served as a consultant for the Neuchatel Fantastic Film Festival and the Zurich Film Festival.

Kamyar Mohsenin from Iran is another Jury member. Mohsenin was involved in the organization of international film events such as Fajr, Iranian Film Market, Children and Young Adults, Kish, and Urban. Mohsenin has served as a jury member in different film festivals, including Shanghai International Film Festival.

Among other jury members are Svetla Tsotsorkova, whose first feature film Thirst had its world premiere at San Sebastian Film Festival New Directors Competition in 2015; and Yoshi Yatabe, who joined the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2002 and 2007.

The Bosphorus international festival will award films in several categories. The grand prize of the festival is 50,000 Turkish Lira (over $ 5,600).

On Thursday, the festival announced this year’s poster designed by Ege Oztayfun.

The hype surrounding the gruesome show has not yet plateaued, on the contrary, its popularity is through the roof as audiences can't seem to get over the Orwellian masterpiece. 

Written and directed by filmmaker Hwang Dong-hyuk, the nine-episode-long thriller is centered around vast socio-economic inequality, violence, and desperation, concepts most of us can empathize with.

It tells the tale—  or rather, nightmare— of a group of 456 debt-ridden hapless souls, who are lured to a remote island to fight to the death for the chance to score a whopping $38 million. To win this massive prize, contestants need to participate in six matches themed around real-life Korean children's games, such as tug-of-war and marbles. However, the seemingly youthful games contain a gory twist, as the losers get killed by pink-onesie-wearing enforcers, who look oddly like power rangers, and only one player is supposed to be left standing.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk spent more than ten years trying to develop the story. In a recent interview with CNN, he divulged the details of the addictive survival show’s success and characters.

Squid Game

"This is a story about losers," Hwang said, referring to the everyday life struggle in an atmosphere of neo-liberal late capitalism, in which the “winners” get to “level up.” 

He unveiled that the two main characters, Seong Gi-hun and Cho Sang-woo, are named after his old friends, describing them as his "inner clones." 

“They represent the two sides of me. Like Gi-hun, I was raised by a single mother in a financially troubled environment in Ssangmun-dong. At the same time, like Sang-woo, I went to Seoul National University, and my entire neighborhood praised me and had high expectations of me,”  Hwang concluded.

As the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the growing wealth gap, TV shows and films exploring the meaning of unfairness in the modern world appear to be increasing.

Squid Game fans are waiting for a second season; however, Netflix hasn't yet announced plans to renew the series just yet.

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Film Director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild, guided by cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, are traveling to the ISS to shoot scenes in the station itself and in outer space for the movie titled Vyzov (Challenge) about a female doctor who flies into orbit to save the life of an astronaut, the Russian State Corporation for Space Activities (Roscosmos) said in a statement.

Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Oleg Novitsky, and Pyotr Dubrov will also take part in the filming of the movie.

Before going to the ISS, the actress and director had trained for almost six months -- from May to October -- at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

They underwent technical, physical, psychological, and other types of training.

The film crew plans to spend 12 days at the ISS and then return on Oct. 17 aboard a Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft, piloted by cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky.

This year’s ceremony was hosted by Cedric the Entertainer at the L.A. Live’s Event Deck instead of its venue since 2008, the Microsoft Theater, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Around 500 nominees and guests joined the ceremony.

Here are the winners for the 2021 Emmy Awards:

Olivia Colman won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown, while Josh O’Connor received Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Prince Charles in the same drama series.

The Queen’s Gambit won the Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series award.

Some of the winners of 2021 are listed below:

Outstanding Drama Series: The Crown.

Outstanding Comedy Series: Ted Lasso.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Josh O’Connor, The Crown.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Olivia Colman, The Crown.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart, Hacks.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Tobias Menzies, The Crown.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Gillian Anderson, The Crown.

Outstanding Limited Series: The Queen’s Gambit.

A Standing Man, written and directed by Dragan Stanimirovic, aired at the Kovaci Multimedia Center in the capital Sarajevo.

