Golden Globe's Vice President Praises Turkish Cinema

The vice-president of the Golden Globe Awards has praised the Turkish film industry.



Lorenzo Soria said Wednesday there were very good filmmakers, actors and actresses in Turkey. He also spoke highly of Turkey's Cannes-winning director Nuri Bilge Ceylan.



Soria is in Istanbul to take part in the second International Bosphorus Film Festival that began on Nov. 14.



He said it was difficult to bring Turkish film industry to the global stage because of fierce competition.



He added that film festivals were an important platform to support low-budget films.



About Ceylan's latest movie "Winter Sleep," he said the film was very impressive and deep.



He advised young Turkish filmmakers to be original and find their own voice. He added they should try to be international rather than local when they tell their stories.



The Anadolu Agency is one of the main sponsors of the festival, which is organized by the Bogazici Cinema Association and the Istanbul Media Academy. It will run until Nov. 28.



The grand prize of the festival is 50,000 Turkish liras.



Festival tickets are free of charge and more than 180 films can be seen at theaters across Istanbul, including Atlas, Cine Majestik, Baglarbasi Culture Center, Tarik Zafer Tunaya Culture Center and Tophane-i Amire.



www.aa.com.tr/en - İstanbul