The eagerly awaited 27th International Istanbul Film Festival has started with the opening gala held at the Lütfi Kirdar Convention and Exhibition Centre on the evening of April, 4th.

The opening ceremony of the 27th International Istanbul Film Festival took start with the opening speech of Sakir Eczacibasi, the Chairman of the Board of the Istanbul Foundation foe Culture and Arts, the organising institution of the festival. Cinema Honorary Awards were presented at the opening ceremony, as well as the acknowledgement plaques to the Festival Sponsor, AKBANK; the theme sponsors, TEKNOSA, BASAK GROUPAMA, COLINS, DIGITURK, SABAH NEWSPAPER, NTV and EFES PILSEN. Cinema Honorary Awards which are annually given to those artists who contributed significantly to the development of Turkish Cinema are presented this year to: Ekrem Bora, a star, who has acted in the gamut of roles in the Yesilçam spectrum, from baby-faced movie hunk to strong-featured authoritarian patriarch. From Metin Erksan's masterpiece "Aci Hayat" ("Bitter Life") (1963), Atif Yilmaz' "Pembe Kadin" ("Pink Lady"), to Ülkü Erakalin's many films including "Gözleri Ömre Bedel" ("Eyes Worth a Life"), Ekrem Bora has become one of the unforgettable figures of Yesilçam. Izzet Günay played in many movies which are seen among classics of Yesilçam for both their plots and acting. All made Izzet Günay forever imprinted on the audiences' memory. His characters who don't run from a fight and stick with the just, the Ottoman male who is street-savvy but has a soft heart and knows how to love, all contributed into making him one of the unforgettable faces of Yesilçam.

Ediz Hun is the actor most associated with Yesilçam's romantic young male stars. His name was the first to come to mind in classical Yesilçam melodramas. Some of his memorable roles were Kenan in the Orhan Aksoy adaptation of Kerime Nadir's "Hiçkirik" ("Sigh"), Sevket in Memduh Ün's adaptation of Resat Nuri's "Yaprak Dökümü" ("Falling Leaves") and Peregrini in Mehmet Dinler's adaptation of Halide Edip's "Sinekli Bakkal" ("The Clown and His Daughter"). 27th International Istanbul Film Festival also welcomed Claudia Cardinale, a dazzling icon of Italian cinema, forever embedded in our memories with both her beauty and talent. Cardinale received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Festival. Luchino Visconti's 1963 masterpiece starring Claudia Cardinale, Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon will also be screened at the Istanbul Film Festival with the presence of the actress.

After the opening ceremony, the 27th International Istanbul Film Festival started with the screening of the Lebanese film "Sukkar Banat / Caramel" in the presence of the director and lead actress of the film, Nadine Labaki.

Source:http://www.iksv.org/film/english/film.asp?cid=351