Turkish cinema takes on Venice

Turkish cinema has become a regular fixture in the Venice International Film Festival for almost a decade now. The festival will run its 72nd edition Sept. 2-21, and will have cinephiles talking about Turkish cinema during its course once again. The line-up will feature a Turkish film competing for the coveted Golden Lion and another for the Lion of the Future award, given to a first work. A restored version of a classic from Turkish cinema will also meet the audience and a famed museum in Istanbul will be the central theme of a British production. And then, a Turkish filmmaker will be a festival guest as one of the jury members.

Young director Emin Alper's film was one impressive debut: His first feature, "Tepenin Ard?" (Beyond the Hill), instantly became a favorite in the festival circuit in 2012, winning as many as 20 awards, including the Cagliari and Best First Feature Film Special Mention in Berlin International Film Festival. The family and feudal drama, unfolding slowly in the hills of central Anatolia, made further headlines when the film could secure no more than seven theaters for its release in Turkey.

The sophomore work of an artist - especially if the first one has been a great one - is always anticipated eagerly and received with a certain scrutiny. It seems Alper doesn't need to worry about this, as his second feature, "Abluka" (Frenzy), is among the 21 films competing for the Golden Lion in September. The film tells the story of two brothers trying to reconnect after two decades in a suffocating Istanbul defined by political games.

Palme d'Or winners at Venice

"Abluka" will compete with Russian director and Golden Lion winner Alexander Sokurov's "Francofonia," Laurie Anderson's "Heart of a Dog" and Atom Egoyan...