The International Film Festival "Arkadag Dawn" was held at the Aman Gulmammedov State Drama Theatre in Arkadag City on October 14-15, the official Turkmen media reported on Sunday.
The creative event, with the participation of Central Asian cinematographers, was organised for the first time in the country by the State Committee on Television, Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography of Turkmenistan.
Representatives of ministries and departments, public organisations, mass media, photojournalists, residents and guests of Arkadag city, as well as actors, directors, producers, film and theatre stars and cinematographers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as from Russia, Turkey and France, attended the opening ceremony of the film festival.
Among the foreign guests of the international event were Dilshodbek Usmanov, director of the Uzbekistan Cinematography Agency; Elena Norkunaite, correspondent and director of Russia Today TV channel; film critic Ihsan Nurullah Kabil; director Israfil Kurulay; Mehmet Bozdag, founder of Bozdag Film, Turkish film stars such as Burak Özçivit, Ozcan Çağrı Şensoy, Fatih Ayhan, Yigit Uçan, Murat Boncukci, as well as Edouard Montoute, an actor from the French company Monde et Media, and producer Jean-Marie Laronze.
During the event, the creative teams of Turkmenistan's theatres presented a literary and musical composition titled "Oguz han." Additionally, folk songs from previous productions by the Turkmen Film Association and films from participating countries were showcased. The cultural forum also included a film festival where movies from various nations were screened.
On the final day of the cultural event, October 15, an award ceremony was held for the winners of the International Film Festival.
The participants of the International Film Festival received an appreciative message from President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, in which they expressed their deep gratitude for the care for the development of the cultural sector and the creation of all conditions for fruitful work.
Next year, the Korkut Ata Film Festival will be held in the Turkmen city of Anau, as this ancient city has been declared the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024.
