Films against prejudice

Special family relationships, deep friendships and the importance of an independent life are themes examined by films competing at the 18th Turkey-Germany Film Festival in Nuremberg. Organized by InterForum in cooperation with the City of Nuremberg’s KunstKulturQuartier, the German-Turkish film event has been held since 1992. Over the years the festival, which now lasts 11 days, has become one of Germany’s most important intercultural events and gained international recognition.

At the centre of the extensive film festival is a competition for German-Turkish feature films. This year the jury president is Michael Verhoeven. The award-winning film director is known for his commitment to cinematic art with a clear reference to society and politics. Over 100 films from Germany, Austria, France and Turkey competed in the preliminary selection process. Three films from Turkey, three from Germany and two Austrian co-productions were eventually nominated for the competition. From Turkey, for example, comes the film Ateşin Düştüğü Yer by Ismail Güneş in which a young pregnant woman refuses to reveal the name of the child’s father and her family want to punish her. This film also received an Oscar nomination as best foreign film.

The jury of the short films competition will be chaired by Hüseyin Karabey, a Kurdish director who has received several awards. Actors Hannelore Elsner and Türkan Şoray are also expected as guests of honour. Alongside the films in the competition there is also a series of “Film Landscapes”, in which feature and documentary films are being shown that are typical of the respective film industry. As a result, the festival offers a unique overview of contemporary filmmaking in Germany and Turkey.

18th Turkey-Germany Film Festival from 14 to 24 March 2013 in Nuremberg

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