TEHRAN – For the first time in eight years, Iranian cinematographer Turaj Aslani will serve as a member of the jury at the 3rd Amed Film Festival, which will be held from December 7th to 14th in Diyarbakir, Turkey.
Aslani will be one of five jurors in the Kurdish film section of the festival, which brings together Kurdish and international films, with 84 films, workshops, project funds and an exhibition of director and screenwriter Yilmaz Güny’s “Yor”.
Aslani, a renowned and award-winning cinematographer, will also be holding a masterclass entitled “Between Seeing and Perceiving” during the festival.
Turaj Aslani (51), born in Kermanshah province, studied film direction at Sule University in Tehran. He started his professional career at the age of 25, becoming the youngest professional photographer in the Iranian film industry.
As an experienced cinematographer, he has shot over 100 films in different countries and won prestigious awards all over the world. He also works as a director, investor, executive manager, and producer of documentary and fiction films.
He has served as a juror at reputed film and photography festivals and organized numerous workshops in the field of photography and film. He is the founder of Mahd Movie Company and Mahd Film School, Iran’s first school offering comprehensive professional courses in cinematography.
After turning into a director, his feature films “Jingo” (2014), “Gold Carrier” (2018), and “Landless” (2020) were screened at international film festivals.
The Amed Film Festival was established in 2012 at the initiative of the City of Amed and the Middle East Film Academy. The aim from the beginning has been to provide a platform for primarily independent filmmakers, especially those from the Kurdish region, who work beyond industrial and political constraints, work with feminist, ecological and democratic approaches, and see cinema as a site of resistance and self-development.
With this focus, the festival quickly became a magnet for filmmakers from Kurdistan, West Asia, and beyond. The first two editions brought together artists who question boundaries, not only aesthetically but also socially.
The national section titled “Journey of Kurdish Cinema” will screen 16 feature films, 7 documentaries and 13 short films, many of which have won awards or have already been screened at other film festivals.
The international selection includes 10 feature films, 11 documentaries and 14 short films from Türkiye and abroad. The screening will include discussions and masterclasses with the film’s staff, including director Kasm Oz (Director in Cinema).
Once again, the central element of the festival is the Cinebeer Project Fund, which will award awards to 15 film projects (5 feature films, 5 documentaries and 5 short film scripts). The aim is to raise awareness of Kurdish material and support young filmmakers. The winning projects will be announced at the end of the festival.
Three thematic workshops enrich the program. Alin Nyanan Arslan will provide information on Kurdish cinema as the “cameraless center of a fragmented geography,” Hüliya Ugur Tanlievar will talk about women and narrative forms in film, and Ayşe Çetimbaş will discuss the production of independent documentaries.
SS/SAB