Argentine filmmaker Gaspar Noe, who is known for his psychedelic and flashy filmmaking style, received the Golden Tulip Award in the international contest of the Istanbul Film Festival for his latest drama "Vortex."
The film, focusing on the last days of an aged couple suffering from dementia, was also awarded the FIPRESCI Prize at the 41st Istanbul Film Festival, which was held on April 8-20, said the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) in a statement.
"Vortex" premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Speaking to IndieWire, the Paris-based director, explained that a recent near-death experience had "inspired a very different kind of movie."
"One year-and-a-half ago, I had a brain hemorrhage and almost died. I survived it and miraculously, I did not have any brain damage,” he said.
Noe, 58, said that he spent six months watching the movies of late Japanese film master Kenji Mizoguchi (1898-1956). "It was probably the most peaceful moment of my whole life.”
Noe explained that both his mother and grandmother "lost their mind" and "died of it.”
"It’s just a magical process that some of the brightest people on the planet are some of the first to lose their minds,” he said. "I wanted to dedicate the movie at the beginning to all of the people who lose their minds before they lose their hearts.”
In the international competition, the Special Jury Award also went to "Mariner of the Mountains" by Karim Ainouz.
In the national competition of the festival, "Klondike" by Maryna Er Gorbach won the Golden Tulip Award while Ali Kemal Güven was presented with the Special Jury Award for his "Çilingir Sofrası" ("A Night in Four Parts").
The Best Director Award was given to Tayfun Pirselimoğlu for his movie "Kerr."
During the festival, films by 164 directors from 43 countries were screened over the course of a dozen days. "A total of 56 films competed in the international and national competitions of the festival,” the statement added.
Here are all winners at this year’s festival:
