Of the three feature films that have screened so far in the international feature competition of the Anonimul film festival, two are directed by women – and of them all, Zuhal is perhaps the most surprising so far. Screened with Nazli Elif Durlu in attendance, the film is the Turkish filmmaker's feature debut; and here, she avoids falling into the classic traps of a debut (staging big conflicts, serious topic matter, over-dramatisation, etc.). Zuhal, which had its world premiere at last year's edition of Tallinn Black Nights is surprising precisely because it sets its stakes at a level that seems small enough on the surface, only for it to probing deep within it with a great amount of subtlety and formal sophistication, never stepping outside the usual parameters of narrative filmmaking while exploring various potentials within its framework.

Flavia Dima

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Film critic & journalist. Collaborates with local and international outlets, programs a short film festival - BIEFF, does occasional moderating gigs and is working on a PhD thesis about home movies. At Films in Frame, she writes the monthly editorial - The State of Cinema and is the magazine's main festival reporter.

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