Interviewed during the preview of his last picture, Red Istanbul, filmed in his homeland Turkey, the Italy-based director Ferzan Ozpetek reflects on the power of storytelling in getting peoples and cultures closer: “Is there a Mediterranean language? I would say so, and I really like that definition. I think that there is a particular way of telling things, that affects all levels of the narrative. In my filmmaking activity, I often used music as a narrative key; in my latest picture, filmed in Istanbul, which is a city full of noises and sounds, in many scenes I chose not to use a soundtrack: I used the real sounds of the town, and that has changed my way to communicate”.

“Through my films – Ozpetek says – I want to share values ​​and emotions with people, regardless of success at the box office. When they tell me that they have seen one of my films even ten times, that’s a triumph for me, it’s like winning a very important prize. And I can feel this recognition, made of emotions, in Italy as well as in Turkey”.