The documentary tells the story of Fejzic who carves tombstones called stecak, which went extinct five centuries ago.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Stanimirovic said the idea of the documentary came to his mind when he first saw Fejzic work in front of the Australian parliament building.

He tried to contact Fejzic, but said he failed because the Bosnian sculptor did not use social media then.

“Five years later, I heard Fejzic started making a new tombstone in Sarajevo for the 25th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic relations between Denmark and Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said.

They finally got in touch and started shooting. Filming, however, was interrupted due to Fejzic’s health problems.

“Doctors asked Fejzic to rest for at least six months ... but fortunately, he managed to finish the stecak with the help of university students and sculptors," Stanimirovic said.

Emphasizing that Fejzic sees stecaks not as ordinary tombstones, but as unique cultural monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said: "Just like archaeologists and other experts, he argues that each of the 100,000 stecaks that have survived to the present day is different from one another."

"Stecak is the stone of the past and the future. I think it is a symbol of the encounters of cultures with each other as much as it is a symbol of the past," he said.

Almir Berkovac, the documentary producer, said they initially estimated the shooting would take a day or two, but it took more time as they traveled throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Denmark and Australia.

"Documentaries are alive, you never know what you will encounter from the moment you start shooting. Maybe that's what makes a documentary film special," he told Anadolu Agency.

Berkovac said people think they know about stecaks, but after examining the tombstones they realized their complexities, and tried to make the film both educational and visually appealing.

“One of our aims of making the film was to convey the stories on the tombstones, which are different from each other. The symbols on the stecaks carry profound stories about our history.”

The fourth AJB DOC Film Festival, of which Anadolu Agency is a global communication partner, began on Friday.

The event, running from Sept. 10-14, features 23 documentaries, including six world premieres, eight regional premieres and three special screenings. This year's theme is "Challenge.”

Three awards will be presented at the festival. A five-member international jury will choose the best film from the competition program and present the AJB DOC Main Award. All films in the competition program also compete for the AJB Program Award, awarded by the Al Jazeera Balkans Program Department Jury. All films screened at the festival will also compete for the Audience Award.

Spain's cinema queen grabbed the award for her starring role in Parallel Mothers, a film about two mothers who give birth on the same day.

The movie was written and directed by famed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

Philippines star John Arcilla won best actor at the world's oldest film festival, although his win was not expected.

He won for this performance in the crime thriller, On the Job: The Missing 8.

Audrey Diwan's abortion drama, Happening, about a 1960s French college student, won the Golden Lion award.

The runner-up for the Silver Lion prize went to Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God.

Fortune also favored New Zealand's shining icon Jane Campion, who won the Silver Lion, the best director trophy at the festival for The Power of the Dog.

Best screenplay was given to Maggie Gyllenhaal for her directorial debut, The Lost Daughter.

The 79th Venice Film Festival will be held Aug. 31 to Sept. 10, 2022.

Zeydan Karalar, the mayor of Adana, who will organize the festival, said in a statement that one of Turkey's most prestigious cinematic events, the 28th edition of the festival will be held with COVID-19 measures in place.

This year's Honorary Awards will be given to Turkish actors Serif Sezer, Haluk Bilginer and director Yavuz Tugrul.

According to its website, the festival is “one of the long-established film festivals in Turkey,” and was inspired by director Yilmaz Guney, the winner of Golden Palm for Yol (1982), "at the wake of a new era which marked a divergence from the traditional cinema towards a political consciousness."

Whether it be the glamour or the thrill of wearing handmade couture pieces that could buy you a house in some countries, it is apparent that, wherever fashion goes, scandal is sure to follow.

Following favorites like The Devil Wears Prada, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, and even Why Women Kill, now comes the tale of the murder of Maurizio Gucci, based on the book “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed” by Sara Gay Forden.

Starring Oscar winners and nominees who frequently don the extravagant designs, such as Lady Gaga, who will star as Patrizia Reggiani, Jared Leto, Al Pacino, as well as Salma Hayek, it tells the story of Maurizio Gucci, played by Adam Driver, his loves and eventually, his death.

Maurizio wedded Patrizia Reggiani, known as the "Liz Taylor of luxury labels,” in 1973, and their marriage lasted 12 years before he left her for a younger woman, using the oldest story in the book: claiming he was going on a business trip. Patrizia was to receive half a million dollars in alimony every year.

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It was a “lovely spring morning” four years after their divorce was made official, on March 27, 1995,  according to the only witness in the trial, when Maurizio, 46, was murdered by a hitman, with three shots fired to his back and one final blow to his head.

Patrizia was arrested two years later on Jan. 31, 1997, for orchestrating her former husband’s murder as prosecutors put forth greed and jealousy as motives for her crime. Her alimony would have been halved had Maurizio married his new partner.

Patrizia, who wrote in her diary the Greek word for paradise (paradeisos) the day Gucci was assassinated, was originally sentenced to 29 years in prison but released in 2014 after serving 16 years, according to a Guardian article, with even a suicide attempt under her belt, all the while constantly reaffirming her innocence. 

“Patrizia, why did you hire a hitman to kill Maurizio Gucci? Why didn’t you shoot him yourself?” a reporter scathingly asked her around the time she was released.

“My eyesight is not so good,” she retorted. “I didn’t want to miss,” she says with a wit and flair Oscar Wilde and P.G. Wodehouse would deeply appreciate.

With its star-studded cast, it doesn’t seem that “House of Gucci,” which is set to be released on November 25 in the U.S., will remain in the closet.

After it was forced to host a scaled-down version last year amid the global lockdown, the festival is set to unveil its full itinerary of events including a new section called Cannes Premiere from July 6-17. American actor and director Jodie Foster will be the guest of honor kickstarting the opening ceremony.

An introductory meeting for the 7th iteration of the event was held on Friday.

The festival will be supported by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry with Anadolu Agency as its global communication partner.

The festival, which aims to introduce the teachings of Prophet Muhammad to the world, is organized by the Fidan Art and Siyer (Al-Sira) Foundations.

Speaking at the meeting, Abdulbaki Baser, chairman of the Fidan Art Foundation, said the festival is using cinema to spread the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

Baser stated that the categories of animation, screenplay and documentary have been added to the festival in the past years.

He added that they have trained many students at the Hassan Bin Sabit Cinema Academy on script, direction, short film and cinematography.

"As Siyer Foundation, we have established a brand new foundation, named Fidan Art, with our friends in order to raise the bar for all these works and to realize new projects at the same time," he added.

Cemil Nazli, director of the festival, said this year they will not follow a set theme, but contestants can narrate any aspect of Prophet Muhammad's life.

The winners in total will receive 100,000 Turkish liras ($11,749), he said.

We also want to shortlist seven projects for a funding of 200,000 liras ($23,917), Nazli added.

Turkey's state broadcaster TRT will also extend support to the festival.

TRT Joint and External Productions Manager Faruk Guven said the festival produces valuable screenplays which get great response in Turkey and the world.

In the national category, best short film fiction will be awarded 25,000 liras ($2,937), short documentary 15,000 liras ($1,762) and short animation 10,000 liras ($1,174).

In the international category, 25,000 ($2,937) liras will be presented to the best short film, 15,000 liras ($1,762) to best short documentary, and 10,000 liras ($1,174) to best short animation.

Entries will be accepted until Oct. 31 at http://alemlererahmetfilm.com.

The 200 most popular films produced in 2017-2019 in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand were examined by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative of the University of Southern California in the report "Missing amp; Maligned: The Reality of Muslims in Popular Global Movies," the researchers said in a statement on Friday.

According to the research, Muslim characters got 5.6% of the screen time in Australian films. While the US and the UK both gave 1.1%, New Zealand – the site of a horrific massacre of 51 Muslims in March 2019 – did not include a single Muslim in any of their movies produced over a three-year period.

- Muslim women on screen

When it comes to the on-screen presence of Muslim women, the UK had the highest rate, with 36.7%, followed by the US (25.5%), Australia (15.9%), and New Zealand (0%).

The overall percentage of on-screen Muslim female representation was found to be 23.6%, with men taking 76.4% of the roles.

