Yunus Emre Institute carries Turkish films to international platforms and organizes high-profile activities to introduce Türkiye's rich cultural heritage, which bears the traces of interaction between civilizations, to a wide audience.

The Red Tulip Film Festival, one of the most prestigious festivals held in the Netherlands in spring, opened its doors to cinema lovers for the 9^th time.

The 9th Red Tulip Film Festival was organized by Amsterdam Yunus Emre Institute and Red Tulip Foundation between May 26-June 4, 2023, with the support of various institutions and organizations from Türkiye and the Netherlands.

The opening program held in Amsterdam on May 26, 2023 was attended by the Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Amsterdam Mahmut Burak Ersoy, Amsterdam Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator Adil Akaltun, prominent figures from the cinema sectors of Türkiye and the Netherlands, cinema lovers and invited guests.

TURKISH FILMS REPRESENT TÜRKİYE IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA

Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Amsterdam Mahmut Burak Ersoy stated that Turkish films create valuable cultural bridges between Türkiye and other countries.

Noting that Turkish films represent Türkiye in the international arena quite well, Ambassador Ersoy said, "We see Turkish directors and actors returning from many festivals with awards. We are proud of their achievements. The movies are wonderful works that bring together the themes, lifestyles, culture and traditional life of modern-day Türkiye."

Amsterdam Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator Adil Akaltun expressed that as Yunus Emre Institute, they wish to come together with people from different cultures and pointed out the importance of the Red Tulip Film Festival in this sense.

Director Ferit Karahan's film "Brother's Keeper" was screened at the opening of the festival.

Ekin Koç, the main lead actor of the movie "Brother's Keeper", who attended the festival's opening ceremony, told the audience about his memories on the set of the movie.

Stating that he loves meeting with the audience at film festivals, Koç said, "I love being able to talk about cinema, our common interest with people from different countries who speak different languages."

DIRECTOR ÇAĞAN IRMAK MEETS CINEMA LOVERS

Çağan Irmak, director of films such as "My Grandfather's People" and "My Father and My Son", which were screened on May 29, 2023 as part of the Red Tulip Film Festival, met with cinema lovers after the screening.

Reminding those interested in cinema that they should not fear failure, Irmak said, "Cinema is not taught at school. It is learned by watching. It is great to be a student of cinema but it is not necessary to cling to what is taught at universities as ‘the only truth'. What we learn at school is a mere thesis. A director can implement the exact opposite of what they teach in schools.”

"DIRECTING MEANS CONNECTING THE RIGHT DOTS"

Defining directing as "connecting the right dots", Irmak said, "Directing means finding the right musician, the right pen, the right stuff and then connecting them."

Irmak gave the example of how he accepted the offer of Evanthia Reboutsika, who composed the score for "My Father and My Son", which won the "Discovery of the Year" award at the World Soundtrack Awards.

Irmak stated that he really wanted Reboutsika to make the music for "My Father and My Son" and said, "We translated the script into Greek for her to read and sent it to her. Evanthia called me after reading just 30 pages and said: 'Okay, I will do the music for this movie.' Then that score went on to win an award."

"CINEMA SHOULD MATCH THE REALITY OF LIFE"

Irmak mentioned that what is depicted in cinema should match the reality of life and said, "The actor should play their role in keeping with the reality of life and portray their character without breaking away from reality."

Stating that in "My Grandfather's People" he purposefully left out certain elements that actually happened but that the audience would not believe, Irmak noted, "This is my favorite among my films because it tells the life story of my grandfather and me. The way my grandfather left us was just like in the movie."

"BEST FILM AWARD" AND "LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD" PRESENTED AT THE FESTIVAL

This year, the festival featured films from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan in addition to Türkiye.

Nearly 30 films from a vast selection representing different countries were screened in 5 different cities of the Netherlands, namely Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Schiedam, Maastricht and Eindhoven, until June 4, 2023.

At the closing program of the 9^th Red Tulip Film Festival held on June 4, 2023, Emre Kayış' film "Anatolian Leopard" received the "Best Film" award.

Hale Soygazi, a prominent figure in Turkish cinema, was presented with the "Lifetime Achievement Award". The Red Tulip Film Festival ended with Soygazi’s speech after receiving her award.