07-06-2010

FESTIVALS: Adana Film Festival is postponed

By Kerem Akca

    ISTANBUL: Adana Golden Boll Film Festival (www.goldenbollfilmfestival.com) due to be held from 7-13 June in the southern Turkey town of Adana has been postponed.
    The event was postponed by the festival's main organizer and sponsor the Municipality of Adana in response to the "critical situation" according to a notice on the festival's official website. The announcement comes just a week before the festival was due to take place and has drawn criticism from the Turkish Critics Association.

    Speaking at a press conference Adana's deputy mayor Mustafa Tuncel said that he condemned Israel's attack on aid ships and also Sunday night's terrorist incident in Iskenderun, Turkey. He said a festival should not go ahead when people were mourning such events.
    Turkish critics have said the festival should go ahead not as a celebration but as a focus for promoting inter-cultural understanding. The event was to have featured Greek director Theo Anegelopoulos as guest of honour as well as a special programme Palestine: Longing for Peace with Palestinian filmmakers.
    According to the Turkish daily newspaper Sabah the festival is likely to be rescheduled for September of this year.