Dates
The 45th Istanbul Film Festival, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) as a competitive cinema event, shall take place from 9 to 19 April 2026.
2. Programme
The official selection of the 45th Istanbul Film Festival comprises the most recent and noteworthy films from different areas of cinematic production that reflect change and diversity, are of high quality, and are capable of representing the art of cinema at an international level. In accordance with these criteria, the programme is composed of the following sections:
a) Golden Tulip Competition (international)
b) New Visions (national)
c) Short Film Competition (national)
d) Non-competitive, informative sections featuring narrative feature films and documentaries presented within the framework of the Festival’s special themes
e) Special sections
Films from Türkiye to be included in the official selection shall be determined by the Festival Directorate from among submissions or by invitation. The final and sole decision regarding the selection and scheduling of films rests with the Festival Directorate.
3. Conditions of Participation
Films produced outside the Republic of Türkiye may only be included in the official selection by invitation; no open call for submissions is issued for such films. The following conditions apply to films submitted from Türkiye:
a) Only fiction, documentary, or animation films produced after 1 January 2025, regardless of genre or form, may apply for inclusion in the official selection.
b) Only films with a minimum duration of 60 minutes may be included in the Golden Tulip Competition and New Visions. Films with a duration of less than 60 minutes may be considered for other sections of the official selection.
c) Fiction, documentary, animation, or experimental short films from Türkiye produced after 1 January 2025 may apply to the Short Film Competition. Short films shall not exceed 20 minutes in duration.
d) Screening copies shall be prepared in DCP format (1998x1080 px for flat, 2048x858 px for scope).
e)
- i. Films that have been screened within the borders of Istanbul at any theatrical release or public film screening event shall not be eligible for the official selection.
- ii. Feature-length fiction films from Türkiye that have received a Best Film Award at a festival within the Republic of Türkiye shall not be eligible for competition.
- iii.Feature-length films that have been commercially released in Türkiye on DVD or similar media, or made available via online, television, VOD, or streaming platforms, shall not be eligible for the official selection.
- iv. Films that were not selected for the programme in previous years shall not be reconsidered or included in the official selection, even if re-edited.
- v. No premiere requirement applies to short films.
4. Submission
The legal rights holder of the film shall submit the application for participation. If a film has more than one legal rights holder, the submission form shall include the names and titles of all rights holders or their written consent as an attachment. Rights holders may submit more than one film.
For a film to be evaluated, the following materials shall be submitted via the Festival’s online submission system by 10 January 2026 at the latest. Submissions are accepted exclusively through the designated platform.
a) An online screener link containing the full film (valid for a minimum of three months)
b) Technical specifications and credits
c) A synopsis in Turkish
d) Information on previous festival screenings, theatrical releases, and awards (if any)
The applicant confirms the accuracy of the information provided in the submission form. Submission of the application constitutes a commitment by the rights holder not to withdraw the film from the Festival after the Festival programme has been officially announced at the press conference preceding the Festival.
