Cannes, Berlin and Venice -these are the first three cities that still spring to mind when asked about major international film festivals. After all, they always attract the big names (producer, directors and actors alike), they’re usually hard to access for those who haven’t already proven themselves in the film circuit and they will always get ample press coverage. Yet, in the hideously cold and windy Dutch town of Rotterdam, every January for the past 38 years, a very unique film festival is held that not only attracts the major players of the international film industry, but also manages to bring together truly independent, experimental and almost marginal cinematic works from fresh and seasoned directors. Especially for up-and-coming filmmakers, being sanctioned by the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is equivalent to receiving an approval stamp for the rest of one’s career. 

The highlight of the IFFR is, of course, the VPRO Tiger Awards Competition for first and second feature films. The IFFR awards three top prizes for the most outstanding films in the lot and this year the awards were distributed to Iranian director Ramtin Lavafipour’s lyrical “Be Calm and Count to Seven,” about a fishing village in southern Iran relying on smuggling goods for the peoples’ waning livelihood; South Korean actor-turned-director Yang-Ik Juke’s “Breathless,” which depicts in a touching and humorous way the bizarre friendship of a young girl and a gangster who are both victims of violence; and, thirdly, Turkey’s own Mahmut Fazýl Coþkun’s “Uzak Ýhtimal” (Wrong Rosary), which is a minimalist yet poignant love story about a Muslim cleric and a Catholic nun, set in the multicultural Ýstanbul. Turkish cinema has truly begun 2009 with much promise.

Read more: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=165715

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I haven´t seen this movie unfortunately, maybe it will possible in the next few days for me to go to the cinema. Anyone who has seen the movie? And?