Marking its 44th edition, Istanbul Film Festival is a celebration of cinema, showcasing a wide array of films that connect lives, cultures, and continents in the vibrant atmosphere of Istanbul. The festival's programme comprises narrative feature films, documentaries, and short films, along with special screenings, retrospectives, and events with renowned film professionals.
The festival will screen 139 feature-length 15 short films presented in 13 sections over 12 days. In addition to the screenings, the festival will also feature talks, special screenings and events with the participation of guest directors and actors.
44th Istanbul Film Festival Cinema Honorary Awards
The prestigious Cinema Honorary Award, given by the festival to those who have made significant contributions to cinema, will be presented to veteran actress Zuhal Olcay at the festival's opening ceremony on 11 April, Friday.
This year, the festival will present the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award to Gülin Üstün, who took on the role of director of the festival’s co-production platform, Meetings on the Bridge, between 2010 and 2023.
Festival films will be screened in seven movie theatres
The festival will screen films at a selection of cinemas across the city: the historic Atlas 1948, Beyoğlu Sineması, two halls at CineWAM Premium City's Nişantaşı at the city’s European side. Across the Bosphorus, Kadıköy Cinema, Kadıköy Municipality’s Sinematek / Sinema Evi and Paribu Cineverse Nautilus on the Asian side. Lastly, the Pera Museum Auditorium will host press and industry screenings.
Köln 75 to open the festival after its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival
The 44th Istanbul Film Festival opens this year with Köln 75, which premiered at a special gala at the Berlin Film Festival this year. Telling the moving true story of Keith Jarrett's 1975 Köln concert, the film marks the 50th anniversary of the concert.
What’s on the festival?
The 44th Istanbul Film Festival programme has 13 different sections. The traditional Young Masters section features promising talents as Mined Zone brings the rebellious and restless spirits of cinema together. Around the World includes mostly award-winning films from all over the globe and Cinemania features masters of the cinema.
Galas, one of the most beloved sections of the Istanbul Film Festival, will be presented this year with support by N Kolay, featuring acclaimed stars and master directors in the Turkish premieres of 11 highly anticipated films. Gia Coppola’s latest film The Last Showgirl, which won the Special Jury Prize at San Sebastian; the festival’s opening film Köln 75; Michel Franco’s Dreams starring Jessica Chastain; Gary Hustwit’s generative Brian Eno documentary Eno; Tom Tykwer’s opening film of the Berlin Film Festival The Light starring Nicolette Krebitz and Lars Eidinger; and François Ozon’s Best Screenplay Award-winner at San Sebastian, When Fall Is Coming, are featured in the N Kolay Galas section.
The Young Masters, supported by Kahve Dünyası, will showcase 18 films by young directors who demonstrate a unique talent and distinctive approach to cinema with their debut or second features that have been awarded at festivals in Cannes, Venice, Locarno and Thessaloniki. Palestinian director Scandar Copti’s second feature Happy Holidays, Laurynas Bareisa’s Drowning Dry which was awarded at Locarno, Riga, Sevilla and Lecce film festivals, Palestinian-Danish director Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown, which had its premiere at the Cannes; the winner of the grand prize at the Critics’ Week section of the Cannes Film Festival, Simon of the Mountain and Paternal Leave, the debut feature-length film by director Alissa Jung, which premiered in the Generation 14plus section of the Berlin Film Festival, are among the highlights of the Young Masters section.
The festival’s Around the World section, supported by Kahve Dünyası, takes viewers to an 11-day journey around the globe with 21 films including a Cannes favourite, Black Dog, Asif Kapadia’s warning from the future, 2073, Locarno Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize-winner Moon, Venice Days’ best film Manas, Berlin Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner The Blue Trail, Jan-Ole Gerster’s Islands which had its world premiere in Berlin, Burhan Qurbani’s Richard III adaptation No Beast. So Fierce, and The Damned, Best Director winner at the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section.
Originating from the love for the seventh art, Cinemania features 10 films by pioneering masters with Getir Araç as the sponsor. Restored copies of Wild at Heart, which earned David Lynch the Palme d’Or, Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas, and Jacques Demy’s unforgottable musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg are the section’s highlights. The selection also includes Hüseyin Karabey’s documentary on the acclaimed actor Kadir İnanır, The Man Who Came from the North, and Özcan Alper’s Piece by Piece – A Tuncel Kurtiz Biography. Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece Pulp Fiction will also be screened from a restored copy on the 30th anniversary of its release in Türkiye in April 1995.
The Specter section promises rare finds with a selection by filmmaker Burak Çevik this year. The selection includes the Grand Prix winner at the Montreal Nouveau Cinema Festival, Measures for a Funeral, the director of which, Sofia Bohdanowicz, is a jury member for the Short Film Competition of the festival.
Consisting of unusual, extraordinary, unsettling, adventurous, edgy films outside the mainstream, Mined Zone appeals particularly to thrill-seeking cinephiles with its selection of 9 films. Best Fantasy Genre Film Award at Sitges, Animale; The Ugly Stepsister, which premiered at the opening of the Midnight Section at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival; and Fréwaka, the first Irish-language horror film, are included in this section.
With Antidepressant, the festival is gleeful to present a brilliant selection of light-hearted, feel-good films looking at life from unexpected vantage points with Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir as the sponsor. The films in this section include The Penguin Lessons, directed by Peter Cattaneo; the Audience Award winner in San Sebastian, En fanfare; the Jury Award winner in Berlin, The Message; and the Audience Award winner in London, Four Mothers.
Retrospectives: Dag Johan Haugerud and Ayhan Ergürsel
In the retrospective section of the 44th Istanbul Film Festival, 6 feature-length films by acclaimed Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud will be screened. Renowned for his masterful cinematography and films rooted in human relationships, Haugerud works closely with actors, involving them in the creative process. Haugerud will attend the festival and meet audiences at a festival talk.
