Turkish film in Berlinale's competition section after eight years


Award-winning director Emin Alper's "Kız Kardeşler" ("Sisters") has been invited to the Competition section of the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale. Alper has won more than 50 awards in national and international festivals, including the Special Jury Award at the Venice Film Festival's main competition for his second feature film "Abluka" ("Frenzy"). His first film, "Tepenin Ardı" ("Beyond the Hill") received the Caligari Prize in the Forum section of the Berlinale.

"Kız Kardeşler" will premiere at the festival in Berlin. It will be the 10th movie from Turkey to have participated in the festival's Competition section. A Turkish-Greek-German and Dutch co-production, "Kız Kardeşler" will appear before the jury of the Golden Bear, chaired by actress Juliette Binoche. The festival will be held between Feb. 7 and Feb. 17, 2019.

Starring Cemre Ebüzziya, Ece Yüksel, Helin Kandemir, Kayhan Açıkgöz, Müfit Kayacan and Kubilay Tunçer in the lead roles, "Kız Kardeşler" tells the story of three sisters who are adopted by families living in a town after the death of their mothers. They return to their villages after many years and confront each other. Produced by Liman Film and NuLook Production, "Kız Kardeşler" was supported by the European Council's Eurimages, the Medienboard (MBB), the Netherlands Film Fund (NFF) and the Greek Film Center (GFC) during the production stage. The co-producers of the film are Komplizen Film, Circe Films and Horsefly Productions.

After its premiere in Berlin, "Kız Kardeşler" will be released in Turkey.