The 25th Istanbul International Film Festival Starts...

Organised by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IFCA) under the sponsorship of AKBANK, the International İstanbul Film Festival is celebrating its 25^th year in 2006.

The 25^th International İstanbul Film Festival, made possible through the generous support of Festival Sponsor AKBANK, will run 1-16 April 2006. Bringing İstanbul film enthusiasts a choice array of outstanding films, special screenings, celebrity actors and accomplished directors, the İstanbul Film Festival this year presents a host of special events to mark its 25^th anniversary year.

The Festival is sure to have film enthusiasts flocking back to cinema screens in April with a programme of more than 200 films from 42 countries. Alongside the cutting edge work that shone at top international festivals last year, the 20 sections of the programme include a number of memorable classics, selected masterpieces from virtuoso directors of film history, several documentary films and some original examples of animation cinema.

For the detailed program please click on:

http://www.iksv.org/film/english/index.asp

Armada Welcomes M.I.T. Sloan School Of Management Mba Students

Among the distinguished Armada guests nowadays is the MIT Sloan School of Management 2006 Spring Break Trip participants. The trip that was called as Turkey: A Bridge Between Civilizations is a part of their curriculum on Turkey.

The organizing team consisting of Abdullah O. Kaya, Şahver Binici, Alper T. Çelen, Emre Gürkan and Ahmet Uğurlu states that they hope to surpass this introduction by devoting enough time to Turkey as the only destination. They arranged meetings with representatives of major holding companies, media companies, universities, and politicians and visit Istanbul and Ankara city centers and historic sites to better understand the composition of Turkey’s oriental western culture.

The main objectives of the trip are:
• Exposure: Provide an opportunity for MIT-Sloan students to explore Turkey
• Education: Increase Sloan students’ understanding of factors that currently influence the
economic, political and social development of Turkey
• Development: Learn about development and entrepreneurial activity in Turkey
• Networking: Provide opportunities for MIT-Sloan students to build relationships with alumni and businesses in Turkey in order to increase opportunities for Sloan students that wish to work and/or conduct business in Turkey.

Yesterday they also met with some NGOs in a round table in Aksam Media Group . After having watched the total solar eclipse at the Armada Terrace the group will depart for Ankara tomorrow.

The picture below that was took place at the Sloan web site shows a previous visit to Sultanahmet:

The Solar Eclipse: 29th March, 2006

The Solar eclipse is a magnificent natural event that one can see maybe only once in a lifetime. Total solar eclipse occurs on Wednesday, 29 March 2006, in Brazil, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. This will be a spectacular eclipse, lasting over 4 minutes at maximum and visible by millions of people over a path up to 190 km wide. After Africa, the eclipse path crosses the Mediterranean Sea and enters the Asian continent through Turkey, where it hits land about 13:54 L.T. The path width is 171 km, and the duration on the centreline is 3 minutes 48 seconds. After this it will leave Turkey from the north east coast at 14:13 L.T., then it crosses the Black Sea, cuts a corner of Georgia, and then enters Russia, running across the north end of the Caspian Sea.

On March 29, 2006, Istanbul also will experience the solar eclipse (covered fraction is 86.7%) and our Terrace will be open to our guests. (First contact at 12:41 hrs., maximum eclipse 13:57 hrs. and last contact at 15:12). But we would like to urge that you should be careful when watching the solar eclipse! Please never look directly at the sun, either with the naked eye or through any optical device, including cameras, binoculars, or telescopes! You could ask for the safe solar glasses to the Reception (first come first serve!).

Happy observing!

PS: For a live photo-cast of the total eclipse from Konya click on the following link: http://www.tourkeyf.com/solar_eclipse.htm
GLOBAL WEB SITE: http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/

Shots from the Armada Terrace during the observation today:

World Poetry Day

Message from Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Poetry Day 2006, 21 March 2006

The world constantly changes across time and space, from day to day, from one place to another. And human beings are no exception, for we too are in transformation.

To begin with, our own lives as individuals are an exercise in adaptation. In their collectivities, peoples and their societies, cultures and civilizations change across the span of history. Human beings are enterprising agents of change, transforming their environments and, in the process, transforming themselves, thereby challenging any simple sense of a fixed, immutable human nature. And yet the human condition stubbornly remains and when, across time and distance, we recognize ourselves in others and others in ourselves, do we not recognize something enduring? Is there anything that captures simultaneously things in flux and things that do not change?

Of course there is, and that is poetry. Our languages, of course, are different and the ways in which we place words, phrases and sentences may vary, as do the forms and metres of our poetries. But poetry, through its diverse shapes and rhythms, draws us back to the dialogue of change and permanence in life itself.

Through language, we express our different beliefs, values and experiences, and the plurality of this flow of identities makes up humanity. Poetry is a bridge between individuals and groups, helping us to know and understand each other and, indeed, ourselves. It articulates – sometimes simply, sometimes with deep complexity – our fears, hopes, yearnings and forebodings. In its highest forms, poetry is capable of expressing a truth which captures the essence of our shared humanity. And the beauty of poetry reminds us of the artistic heights which humankind can reach.

This year, we are celebrating the centenary of the birth of the great philosopher-poet, Leopold Sédar Senghor. He wrote: “It is enough to name something for the meaning beneath the sign to emerge.” Poetry is the great way of naming the world, its permanent features and its transformations, in a manner that delights the human spirit. Let World Poetry Day remind us of this magical capacity of poetry in all its forms.

Source: http://portal.unesco.org

Tango Passion By Omar And Monica At Armada

Tango Passion; passionate tango or passion of tango... Omer Ocampo and his partner Monica Romero, the top dancers of the worldly renowned tango group; Tango Passion of Argentine, will be performing at Armada on March 19, 2006.

Monica Romero was born in Buenos Aires, the daughter of famous artist Estela Raval and singer and musician Rycardo Romero. She studied jazz and modern dance, studying and performing with prestigious choreographers and dancers such as Nuri Cid, Beatriz and Victor Ferrari and Moira Chapman. In 1984 she reached a turning point in her career when she met Omar Ocampo. They married and established 'Los Ocampo.' Omar Ocampo was born in Entre Rios and started his professional dance career at an early age, dancing with the Ballet Folklorico Nacional of Santiago Ayala, 'El Chucaro' and Norma Viola for 11 years. Omar Ocampo is the best folk dancer of Argentina and is a judge of the 'Danzas Argentinas Competition.' They've been travelling together performing the tango around the world since 1988.

For more about Los Ocampo, check out their website:
http://www.losocampo.com.ar/