Turkish director takes the magazine’s prize at the 41st Worldfest film festival in Houston.

Movie director Steven Spielberg received one of his first cinema awards at the Worldfest film festival in Houston, Texas. It happened in 1972. Members of the jury had never heard the young director’s name before and could judge him only on the merits of his work. During the awards ceremony, the festival’s president Hunter Todd promised that many other victories await the starting moviemaker. As history would show, he turned out to be right.

Over the years, Worldfest film festival discovered many cinema stars including, George Lucas, Ang Lee, John Lee Hancock, Randall Kleiser, Ridley Scott, Robert Rodriguez, Robert Townsend, the Coen Brothers, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, and David Lynch.  

This year, Mr. Todd, the unchanging director of Worldfest Houston gave out awards to filmmakers for the 41st time. As always, he was convinced that today’s winners will be the Spielbergs of tomorrow. Worldfest is considered one of the oldest independent film festivals in the U.S. and the third most prestigious one after the festivals in San Francisco and New York.

– The goals of our festival have not changed since the day it was started – Hunter Todd, a former merchant marine officer, said with firm resoluteness. – We are still an independent movie festival that can give a beginning filmmaker a ticket to the big screen. I continue to repeat myself: before there was Sundance, there was Worldfest…

Mr. Todd knows firsthand what the cinema world is about. He took part in shooting over 300 films and himself has more than 110 awards. When he was governor of Texas, President George W. Bush, was involved in supporting the festival. Even today, the President sends letters of greetings to every participant of Worldfest.

The festival’s jury had to select the winners from over four and a half thousand motion pictures from 37 countries. Less than a fifth of the total entries finally were chosen for an award or an honorable mention. The competition was fierce.

The festival’s tradition is that all of the invitees to the final gala awards ceremony are winners in some category or other. There are no losers.

Russian-American Business magazine presented one of the most prestigious awards of the festival – a prize for the best foreign feature film. In 2006, the magazine awarded a fabulous Faberge-style egg to a movie director from Croatia Branco Ivanda for his film The Horse Rider. In 2007, Japanese director Sho Igarashi received a wonderful oil-on-canvas painting of American Indian chiefs for his movie Chosyu five telling about young political leaders that strived to reform their country in the 1860s.

This year, the prize of Russian-American Business magazine was made by the craftsmen of the Zlatoust Arms Company in the city of Zlatoust, Russia. The magnificent golden cup with the logo of the film festival and noble inserts of black dolomite surprised everyone who looked at it.

– Our best craftsmen worked on this prize – explained Aleksandr Sonich, director general of the Zlatoust Arms Company. We wanted to show the best Zlatoust traditions and that’s why we’ve applied the technique of artistic engraving. In the process of making the cup, a multi-phase method of engraving was utilized – the application of nickel, silver, gold, and niello.

During the presentation of wards, the craftsmanship of Zlatoust armorers received due admiration. When Olga Tarasova, editor-in-chief of Russian-American Business magazine came up onto the stage together with Mr. Lyn Anglin, the U.S. representative of the Zlatoust Arms Company and head of ZOK Blades USA, the audience became noticeably agitated.

– I want to get your prize – someone shouted out. The buildup of emotions notwithstanding, festival director Hunter Todd continued to remain calm.

– It has become a wonderful tradition here at Worldfest for Russian-American Business magazine to award the best foreign feature film. Each year the prize is a true work of art made by the best Russian craftsmen. This year, Russian-American Business editor-in-chief Olga Tarasova and ZOK Blades USA director Lyn Anglin will present a wonderful golden cup made by the Zlatoust Arms Company. We will know who the lucky winner is in just a moment…

– Film White Angel. Turkey. Director Maksun Kirmizigul.

The filmmakers in the audience congratulated their colleagues from Turkey with a standing ovation. White Angel deserved to win. When the movie was being screened in Texas, the theater was packed with people.

– I am very happy to get this marvelous cup made by Russian craftsmen, director Kirmizigul told us during a later interview. This is my debut as a director. This is also my debut in the United States. We selected Worldfest because it is a very prestigious movie festival that discovered many stars. I hope that the story with Spielberg will repeat itself with me.

My film is about old people and their children, about love and loneliness. It is based on a true story. I am also proud because after the release of my motion picture, the Turkish parliament passed a new law that provides for state support to families that care for their elderly parents instead of committing them to nursing homes. I am joyful today! Many thanks to everyone!

The festival concluded with a trip to the Johnson’s Space Center, a regatta at the Houston yacht club, and a Texas-style barbecue