( dpa ) - A German-Turkish film festival opened in the this Bavarian city on Thursday with a screening of Zulfu Livaneli's award-winning feature Iron Earth Copper Sky.
Before the picture was shown, the Turkish director, author and musician was honoured with a lifetime achievement award by the festival's organizers.
The citation praised the 61-year-old for using his work to promote peace and cultural dialogue as well as his efforts to build bridges between east and west.
Iron Earth Copper Sky was Livaneli's directing debut. Co-produced with Germany's Wim Wenders, it was shown for the first time at Cannes in 1987 and won an award at the San Sebastian festival the same year.
His political drama Mist will be shown at Nuremberg, where another movie based on his stories, Mutluluk, is one of five Turkish and four German films in the running for the festival's top award.
More than 60 short, features and documentaries are being shown at the competition, which lasts until March 9.
The festival is accompanied by an exhibition, concert and podium discussions on such themes as torture and the relationship between Christianity and Islam.