ISTANBUL – Anatolia News Agency
The Istanbul International Sports Film Festival will screen sports-themed movies.
Beyoğlu Municipality is hosting the Istanbul International FICTS Festival, a competition for sports-related films.
Speaking during a meeting prior to the festival’s kick-off Friday at Mimar Sinan University’s Fine Arts Department, Beyoğlu Mayor Ahmet Misbah Demircan said sports were a significant component of culture.
“We always focus on football, but sports suggest different things in the Far East or the United States, there is much we should learn from this and I believe this festival will be very useful for us,” he said.
Movies chosen in the competition will participate in the grand finale in Milan together with the winners from 15 countries holding similar contests. Demircan said the municipality could host FICTS’ grand finale in 2014.
Some 75 movies applied for the competition, 25 of which passed the preliminary elimination, FICTS festival Turkey coordinator Can Saraçoğlu said, adding that the festival’s jury included Osman Sınav, Serdar Akar, Uğur İçbak and Emre Zeytinoğlu.
The festival officially started Friday with an opening ceremony at the Beyoğlu Youth Center. The scope of the festival includes conferences titled “Sports for Masses, Art for Masses,” “Olympics and Sports Media” and “The Film Industry’s Role in the Development of Sports Branches.”
Screenings at Beyoğlu Youth Center
The Beyoğlu Youth Center will host screenings of sports-themed movies on Sunday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Also on Sunday, an exhibition on sports and art will be on display at Taksim Square, which will be accompanied by a Les Mills display featuring a choreographed exercise-to-music group fitness event.
The festival ends with an award ceremony on Monday at Hagia Irene Museum. The Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs, or FICTS, is an international sports movies federation.