Turkish Film Nights kicks off

AMMAN — The Turkish Film Nights kicked off at the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation on Tuesday, providing a rare insight into the daily life of ordinary Turks.

Adnan Mdanat, the foundation’s cinema expert, said the three films which will be screened will highlight elements of Turkish cinema which are often unknown to Arab audiences.

He noted that, amidst the great number of Turkish series screened on Arab television and widely followed in Jordan, these films will provide an opportunity for the audience to discover new concepts. 

 “Basically, the main idea that is presented in these series is love and revenge. Here, the idea is totally different and interesting. These films look for the greater truth of human beings,” Mdanat told The Jordan Times in an interview. 

The films to be screened during the three-day event include “Sellale”, “Seven Courtyards” and “Lal”.  

They will be presented by their Turkish Director Semir Aslanyurek, who is originally from Syria. 

 “He speaks Arabic very well and this will make it easy for people to discuss the films with him,” Mdanat added.

The cinema expert described the Turkish director as a “multiartist” character: “He is a cinema professor and he also paints.”

Mdanat encouraged people to attend the screenings, citing the common Eastern culture shared by Turkey and the Middle Eastern region.

The policy of the foundation’s cinema department is to screen films from all over the world, providing audiences with a “totally different” experience, he said. 

“The foundation has screened films from 110 countries so far,” he noted.