By Salman Siddiqui/Staff Reporter


Leading celebrities from Turkey are expected in the city soon to inaugurate the second Doha Turkish Film Festival on June 20 at the Villaggio Mall.
At least seven famous Turkish films will be screened at 7pm for seven days during the festival, which will continue until June 26.
Among the celebrities who will be in Qatar for the festival is Mahsun Kırmızıgül, who is the director and lead actor in the movie Five Minarets in New York, which will be screened on the opening day.
Kirmizigul is also a very popular singer in Turkey. His famous soap Life Goes On was recently aired on Arab channels, which dealt with sensitive issues such as child marriages in Turkey’s eastern provinces.  
Actress Deniz Ugur will also be in town. Her movie Let It Be The Last will be screened on June 24 and it deals with the 1980 military coup in Turkey.
Orçun Benli, director of Let This Be Last, will also be attending the festival.
There will be plenty of opportunities for the people to interact with the Turkish celebrities at the event.
The aim of the week long festival is to promote Turkey and Turkish cinema in the region.
Turkish cinema has become prominent globally in recent years, especially with big budget movies.
Some of the other movies that will be shown in the festival include Dardanelles: The End of the Road on June 21; Long Story on June 22; Love Likes Coincidences on June 23; Conquest (Al Fatih) 1453 on June 25; and You Are My Home on June 26.
The festival is being organised with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The sponsors of the event include the Qatar-Turkish Businessmen Association, Turkish Airlines and W Hotels.