Gondolas on river: Golden Boll Film Fest brings boats to the movies
An illustration shows the gondola project being held as part of the 27th International Golden Boll Film Festival, Sept. 11, 2020. (İHA PHOTO)


Turning adversity into opportunity, an annual film festival in southern Turkey is offering movie lovers the chance to enjoy watching quality cinema on riverboats. The special gondola seating at Adana province’s International Golden Boll Film Festival is a creative measure to keep the culture alive amid coronavirus restrictions.

Festival organizers said the film screenings on Adana’s Seyhan River will be free of charge during the event, which is set to take place on Sept. 14-20. Film fans can enjoy movies from eight gondolas on the river or a 100-seat outdoor area.

The Golden Boll Festival kicked off with an online edition Monday as part of the measures taken against the spread of the coronavirus. The 27th edition of the festival, one of the most prestigious and long-established film festivals in Turkey, is offering only the National Feature Film Competition and National Student Films Competition this year. All the films to vie at the festival are presented to cinephiles on the digital platform. The highly anticipated awards of the festival will be announced on Sept. 20 at the closing ceremony.