Two veterans of Turkish cinema, actor Münir Özkul and scriptwriter and film producer Türker İnanoğlu, will be the recipients of lifetime achievement awards at next month’s Third Malatya International Film Festival, the annual festival’s organizers announced on Monday.
Set for Nov. 9-15 in the southeastern Anatolian province of Malatya, the third edition of the festival will also recognize famed Yeşilçam actors Kadir İnanır and Türkan Şoray as well as American independent filmmaker John Sayles with its honor awards, the Malatya Governor’s Office announced in a written statement.The Lifetime Achievement Crystal Apricot of the Malatya festival will be the first-ever lifetime achievement honor for Özkul, the 87-year-old former stage actor who is best recognized for his onscreen portrayals of a loving father in Turkish movies and particularly for his portrayal of school principal Kel Mahmut in the 1970s “Hababam Sınıfı” (Outrageous Class) comedy films.
İnanoğlu, a significant figure in the development of Yeşilçam as a former scriptwriter and producer, is also the founder of the İstanbul-based TÜRVAK Cinema-Theater Museum and Art Library, which was founded in 2001 by the foundation named after him and which reopened in January of 2011 in the Galatasaray quarter.
Sayles, the director of some 17 indie titles, who will receive the festival’s honor award along with Şoray and İnanır, is expected in Malatya to present four of his films as part of the festival.
The festival’s full program and its national and international competition titles are to be announced later this month.
(Today’s Zaman)