The festival will also present a selection of films edited by Ayhan Ergürsel, one of Türkiye’s most esteemed film editors. Ergürsel, who passed away suddenly in 2019, contributed to numerous projects and was a passionate advocate for filmmakers, particularly those directing their first films in the 2000s.
Turkish Classics Revisited
With the collaboration of Zurich Sigorta, Istanbul Film Festival continues to breathe new life into the most significant works of Turkish cinema by restoring them. Film enthusiasts will have the chance to watch another masterpiece digitally restored by Atlas Post Production: The Merciless Road directed by Ömer Kavur, co-written by Barış Pirhasan, and starring Kadir İnanır and Zuhal Olcay.
Competitions of the Festival
The 44th Istanbul Film Festival will include three competitions within its official selection: the Golden Tulip Competition, the Short Film Competition, and New Visions.
In the Golden Tulip Competition, awards will include the Golden Tulip for Best Film, supported by Eczacıbaşı Group with a €30,000 cash prize, the Kariyo & Ababay Jury Special Prize, supported by Kariyo & Ababay Foundation with a €10,000 cash prize, the Best Director Award, supported by Anadolu Efes with a €10,000 cash prize, as well as awards for Best Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Actor.
The Short Film Competition will feature an award for Best Film, with the winning director receiving a €2,500 cash prize supported by Anadolu Efes. In the New Visions section, the Seyfi Teoman Award will be given to the best film, honouring the late producer and director Seyfi Teoman, with a cash prize of 250,000 Turkish liras supported by Paribu. Additional awards in this section will include Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Direction, and Best Music.
Independent awards will also be presented to films within the official selection, evaluated by juries from various film industry associations. These awards will include the FIPRESCI Awards for Best Film in the Golden Tulip Competition and Best Short Film, the SİYAD ( Film Critics Association) Award for Best Film in the New Perspectives section, the Documentary Filmmakers Association (BSB) award for Best Documentary, and the FİLM-YÖN (Directors Association of Türkiye) award for Best Director in the Golden Tulip Competition and New Visions section. These independent awards recognise excellence in filmmaking and contribute to the festival’s celebration of cinematic achievements.
20th Meetings on the Bridge
The Meetings on the Bridge, supported by Anadolu Efes as its main sponsor, is a co-production, training and network platform that connects producers, directors, and screenwriters from Türkiye with international film professionals. The Film Development, Work in Progress and Short Film workshops of the platform provide an opportunity to filmmakers from Türkiye to present their feature or short films and documentaries, and look for financing opportunities.
This year, the Film Development Workshop will feature 8, Work in Progress will feature 8, and Short Film Workshop will feature 4 projects. Over the past 20 years, the Meetings on the Bridge Film Development workshop received 1703 applications and selected 215 projects, while the Work in Progress platform selected 74 projects out of 272 applications. The Turkish-German Co-Production Fund, which supports Germany-Türkiye co-production projects still in development, supported 76 projects with a total of 1,106,500 euros.
The Meetings on the Bridge launches ‘Breaking into the Industry’ Mentorship Programme Participation Award that enables a young film producer to participate in the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in November 2025.
The Meetings on the Bridge Awards will be presented to their winners at the award ceremony to be held on the evening of 17 April.
Supporters
The 44th Istanbul Film Festival is sponsored by N Kolay.
Sponsors supporting the festival are:
Organisation with Higher Contribution
Anadolu Efes ‘Main Competition’
Theme Sponsors with Higher Contribution
N Kolay 'N Kolay Galas'
Kahve Dünyası ‘Around the World/Young Masters’
Paribu ‘New Perspectives’
Theme Sponsors Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir ‘Antidepressant’ Getir Araç ‘Cinemania’
With the ‘Turkish Classics Revisited’ section, supported by Zurich Sigorta, Istanbul Film Festival continues to bring esteemed works of Turkish cinema back to the big screen.
Selpak continues to support the festival as the Hygiene Sponsor, Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts and Soho House participate as Contributing Organisations.
This edition’s Venue Sponsors are Pera Museum Auditorium and Kadıköy Municipality Sinematek/Sinema Evi.
The 44rd Istanbul Film Festival is supported by Goethe-Institut Istanbul and Kino 2025, German Films, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, , Institut Français Turquie, Unifrance, Consulate General of India, Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Istanbul, Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway, Austrian Cultural Office, Dimitrie Cantemir Romanian Cultural Centre and Consulate General of Brazil in Istanbul.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality supports the festival by provisioning venues.
As with all İKSV festivals, Eczacıbaşı Group is the Founding Sponsor, The Marmara Group is the Accommodation and Venue Sponsor, and Zurich Sigorta is the Insurance Sponsor. The festival also receives support from The American Hospital, TEMPO BPO, Insider, MindBehind, Plaza OSGB, GFK, Mindshare, SOMERA, boosmart and Wiseback as Service Sponsors. As in previous years, the festival thanks KOOP for its technical support.
Festival Tickets
Festival tickets will be available to the general public from 10.30 on 27 March, Thursday, via Passo, Passo mobile app, and Passo sales points.
Weekday daytime sessions (11.00, 13.30, 16.00) are priced at 240 TL until the festival begins.
Weekday 19.00 and 21.30 screenings and all weekend screenings (11.00, 13.30, 16.00, 19.00, 21.30) are 300 TL until the festival begins.
Eczacıbaşı Youth Ticket price for students is 30 TL. Not available for 21.30 screenings.
Senior citizens aged 65 and over receive a 25% discount on all screenings.
Audiences with disabilities receive a 50% discount.