“This is a ratio of 3.2 male Muslim characters to every 1 female Muslim character,” said the study.

The study also found that “90.5% of 200 films did not feature even one Muslim speaking character," or 181 films out of a total of 200.

- How Muslims are represented

On the ways Muslims are represented in those films, the researchers said they are racially profiled, as unlike other religious or ethnic identities, “Muslim characters are linked to violence.”

Strikingly, it said: “19% of Muslim primary and secondary characters died by the end of the film. Five of eight died by violent means.”

In the films examined, the researchers also found that modern-day Muslim characters are rare.

It explained: “73.1% of the Muslim characters shown in present-day contexts appeared in just two films. Five of six lead Muslim characters were shown in films set in the past.”

In terms of the Muslim representation in different film genres, the study said: “Young audiences will find few Muslim characters in film.”

“Of 23 animated films, not one depicted a Muslim character. Across 8,965 speaking characters in 200 top films, only 7 were Muslim children.”

- Diversity missing, disparagement present

Moreover, according to the study, the Muslim characters portrayed did not reflect a diverse community.

“Out of 200 films and 8,965 characters, one Muslim man was LGBTQ. One Muslim man was depicted with a disability out of 200 films and 8,965 characters,” the report indicated.

Films portray Muslims as "foreign," according to the study's findings. “Of 41 primary and secondary Muslim characters, 58.5% were immigrants, migrants or refugees, 87.8% spoke no English or spoke with an accent, and 75.6% wore clothes related to their faith.”

Researchers said their examination of 200 globally popular films found that Muslim characters “are still shown as subservient."

“Muslim women were primarily shown as romantic partners and family members. Muslim characters were depicted in secondary roles that served white leads,” said the study.

“Disparagement is directed at Muslim characters,” the report said, cataloging a list of abusive words and phrases directed at or about Muslim characters, including insults related to language ability, class, and disease, slurs, and assumptions of links to terrorists.

The 93rd Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, were held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Directed by Asian-American Chloe Zhao, the film is about a woman in her 60s losing her job and all her property in Nevada amid the 2008 financial crisis. She sets out alone across the American West in her van and joins a caravan of nomads and travels through the western states of the US.

Nomadland was one of eight films selected for best picture. The other contenders included The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal and the Trial of the Chicago 7.

Mank, the dramatic re-telling of how screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz developed the screenplay for Citizen Kane, led all films with ten nominations.

Zhao became the second woman to receive the best director award in the 93-year history of the Oscars.

Frances McDormand added two more Oscars to her career on Sunday as she was a producer in Nomadland. She also grabbed Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the movie. McDormand, 63, had won the same award in 2018 with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; and in 1997 with Fargo.

Anthony Hopkins was awarded Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as an older man with dementia in The Father and has become the oldest acting Oscar winner in history. Hopkins, 83, had his first Oscar award in 1992 with The Silence of the Lambs for his role as Hannibal Lecter.

While Daniel Kaluuya was awarded Actor in a Supporting Role with Judas and the Black Messiah, South Korean Yuh-jung Youn bagged Actress in a Supporting Role.

Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller won the Adapted Screenplay award for The Father, and Emerald Fennell was awarded Original Screenplay in Promising Young Woman.

Other award winners are as follows:

Animated Feature Film: Soul (Pete Docter and Dana Murray)

Cinematography: Mank (Erik Messerschmidt)

Costume Design: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Ann Roth)

Documentary Feature: My Octopus Teacher (Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster)

Documentary Short Subject: Colette (Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard)

Film Editing: Sound Of Metal (Mikkel E. G. Nielsen)

International Feature Film: Another Round, Denmark

Makeup and Hairstyling: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson)

Music Original Score: Soul (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)

Music Original Song: Fight For You, from Judas and the Black Messiah (Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas)

Production Design: Mank (Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale)

Short Film Animated: If Anything Happens I Love You (Will McCormack and Michael Govier)

Short Film Live Action: Two Distant Strangers (Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe)

Sound: Sound Of Metal (Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh)

Visual Effects: Tenet (Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher)

"Quo Vadis, Aida?" is the first attempt to tell the genocide in Srebrenica as a feature film. Directed by the acclaimed Jasmila Zbanic, the movie is inspired by Hasan Nuhanovic's book Under the UN Flag: The International Community and the Srebrenica Genocide. Initially, Nuhanovic and Zbanic were set to work together on this movie, but this arrangement fell apart. Instead, his story is told through a fictional female UN translator Aida Selmanagić, who is trying to save her husband and two sons.

