Boston Turkish Film Festival to kick off March 16

This year's Boston Turkish Film Festival (BTFF) will be a high-caliber program showcasing Turkish cinema and will feature guest appearances from Turkish directors, according to its Founding Director, Erkut Gömülü.

The 16^th annual monthlong event will kick off March 16 with a viewing of the film "61 Days" (İftarlık Gazoz) at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts followed by a Q&A with director Yüksel Aksu and an opening reception.

Within the scope of the festival, it was announced that Uğur Yücel would be honored with the 11^th annual Award for Excellence in Turkish Cinema.

Yücel's award will be presented at a ceremony following a screening of the 1987 film "Mr. Muhsin" at the museum March 24.

The music portion of the festival will begin April 6 with a violin and piano recital performed by Ankara Presidential Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Jülide Yalçın and pianist Elif Önal.

There will also be a photography exhibition within the frame of the festival. Original photographs by Erkut Onart will be exhibited at the Howard Thurman Center at Boston University from April 3-23, under the name "Anatolia-A Crossroads of Civilizations and Cultures."

All of the film screenings will take place at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the movies will appear with English subtitles.