Won't adapt Orhan Pamuk's books to screen: Turkish filmmaker

In the city for the screening of his films at the 19th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), Turkish film director Reha Erdem Saturday said a firm no to adapting stories by Orhan Pamuk, the award-winning novelist from Erdem's homeland, to screen.

Pamuk is the recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature and is one of Turkey's bestselling authors noted for works like "The Black Book", "Snow" and "The Museum of Innocence".

"Though I like him, but no...I will not adapt his stories to films. My films have a distinct classical identity," said Erdem, eight of whose films are part of the 'New Horizon' segment at the fest here.

"I am far from my country, but it is great to watch my films here with the audience," he added.

Unlike other filmmakers of his generation, Erdem prefers to stay away from "realistic cinema".

"I hate realistic cinema...cinema is not to repeat reality but create new reality."

Besides directing and screenwriting, Erdem, a fan of editing, stressed on that part for a good film.

"I like to edit...cinema is in the editing room," he said while lamenting the dearth of funds and a definite market for off-beat productions in his homeland.