Zbanic does an excellent job of conveying what it was like to live through the days of horror in July 26 years ago. With the Bosnian Serb army's capture of the UN safe haven of Srebrenica, the Bosniak Muslim population's fate was doomed. The enclave in eastern Bosnia that had been under siege and starved since 1992 was dealt a fatal blow by Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic and his forces. Bosnian Serb army's conquest meant that the Bosniak Muslim population was now at the mercy of genocidaires.

Facing an advancing and murderous Mladic and his troops, several thousand Bosniaks sought refuge in the UN compound in Potocari near Srebrenica. What should have been the safest compound in the already UN-declared safe haven proved only a waystation on the road to the killing fields. The Bosniak Muslim population was let down on several fronts. The long-hoped-for NATO airstrikes on Bosnian Serb forces around Srebrenica never materialized. Under an illogical arrangement, the UN had the so-called 'dual key' mechanism –essentially a veto– over NATO airstrikes in Bosnia. That the most formidable alliance in history would acquiesce to sharing decision-making powers with UN bureaucrats over the issue of airstrikes was politically unfathomable and militarily disastrous.

The Dutch battalion stationed in Srebrenica became the personification of the UN impotence writ large. Vacillating between being perpetrators and bystanders, the Dutch troops provided the Bosniak Muslims with false hope and a false sense of security. In times of genocide, a false sense of security can lull the victims into making decisions based on what the UN should officially stand for. On the other hand, tens of thousands of Bosniaks decided to head through the woods to the Bosnian government-controlled territory, and a number of them made it alive.

Bureaucratic indifference to an unfolding genocide deserves particular scholarly and policy attention. In "Quo Vadis, Aida?" the Dutch battalion refused to add Nuhanovic's family members to a list that could have saved other lives. Not only did the Dutch troops not come up with an idea of additional and, if necessary, fictional lists of UN staff members to save more lives, but they steadfastly rebuffed Hasan Nuhanovic's desperate attempts to save his immediate family. The infamous photograph of Dutchbat commander Thom Karremans drinking with General Mladic in July 1995 as the genocide was underway has come to symbolize the Dutch battalion and the UN's role in Srebrenica.

Co-produced by the Turkish state broadcaster (TRT), "Quo Vadis, Aida?" has been shortlisted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Feb. 9 in the International Feature Film category. The film has now been nominated for two BAFTA awards; best director and best film in a non-English language. If the film goes on to win an Oscar, it would be essential in telling the story of Srebrenica.

Telling the Bosnian genocide on screen is crucial for reaching a global audience but also in the fight against genocide denial, which has become particularly widespread over the past years. While books, academic articles and newspaper reports codifying the Bosnian genocide are significant, the medium for reaching a global audience is a feature film. At least three other aspects of the Bosnian genocide deserve to be told in this format.

A sequel to "Quo Vadis, Aida?" should be a feature film about what came to be dubbed the "Death March" of July 1995, when tens of thousands of Bosniaks broke out of Srebrenica and made their way through the woods to the Bosnian-controlled territory. Individual stories of survivors are breathtaking accounts of courage and resilience.

More than twenty-five years after the war, there is still no serious English-language feature film on the Siege of Sarajevo. The most prolonged siege in modern history has been well-documented but not featured in an internationally award-winning film.

Lastly, a feature film on the horrors of Bosnian Serb-run concentration camps across Bosnia from 1992 onwards has long been overdue. Court testimonies, memoirs, and then-reporting by American and European journalists provide ample material for conveying the story of concentration camps in Europe at the end of the 20th century.

By Dr. Hamza Karcic

(The writer is an associate professor at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Sarajevo)

* Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu Agency.

