Organised by İKSV and sponsored by N Kolay, the 44th Istanbul Film Festival will be held between 11-22 April 2025. Submissions are now open for films from Türkiye only. The festival regulations and conditions of submission can be found here.
New era at the festival
As of its 44th edition, Istanbul Film Festival will adopt a new program structure to emphasise its international identity. With these changes, the festival's official selection will comprise a total of three competitive sections: Golden Tulip Competition, Short Film Competition, and New Visions.
Golden Tulip Competition
- Open to both local and international feature films, documentaries, and animated films;
- A third of the films in the Golden Tulip Competition will be from Türkiye.
New Visions
- This section will feature first or second feature-length local films with no genre restrictions–fiction, documentary, and animated films will be eligible for consideration.
- The jury presents the “Seyfi Teoman Prize” to the director of the selected best film in this section.
Short Film Competition
- Half of the films to compete in this section will be from among submitted short films from Türkiye.
Parallel to these changes, the monetary prizes will also be adjusted. With the amendment of the regulations and revamp of the program, we aim to provide stronger support to emerging directors who have been garnering praise and attention by the beginning of their careers, to open up spaces for innovative and creative voices, to foster mutual cultural interaction and regional promotion opportunities, and to strengthen our relationships with local film institutions and film professionals.
Submissions for films from Türkiye only will be accepted online through the Eventival platform.
