Muzaffer Yildirim to receive International Exhibitor of the Year Award at the CineEurope Awards Luncheon on June 27.

CineEurope has announced that its 2013 International Exhibitor of the Year Award will go to Mars Entertainment Group (MARS) founder and CEO Muzaffer Yildirim.

Yildirim founded Mars Entertainment Group in 2001 with Menderes Utku and its cinema chain, currently operating under the Cinemaximum brand, has gone on to become Turkey’s largest cinema network with over 500 screens in 24 cities, making up 60% of the digital screens and all of the IMAX screens in the country.

“It is a great pleasure for CineEurope to be able to acknowledge and pay tribute to Mars Entertainment Group’s Muzaffer Yildirim for his contributions to cinema exhibition in Turkey,” commented Robert Sunshine, CineEurope managing director.

“MARS’ success is the ultimate example of how innovative thinking and foresight can lead to great success in the cinema exhibition industry.”

As well as being an exhibitor, MARS has become the only vertically integrated company in all relevant parts of the industry value chain, including film acquisition, production and distribution, digital lab services, e-ticketing, and cinema advertising, as well as actively investing in content development and sponsoring film festivals.