Shooting began in 2010 and lasted 10 years because of obstacles.

It tells the life story of Iran's first female rally champion Laleh Seddigh.

It narrates the legal, bureaucratic and social barriers faced by Iranian women engaged in sports.

The movie will be shown to an audience beginning March 21, director Asadullah Niknejad told Anadolu Agency.

“During the shooting process, we faced problems stemming from social issues. In the past years, we have struggled to solve these problems and finally accomplished a result,” said Niknejad.

Lead actress Sara Emiri said: “We had competitors. There was a lot of polemic going on around the movie. This project had many enemies. There were those who did everything to harm this project.”

“This movie will be our voice. We bend our efforts to complete the production. Our experiences and the subject covered in the movie are very similar,” Emiri added.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz

Born in Yemen in 1916, Sonku had strong connections to the Ottoman Empire.

Her father, Capt. Necati Bey, was an Ottoman officer, and her grandfather was 7th Army Commander Ibrahim Pasha.

Sonku's family came to Istanbul after the start of World War I, when Yemen seceded from the Ottoman Empire.

Her first stage performance was in secondary school when she played the role of a fairy in a play. At 16, she entered Darulbedayi, an Ottoman imperial theatre.

After getting through auditions, she began working as a trainee in 1932.

Her first claim to fame was the movie Batakli Damin Kizi Aysel (Damned Daughter Aysel), in 1934. After this, she became a known face in Darulbedayi, appearing in lead roles in plays by Shaw, Tolstoy, Shakespeare, and Chekhov.

In 1937 Sonku married actor Talat Artemel.

When director Seyfi Havaeri fell sick while filming a movie in 1949, Sonku completed the film, which she was already starring in.

With this, her directorial debut began.

The famed actress in 1950 founded her own company, Sonku Film, and directed the movie Vatan ve Namik Kemal (Homeland and Namik Kemal) with her husband.

It was nominated as the best movie by a local magazine, and Sonku was named the best actress.

Sonku was the lead actress, producer, and director of the movie Awaited Son in 1953. Turkish singer Zeki Muren also played his first role in the movie.

The movie had a record budget of 100,000 Turkish liras and earned 1 million liras, going down in the history of Turkish cinema as the first film produced by a woman.

However, this movie was the beginning of the end for her. A fire broke out in the Sonku Film offices in 1963, burning everything with it.

The heroine took to the bottle in its aftermath and so began her tragic financial difficulties.

In 1979, she was recognized by the Cinema Writers Association service award.

Two years later, in 1981, she died at the age of 65 after falling ill.

Statham, 53, said that he was very impressed by Turkish culture and hospitality and that he wanted to come back to sunny Antalya with his family.

Statham was in the Mediterranean resort city for his role in Five Eyes, the latest offering by British director Guy Ritchie.

While staying at a hotel at the Belek Tourism Center, Statham also met with Ali Safak Ozturk, the hotel chairman, who said he was glad to host the movie star.

Statham is known for his roles in recent Fast and Furious movies as well as the Transporter and Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Shooting in Antalya for Five Eyes began on Jan. 21.

In addition to the EXPO area, which was turned into a giant film set, filming took place in the historical district of Kaleici and the city’s Cumhuriyet Square.

Jasmila Zbanic was nominated for Best Director, and her film Quo Vadis Aida? was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th BAFTAs, set to be handed out by the British Academy of Cinema and Television Arts on April 11.

Quo Vadis, Aida? (Where are you going, Aida?) takes place at a UN base in the city of Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the days of the genocide when thousands of Bosnians, including women and children, were killed by Serb forces.

In the film, Bosnian-born Zbanic uses powerful cinematic language to follow the impact of the Bosnian war on its victims and witnesses, especially women and children.

Quo Vadis, Aida? is also on the shortlist for Best International Film at the 2021 Academy Awards, and was previously shown at the Venice and Toronto film festivals.

Out of 93 entries for the Best International Film Oscars, the film advanced to the top 15 shortlist, said TRT.

Besides Turkish national broadcaster TRT, other co-producers include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Romania, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, France, and Norway.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin