The launch of Turkey’s first Universal Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Festival, where creativity and science come together, took place on September 8th at the Atlas 1948 Cinema.
ISTANBUL (İGFA) – The 2nd Universal Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Festival, organized with the contributions of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Cinema General Directorate, will be held from September 26th to 29th at Yeşilçam Cinema, organized by the International Association of Science and Art Creators.
The opening speech of the launch was first delivered by Festival Director Filiz Dağ. Dağ emphasized that they made history when they organized the first one last year and mentioned that they set out with a very young, determined, and ambitious team to carry science and art into the future.
Filiz Dağ continued her words as follows: “In its 2nd year, our Universal Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Festival presents you with content worthy of the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. It is a new generation festival where we convey science and technology through the language of art. If our lives are going to be transformed by artificial intelligence, robots, Metaverse VR, AR, Space, Genetics, and Cryptocurrencies, we are preparing for them in advance. We welcome you with a selection of universal, extraordinary, time-traveling, even beyond time and from other universes. We wholeheartedly embrace Atatürk’s words, ‘My spiritual legacy is science and reason,’ and we believe in the future in the skies, in science, and in art!”
“We consider this festival as a tribute to cult films with superheroes!”
Following Filiz Dağ’s speech, Art Directors Gizem Ertürk and Göknur Topçu took the stage to announce the national feature-length competition films, and Art Directors Balım Tanrıöver and Aynur Kazaz announced the international feature-length competition films.
In their speeches, Gizem Ertürk and Göknur Topçu emphasized that they see the festival as an important platform to support artistic production in the science fiction and fantasy genres, which have produced less content throughout the long history of cinema, and to encourage filmmakers in this genre. They stated that they chose all national films this year based on their belief that they had unique contributions to make to the fantasy cinema. They also expressed that all the films in this year’s competition were valuable and inspiring in this sense.
Gizem Ertürk and Göknur Topçu continued their speeches as follows: “We consider the Universal Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival as a tribute to cult films with cowboys, pirates, aliens, masked knights, and superheroes, which have accompanied all of us from childhood to adulthood. We believe that many more cult films will be created in Turkey in this field.”
Films to Be Featured in the Festival Program Were Introduced
At the launch, it was announced that a total of 8 films, including 7 in the “National Feature-Length Selection” (7 in competition and 1 out of competition) and 9 films in the “International Competition” (6 in competition and 3 out of competition), will compete.
In the second year of the “National Competition,” the films of Barış Hancıoğulları’s “Yeniden Leyla,” Kaan Müjdeci’s “Iguana Tokyo,” Çağrı Cem Bayraklı’s “Hızlı Ayaklar Olimpiyat Yolunda,” Barış Sayhan’s “Cemil Şov,” Erdem Tepegöz’s “Gölgelerin İçinde,” Sezgin Cengiz’s “Tebessüm,” and Can Evrenol’s “Peri: Ağzı Olmayan Kız” will compete.
In the “Out of Competition” category, there will be a special screening of the documentary “Geleceği Yönetmek,” which tells the shooting process of Serpil Altın’s film “Bir Zamanlar Gelecek: 2121.”
In the “International Competition,” the films of exciting directors will be featured for the first time on the cinema screen in Turkey, including Daniel Lazo & Eran May-Raz’s “Sight Extended” and Tanel Toom’s “Last Sentinel.” The competition also includes the films of Kristina Buozyte & Bruno Samper’s “Vesper,” Gavin Rothery’s “Archive,” Hui Yu’s “Rescue Earth,” and Michel Hazanavicius’s “Final Cut.”
In addition, special screenings of Jim Jarmusch’s “Only Lovers Left Alive,” David Lowery’s “The Green Knight,” and Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Before We Vanish” will be held at the festival.
The Metaverse VR area by Ada7 developed by Akın Robotics, Atlas Space, and visual displays by Kia featuring the latest technology vehicles, as well as flight simulation by NorthFLY, provided additional visual experiences for festival attendees.
For detailed information about the Universal Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Festival, you can visit the us3f.com website and the festival’s social media accounts.