Istanbul International Film Festival

Istanbul International Film Festival is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Turkey. As mentioned in its regulations, the festival aims to encourage the development of cinema in Turkey and to promote films of quality in the Turkish cinema market.

History

The Istanbul International Film Festival was first organized in 1982, within the frame of the International Istanbul Festival as a "Film Week" consisting of six films. The theme of the films participating in the Festival was limited to "Arts and Cinema", to keep the event within the context of the International Istanbul Festival. In 1983 the event was realized under the title of "Istanbul Filmdays", taking place throughout the Festival within a span of a month.

Beginning from 1984, the event gained an identity as a separate activity; it was shifted to the month of April. In 1985, two competitive sections, one being national and the other international, were included in the festival program. From 1987 on, "Cinema Honorary Awards" began to be presented.

In the following years, The Istanbul International Filmdays firmly established its position and took its place among the major film festivals of the world with the large number of films shown and the quality and versatility of its program.

At the beginning of 1989 the event was recognized as "a competitive specialized festival" by International Federation of Film Producers Associations) (FIAPF) and was accredited. Parallel to this development, "Istanbul Filmdays" was renamed as "Istanbul International Film Festival".

Beginning from 1996, "Lifetime Achievement Awards" along with "Cinema Honorary Awards" began to be presented to international cineastes, actors and actresses.

In 2006, celebrating its 25th year, the festival created a meeting platform for Turkish and European film professionals under the title "Meetings on the Bridge", aiming to bring European film institutions with Turkish directors and producers to discuss funding possiblities.

In 2007, the Council of Europe, in collaboration with Eurimages, started to present the FACE Award (Film Award of the Council of Europe) to a film selected from the entries in the Human Rights and Cinema section of the festival.

Since the beginning of the Festival, a total of 2,065,000 spectators have attended the screenings of 2,330 films from 72 different countries.

Program

The selection and programmation of the festival films are conducted by the selection committee and the advisory board. The program consists of an international competition open only to feature and animated films on art and artists or literary adaptations, a national competition, non-competitive, informative sections on specific themes which can include documentaries, shorts and feature films.

The 2004 program which included more than 200 films from over 60 countries comprised of the following sections:

• International Competition
• National Competition
• Special Screenings with Live Orchestra
• Retrospectives
• Tributes
• Midnight Screenings
• Mined Zone
• Young Stars of the World Cinema
• From the World of Festivals
• Cinema: the Mirror of our Times
• Journey to Hope: Emigrants
• Documentaries
• The World of Animation
• Latin American Cinema

Awards list

These awards are presented within the context of the festival:

• Golden Tulip (for the best film in the international competition)
• Best Turkish Film of the Year (in memory of Onat Kutlar)
• Best Turkish Director of the Year
• Special Prize of the Jury
• Special Mention
• Best Actor and Best Actress (national competition)
• Honorary Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• FIPRESCI Prize (national and international competitions)
• People's Choice Award
• FACE Award

Top Award Winners

International Competition (Golden Tulip)

National Competition