Discovering Azize and the festival:&nbsp;Azize's relationship with Ayvalık started with a classic family summer house. When she got a little older, she parted ways with it until her return with Başka Sinema after spending many years with the Istanbul Film Festival, where she was the director for nearly ten years. “Ayvalık was a place I knew,” she says, “but when it comes to holding an event here, of course, you need to look at it from a different perspective.”It wasn’t hard to find the answer when they were searching for a place for the festival. Somewhere close to İstanbul, with a serious potential for audiences, able to fill the festival gap in the Aegean region, with notable architecture, history, and gastronomy, in fact even close to Mytilene Island for international ties. In the end, she says of the decision “Ayvalık agreed with us.” It brings with it the sincerity of being a festival without competition, where communicating with the audience is easier, and guests feel a sense of community. I think that as a viewer, it agreed with me too.Discovering with Azize: For our discovery journey, I ask her to pick a director who showed at the festival, and a film from the festival selection. She says&nbsp;“Do you wanna talk Kuosmanen?”&nbsp;and asks “You will watch it, right?” The movie she speaks of is on my list of course, the Grand Prix winner at Cannes Film Festival, Compartment No. 6.Despite the pandemic’s ongoing conditions, one of the two things Azize has set her mind to is returning the festival to Ayvalık after the mandatory pause. The second is to go to Cannes again. “The feelings it creates, the unexpected things,” she says of her Cannes favorite. The connection made between two strangers who dislike each other when they meet in a train compartment during a long journey isn’t the only unexpected thing in the movie.Just as he did with his previous film The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (2016), Kuosmanen throws us a curve. He fills his film with small but nuanced moments. While everything progresses completely naturally, it activates your emotions, gives you hope, and hits the bullseye.&nbsp;Just like the festival itself.She says: “Don’t similar things happen in our lives? Don’t people suddenly surprise us when we connect with them? Don’t small, magical moments come to be when we are able to save ourselves from those patterns, corners, categories, really open ourselves up to someone, and feel ready to share?

Duende

The streets of Ayvalık, train compartments, and small, magical moments that bring people together: Azize Tan

The ease of having gotten the first one out of the way... Artemis wrote on the third issue of Discovery Stage “I think it is hard to do the first of something,” and added,&nbsp;“With the ease of having gotten through the first Discovery Stage issue, I am moving on to the podcast table and then to the keyboard.” I feel the same ease. During the recording I look at my notes less, I can tell which phrases will make their way over to the lines you are about to read while I am recording. Building Discovery Cinema, sitting on a stool and recording, and preparing the issue now feels as natural as making a festival schedule, watching a film, or talking about films.One step back: July 28, 2020. It has been more than four months since the year I started off with big dreams and strong goals was overshadowed by a global pandemic, and we have been on lockdown. A newsletter finds its way to my inbox. “39. Istanbul Film Festival’s competition will continue through October 9-20.”&nbsp;Among the National Documentary Competition films, there is Phases of Matter,&nbsp;which will later win. I am far away, I am cornered – I don’t want to miss what’s happening in the cinema world of Turkey, and be stuck in between what is offered by digital platforms.In November, I get the link to watch Phases of Matter.&nbsp;That’s how I meet Deniz’s cinematic language. This documentary, which takes place in hospital corridors and corners at a time when healthcare professionals are being applauded and their importance is perhaps better understood – I cannot understand how it was not understood until then – which paints a different portrait of them than we are used to, impresses me. Maybe in more ways than it would have if I watched it under normal circumstances.First meeting: When I heard Deniz's soothing, warm, comforting voice in our first phone conversation, I immediately realized that a very good conversation was awaiting me on recording day. A few days later, while hurrying towards HOOD Base, a message arrives:&nbsp;"Emre, I'm at the café in the corner."&nbsp;We start the day with morning cups of coffee and some chit-chat. Deniz says he doesn't know much about Kadıköy, this is an away game for him.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/6/5/1657287824821.jpeg" style="display: block; float: none; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" ratio="0.67" width="550" fr-original-style="display: block; float: none; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><a fr-original-style="" href="https://link.aposto.com/click?uri=aHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLmFwb3N0by5jb20vY2xpY2s/c291cmNlPXdlYiZuZXdzbGV0dGVyPTVlYzE4M2ZmZDQ5MzhiMjExYTJkZDQyYiZpc3N1ZT02MTRmMGI5NDQ3ZGI0NjAwMDZmMDYwMjUmc3Vic2NyaWJlcj11bmRlZmluZWQmdXJsPWh0dHBzJTI1M0ElMjUyRiUyNTJGd3d3Lmluc3RhZ3JhbS5jb20lMjUyRmR0b3J0dW0lMjUyRg==" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Deniz</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://link.aposto.com/click?uri=aHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLmFwb3N0by5jb20vY2xpY2s/c291cmNlPXdlYiZuZXdzbGV0dGVyPTVlYzE4M2ZmZDQ5MzhiMjExYTJkZDQyYiZpc3N1ZT02MTRmMGI5NDQ3ZGI0NjAwMDZmMDYwMjUmc3Vic2NyaWJlcj11bmRlZmluZWQmdXJsPWh0dHBzJTI1M0ElMjUyRiUyNTJGd3d3Lmluc3RhZ3JhbS5jb20lMjUyRmVtcmUuZW1pbm9nbHUlMjUyRg==" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Emre</a>, foyer of Kadıköy Cinema<div align="center" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><hr size="0" width="100%" align="center" fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;"></div>Just like me, his phone number starts with +1. We talk about New York, Boston, Chicago. We happen upon coincidences that seem interesting to both of us and understand we crossed paths with mutual acquaintances many times. Deniz’s place of discovery isn’t decided, we say “Let’s go to the cinema.” As the host, I drag him to my favorite film theater, Kadıköy Cinema.We look and the film posters around the foyer and continue our conversation: “The last two films I watched at the theater were Old&nbsp;and The Card Counter. There was only one other person there.”&nbsp;I can understand that the emptiness of movie theaters isn’t unique to this city. “Nowadays, watching a film at a theater feels like discovering an abandoned town.” Now I am discovering abandoned towns while discovering Deniz and discovering with Deniz.To beautiful days and full theaters,Emre

Istanbul Film Festival ile ilgili hikayeler