Welcome to the 12th Annual Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival!

We are honored to continue the tradition of presenting high caliber films and concerts at the annual Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival (BTFMF).

We actually started presenting Turkish films to the enthusiasts of international cinema in Boston about 18 years ago, as a part of our annual Boston Turkish Arts & Culture Festival (BTF). It was a time of new waves in Turkish cinema with the rise of new generation of prominent filmmakers such as Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Zeki Demirkubuz, Reha Erdem, Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Derviş Zaim, and Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, to name a few, which led us to found a separate festival for Turkish films twelve years ago.

The film screenings of the 12th Annual Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival will take place between March 21st – April 7th, 2013 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Festival program will continue with its music program through a concert series until April 27th.

The Festival will open on Thursday, March 21st with internationally acclaimed filmmaker Zeki Demirkubuz's "Inside" (Yeralti). Director Demirkubuz is praised worldwide for his work in independent cinema, and he is the first director ever to have two films screened at Cannes Film Festival with "Fate" and "Confession" (2001). Following the film screening we invite you to our festival opening reception, which has become a tradition over the years.

2013 Boston Turkish Film Festival Excellence in Turkish Cinema Award will be presented to Director Erden Kiral, following the screening of his latest film "Load" (Yuk). Erden Kiral is no stranger to the cinema enthusiasts following Turkish films. Kiral's 1980 film "On Fertile Lands" (Bereketli Topraklar Uzerinde), based on a novel by Orhan Kemal with the same title, is considered to be one of the classics of Turkish cinema. Erden Kiral's 1983 film "A Season in Hakkari" (Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim) won Silver Bear Prize at the 33rd Berlin Film Festival. "On Fertile Lands" will be screened at the festival on March 23rd.

"Mold" (Kuf) by director Ali Aydin, winner of Lion of the Future Award at Venice Film Festival and Silver Alexander at the Thessaloniki Film Festival will make its East Coast premiere at the Festival on March 23rd. Film's editor Ahmet Boyacioglu will be present for discussion after the screening.

Filmmaker Huseyin Karabey, who was the recipient of the Best Narrative Filmmaker Award at Tribeca Film Festival with "My Marlon and Brando" (Gitmek) in 2008, will be present for North America premiere of his new project, "Do Not Forget Me Istanbul" (Unutma Beni Istanbul), a collaboration of seven directors by short films on March 24th.

On April 5th we'll screen Director Emin Alper's film, "Beyond the Hill" (Tepenin Ardi), which has been winning numerous awards at international film festivals including Caligari Film Award Special Mention for First Film at Berlin Film Festival, considered as one of the best Turkish films of 2012.

Award-winning films of the 17th BTF Documentary and Short Film Competition will be screened, and an award ceremony will take place on March 22nd and 24th. "Silent" (Be Deng / Sessiz) by L. Rezan Yesilbas, winner of the Best Short Film Award at our competition, is also the winner of Palmes d'Or for Short Film at Cannes Film Festival. This year the short film award was split between "Silent" and "Musa" by Serhat Karaaslan. Koray Sevindi's "Bread" (Ekmek) received Short Film Audience Award. Award recipients in the documentary category are "Honor" (Ehre) by Aysun Bademsoy for Best Documentary, and "Life as a Fable - A Narrative" (Bir Hayati Masal Gibi Anlatmak) by Huseyin Karabey for Best Documentary Audience Award.

A panel discussion with the directors will take place after the film screenings on March 24th, moderated by film editor Peter Keough of The Phoenix.

There will be 19 selected films in the festival program: Inside | Yeralti by Zeki Demirkubuz, Honor | Ehre by Aysun Bademsoy, Load | Yuk and On Fertile Lands | Bereketli Topraklar Uzerinde by Erden Kiral, Mold | Kuf by Ali Aydin, Do Not Forget Me Istanbul | Unutma Beni Istanbul by Hany Abu-Assad, Stefan Arsenijevic, Aida Begic, Eric Nazarian, Stergios Niziris, Omar Shargawi, and Josefine Markarian, Silent | Be Deng by Rezan Yesilbas, Musa by Serhat Karaaslan, Bread | Ekmek by Koray Sevindi, Life as a Fable - A Narrative | Bir Hayati Masal Gibi Anlatmak by Huseyin Karabey, Know My Name | Siirt'in Sirri by Inan Temelkuran and Kristen Stevens, The Lost Songs of Anatolia | Anadolu'nun Kayip Sarkilari by Nezih Unen, The Extremely Tragic Story of Celal Tan and His Family | Celal Tan ve Ailesinin Asiri Acikli Hikayesi by Onur Unlu, Last Stop Salvation | Kurtulus Son Durak by Yusuf Pirhasan, The Labyrinth | Labirent by Tolga Ornek, Beyond the Hill | Tepenin Ardi by Emin Alper, Mahmut & Meryem | Mahmut ile Meryem by Mehmet Ada Oztekin, Voice of My Father | Babamin Sesi by Orhan Eskikoy and Zeynel Dogan, Strangers in the House | Evdeki Yabancilar by Dilek Keser and Ulas Gunes Kacargil.

In our music program, this year we are honored to present you a very special concert series. We invite you on April 14th at 3 p.m. to a concert by a world-class pianist, Gulsin Onay, considered to be an exceptional Chopin interpreter and honored by State Medal of Poland, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

On April 20th at 8 p.m. at the Goethe Institut Boston, Taxim Square will perform a selection of unforgettable songs of Turkish and Mediterranean music in folk, pop, and jazz styles.

Our last concert and closing event of the festival, "The Harp in Makams" on April 27th at 8 p.m.

Organizing a festival undoubtedly is a collaborative effort of many individuals and organizations. With this opportunity, I would like to thank our supporters, board members and co-presenters as well as individual, corporate and organizational sponsors whose commitment and collaboration have made this festival possible. We hope that you would also continue to be a part of this cultural tradition in Boston.

Enjoy the Festival!

Erkut Gömülü
Director and Founder
Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival