The 43rd Istanbul Film Festival, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts as a specialised competitive event, will take place between 17-28 April 2024, and the International Competition will take place within these dates.

The aim of the Festival is to encourage the development of cinema in Turkey and promote the commercial distribution of films of quality in the Turkish market.

The programme of the 43rd Istanbul Film Festival consists of the following sections:

The International Competition, open only to films that accommodate the theme “new perspectives in cinema”
b) Turkish Cinema 2023-2024, which includes the subsections National Competition, National Documentary Competition, and National Short Film Competition
c) Non-competitive, informative sections. Fiction features and documentaries can be selected for these sections.
d) Thematic sections.

a) Fiction, documentary, or animated films (fitting the theme new perspectives in cinema) in DCP (Digital Cinema Package) format and a minimum duration of 60 minutes are eligible for the competition.
b) The final decision for selection and scheduling will be taken by the Festival Directorate. Producers, directors, distributors, film institutes, and embassies may propose titles.
c) Theatrical screenings of all films in the competition at the Festival will be in their original versions, with English and Turkish subtitles.
d) Films will not be considered if released before 1 January 2023, or already released at cinemas, VOD, or streaming platforms in Turkey.
e) Competition films will be judged by an international jury composed of directors, writers, producers, actors, critics, film historians, and others known for their involvement in cinema.
f) The jury presents the “Golden Tulip Award” to the director of the selected film in memory of Şakir Eczacıbaşı as the grand prize of the International Competition. This prize cannot be shared. The jury may also give the “Special Jury Prize” for a specific contribution by a director. This prize cannot be shared. The Special Jury Prize and the Golden Tulip cannot be awarded to the same film.
g) The International Competition will be supported by the Eczacıbaşı Group. The monetary award will be distributed as follows:

• 10,000 Euros to the director of the film which wins the Şakir Eczacıbaşı Golden Tulip Award;
• 150,000 Turkish liras to the Turkish distributor of the winning film;
• 5,000 Euros to the director of the film which wins the Special Jury Prize.

• a) Feature-length fiction films that are debut or sophomore works of their directors are eligible for this section.
• b) The final decision for selection and scheduling will be taken by the Festival Directorate.
• c) The Nespresso Youth Jury will watch and evaluate the films in this section. The Nespresso Youth Jury is composed of film students aged 18-25. The Jury presents the “Young Master Award” to the director of the selected film. This prize cannot be shared.
• d) The Young Master Award will be supported by Nespresso with a monetary prize of 3,000 Euros.

Films can also be selected for non-competitive sections of the Festival. Producers, directors, distributors, film institutes, and embassies may propose titles.

Films available on DVD or VOD or streaming services in Turkey are not eligible for inclusion in the programme. Films which have not been selected upon their submissions for previous editions are not re-evaluated.

The Festival is responsible for the insurance of the DCP copies of selected films, from the moment they are received by the Festival to the moment they are collected by the forwarding agent.

Should a copy be lost or damaged, the Festival’s responsibility could be engaged only to the extent of the value indicated by the producer on the submission form. If the entrant does not send the submission form to the Festival until 20 January 2023, the physical DCP copies will be valued by the insurance company on USD 1,000.

a) DCP or digital film copies confirmed to be screened as part of the official Festival programme must arrive in Istanbul for inspection, translation, and press screenings 15 days prior to the established screening date.
b) Both way shipment costs of the copies will be paid by the Festival only if they are sent from and returned to their sources.
c) In case the copy is shared with another festival, Istanbul Film Festival will pay for return transportation charges only. DCP copies must be sent prepaid by the other festival. No collect shipments are accepted unless authorised by the Istanbul Film Festival. Storage, customs, insurance and handling charges in Turkey will be covered by the Istanbul Film Festival.
d) DCP copies will be returned within two weeks after the closing of the Festival. The consignee will be notified of the shipping details. The Festival is not responsible for storage fees at the airport.
e) Copies and air waybills should be sent directly to the Festival’s address below:
43. Istanbul Film Festival
İstanbul Kültür Sanat Vakfi
Sadi Konuralp C. No.5
Beyoglu 34433 İstanbul, TURKEY
Phone: +90 (212) 334 07 20
E: film.fest@iksv.org
f) DCP copies must be sent to the Festival in their original hardcover cases clearly labelled with the title of the film. The entrant should send a notice of dispatch by airmail or e-mail to the secretariat of the Festival indicating the title, date and way of shipment. Digital copies should only be forwarded to the responsible festival staff.

The festival authority reserves the right to disqualify films that do not meet or fall short of the technical specifications or legal qualifications required for public screening.

Participation in the 43rd Istanbul Film Festival implies the acceptance of these regulations.

All issues not covered by these general regulations will be resolved by Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV).

The festival authority reserves the right to amend the articles of the regulations.