Netherlands launches new Turkish-Dutch Film Festival

Twenty-six Turkish films will be shown in an upcoming film festival in the Netherlands that is set to mark its inaugural edition from June 5-9 in Rotterdam, Turkish news agencies reported this week. The Red Tulip Film Festival, a joint effort between the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Cultural Foundation Netherlands Turkey, will present short films and documentaries as well as a selection of international award-winning recent feature films. The festival, coming around a year after Turkey and the Netherlands marked the 400th anniversary of their diplomatic ties with a packed program of cultural events that lasted for around a year in both countries, is aimed at fostering cultural ties between the two countries even further, Sevinc Baloglu, the festival's Director, told the Anatolia news agency on Tuesday. Emin Alper's multiple award-winning debut feature "Tepenin Ardi" (Beyond the Hill), Reis Celik's critically acclaimed "Lal Gece" (Night of Silence), and Pelin Esmer's "Gozetleme Kulesi" (Watchtower), are among the highlights of the festival's feature film competition, Baloglu said. Reha Erdem's latest film, "Jin," which premiered at this year's Berlin Film Festival, female director Cigdem Vitrinel's "Geriye Kalan" (What Remains), Dervis Zaim's docudrama "Devir" (The Cycle) and Ahmet Sonmez's "Elveda Katya" (Farewell Katya) are the other films competing for the festival's top honors -- the best director and best film awards. Erden Kiral, the veteran director behind such critically acclaimed films as "Bereketli Topraklar Uzerinde" (On Fertile Lands) and "Av Zamani" (Hunting Time), will receive the special honor of the festival. The festival will also feature a selection of documentaries from the Netherlands in its documentary section.