Variety Magazine
May 16 2009

Turkey’s rising film talent
4 on and offscreen up-and comers

By NICK HOLDSWORTH
Ayca Damgaci

Turkey’s films embrace east and west

AYCA DAMGACI
The 31-year-old Turkish actress from Istanbul essayed her powerful
lead role in Huseyin Karabey’s "My Marlon and Brando," based on her
own true story of crossing a war zone to reach the love of her life,
Iraqi-Kurdish actor Hama Ali Khan. Damgaci brings the power of
emotional authenticity to a performance that bodes well for her
career; she already has won the Heart of Sarajevo in 2008 for best
actress.

TOMRIS GIRITLIOGLU

Although her first feature, "Mrs. Salkim’s Diamonds," was received
with critical acclaim in 1999 and picked up a clutch of Turkish
awards, Giritlioglu returned to producing and directing TV series
until latest film, "Pains of Autumn," which explores events around the
tragic anti-Greek pogrom in Istanbul in September 1955, which remains
a sensitive issue. Film recently was released in Greece following a
gala screening in Athens.

OZCAN ALPER

Alper’s directing debut feature, "Autumn," is about a man’s struggles
to come to terms with his life after release from 10 years in jail as
a political prisoner. The film won best director at March’s Sofia
Intl. Film Festival. Alper, a writer-director whose first work was the
25-minute Armenian-language short "Momi" in 2001, has established his
credentials as a member of the new wave of Turkish arthouse fare.

ZEYNEP OZBATUR

In the 10 years since she moved from advertising into the film
industry, 42-year-old Ozbatur has proved herself a key player in the
Turkish film industry. The producer of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s "Three
Monkeys" and "Climates," Ozbatur set up Zeynofilm in 2007, dedicating
the company to discovering "new people who have high potential for
bringing Turkish cinema to international fields." She recently began
collaborating with provocative new director Ismail Necmi ("Should I
Really Do It?") on his next feature.

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