Expected guests include "The Worst Person in the World” actor Anders Danielsen Lie, Mike Figgis, Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg and Italy's Gianfranco Rosi
Isabel Coixet’s Rome-set drama “Three Goodbyes,” starring Italian A-listers Alba Rorhwacher and Elio Germano, will open the 45th Istanbul Film Festival that will run April 9-19.
The festival — which is being revamped under a new format that aims to make it more international — has also announced this year’s guests, including “The Worst Person in the World” actor Anders Danielsen Lie, British director Mike Figgis, Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg and prominent Senegalese dancer and choreographer Germaine Acogny.
The Italian-language “Three Goodbyes,” which premiered at Toronto last year, is based on the bestselling book of the same name by late Italian writer Michela Murgia about being diagnosed with kidney cancer.
The drama, produced by Italy’s ITV-owned Cattleya, will be screening at Istanbul as a gala event.
Other highlights of the fest’s gala section include Olivier Assayas’ “The Wizard of the Kremlin” starring Paul Dano and Jude Law; Ildikó Enyedi’s “Silent Friend” featuring Tony Leung and Léa Seydoux; and David Lowery’s “Mother Mary” with Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel.
Though fest organizers have not specified whether films in this section will be playing with any talents in tow, Italian director Gianfranco Rosi is expected to be on hand in Istanbul to be honored with a career award. Rosi will also be presenting his passionate exploration of the Gulf of Naples, “Pompei: Below the Clouds,” which is screening as a gala after launching last year from Venice and playing prominently on the festival circuit. “Pompei: Below the Clouds” is currently on theatrical release via Mubi in the U.S.
Also being honored by the upcoming Istanbul fest is veteran Turkish film and TV star Nilüfer Adan, whose long list of credits include Ahmet Hakan’s classic drama “The Golden Cage,” Halit Refiğ’s “Stranger in the City” and Ahmet Çadırcı’s “Color & Turkish.”
The Golden Tulip competition comprises 15 titles from around the world with a robust representation from Turkey. They include Chinese auteur Bi Gan’s epic “Resurrection,” which won the 2025 Cannes Jury Special Prize; Zurich-born Kenyan filmmaker Damien Hauser’s “Memory of Princess Mumbi,” a dystopian fable set in 2093 in an imaginary Africa; Lebanese director Danielle Arbid’s “Only Rebels Win” starring Hiam Abbass; and Austrian auteur Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose” with Sandra Hüller.
Scottish director David Mackenzie (“Fuze”) will preside over the competition jury panel, which also includes Berlinale EFM Director Tanja Meissner, Turkish actor Ekin Koç (“The Things You Kill), Turkish academic Aslı Tunç and Portuguese producer Rodrigo Areias (“The Worst Man in London”).
The Istanbul fest’s Meetings on the Bridge co-production platform that draws international film industry professionals will be held April 14–16. This year, a total of 23 projects are featured in the platform’s selection.