The Ayvalık International Film Festival Comes to a Close Today
The Ayvalık International Film Festival, which kicked off on September 17, bids farewell to audiences today after six action-packed days. Organized by the Eye Society in collaboration with the Ayvalık Municipality, the festival will host children today for the second day of Seyir Children’s Weekend, featuring a variety of workshops ranging from children’s yoga to dubbing, and from archaeology to dance. As film screenings continue at four different venues, Dargeçitdocumentary director Berke Baş, Bildiğin Gibi Değil director Vuslat Saraçoğlu, lead actors Hazal Türesan, Serdar Orçin, Alican Yücesoy, and producer Mehmet Can Ünlü will meet with the audience during post-screening discussions. Prof. Dr. Ali Albert Salah and Assistant Professor Dr. Almıla Akdağ from the Department of Computer Science at Utrecht University will deliver a talk titled “Artificial Intelligence and Creativity.”
Following the screening of the 2013 film Ben O Değilim , the film’s director Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, lead actor Ercan Kesal, and psychoanalyst Yavuz Erten engaged in a conversation with the audience about the themes explored in the film. The discussion, which lasted approximately two hours and drew intense interest from the audience, examined the film from psychological and psychoanalytic perspectives. The film’s central themes—such as becoming someone else, harboring multiple identities within oneself, and the emergence of these identities at the most unexpected moments—were discussed together with the audience from psychological and psychoanalytic perspectives, encompassing the director’s exploration of identities during the creative process, the actor’s approach to embodying that identity, and the psychological implications for viewers.
Levan Akın, the Swedish director of Georgian descent whom we know from And Then We Danced, screened Crossing—a film he shot largely in Istanbul and describes as “a love letter to Istanbul”—as part of the festival. Lucas Kankava, one of the film’s lead actors, came to Ayvalık for the screening.
Lucas Kankava: “We wanted to reflect the challenges between people from the old generation and the youth of today. My character’s main struggle is wanting to leave the country. When we were told we’d be staying in Istanbul for the shoot, it seemed like a big deal at first, but I got used to it right away after arriving in Istanbul. Istanbul had a very positive effect on me, and I felt great. Of course, the biggest part of that comfort and beauty was thanks to our director, Levan. He was so approachable and motivating that we didn’t just shoot this film—we practically lived it.”
On the first day of Seyir Children’s Weekend, the children turned a story they’d imagined into a screenplay and filmed it; they visited a fairy-tale world; they drew pictures accompanied by music and dance; and they used their imagination and manual skills to create wearable designs. At the Sabancı University Küçükköy Creative Technologies Workshop, the children’s film Fox and Hare Save the Forest, directed by Mascha Halberstad, was screened with a Turkish dub.
Three films directed by Ayvalık-based dance artist Aydın Teker, based on his performances—Sürgün, Üç Faz , and Renewal—were also shown on the big screen last night. Aydın Teker also led an engaging conversation about dance following the screenings.
This year, festival screenings are taking place at Ayvalık Municipality Vural Cinema Nejat Uygur Stage, Fabrika Ayvalık, İsmet İnönü Cultural Center, ASKEV Sera, and Kırlangıç Ayvalık. Ticket prices are 150 TL for full price and 100 TL for discounted tickets. Screenings at ASKEV Sera and Kırlangıç Ayvalık are free of charge.
Ayvalık International Film Festival; Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality, Ayvalık Municipality, Space for Culture,Mey|Diageo, Paribu, Kürşat Olive Oils, Komili, Bilginer-Melin Ayvalık Art, Culture, and Education Foundation, Dutch Consulate, Zeze/Ayvalık, OGM Pictures, Gold Film, Ayvalık Macaron Colony, Karga7, Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, Asteros Film, Kendine Has, MUBI, Borusan Otomotiv, Manzara Holiday Homes, Ayvalıkzade,L’Arancia Cunda, Kadıköy Cinema, Macaron Muhallebicisi, Ayvalık Chamber of Commerce, Nona Cunda, Zoi Cunda, Çöp(m)adam, Kratos, Ayvalık International Music Academy, British Council, Festival Friends Tibet Akhuy, Esra Başak, Ela Başak Atakan, Şerif Kaynar, Eren Tapan, and İnci Vural.