Girne is to host the opening night of the first Golden Island International Film Festival (Giff) next month when Turkish Cypriot director Derviş Zaim´s film Balık (Fish) premiers at the November 6 launch at Girne American University.
Patrons Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece and London actor Tamer Hassan will attend the opening gala when the first Giff Honorary Cinema Awards will go to Mr Zaim and his two stars, Bülent Inal and Sanem Celik. alongside guest actors Demet Akbag and Erdal Özyagcilar.
The Creditwest Bank- and GAU-sponsored festival will run from Thursday, 6th to 13th of November and is organised by UK-based Balik Arts and the local Golden Island Cultare and Arts Association.
Festival director Yesim Güzelpinar said: “It´s fitting that Cyprus´s new international film festival opens with one of its most acclaimed directors, Dervis Zaim.”
”His new film Balik tackles the strained bonds between humans and nature. The film is both beautiful and bold in message: here´s what happens if you keep messing with nature.” The Limassol-born director said that he was thrilled to have been selected ”to open this new and promising film festival for Cyprus”.
The full festival programme will be released at the end of the month and films will be screened in the capital and its buffer zone, in Gazi Magusa and in Girne, including at the Goethe Institute, GAU, Eastern Mediterranean University and at Lemar cinemas.
Published on May 27th, 2014:
New film festival launched; Golden Island Film Festival
A new international film festival was launched in Nicosia on Saturday. Festival director Yesim Guzelpinar, British-Cypriot actor Tamer Hassan, Baroness Meral Ece-Hussein and Neil McCartney by Independent Film Trust was among a panel of six to address a press conference held in Nicosia on Saturday, May 24th. The opening ceremony for the Golden Island International Film Festival (GIIFF) will take place all over the island from November 7th to 13th, 2014. The event is organized by British-based charity Balik Arts and financially supported by Altinbas Group through Credit West Bank, the festival’s main sponsor.
Mr. Guzelpinar explained that GIIFF will display a high quality selection of fiction and documentary films, both short and long, from countries around the world.
Filmmakers can now submit their films to GIIFF online GoldenIslandFilmFestival.org. The deadline is 31st July 2014. Cypriot filmmakers can also join GIIFFs film competition with cash prizes of € 2,000 to the winners. There are two categories: for Best Short Fiction (up to 20 minutes), Best Documentary (any length), as well as individual prizes for Best Newcomers in each category.
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