The İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) held a press conference yesterday to introduce the 45th edition of the İstanbul Film Festival. Running from Apr 9 to 19, the festival will showcase a total of 127 feature films and 13 short films.
At the conference held at The Marmara Hotel in Taksim, festival director Kerem Ayan announced the films competing in various sections, including the main Golden Tulip Competition, while Meetings on the Bridge manager Pınar Evrenosoğlu shared details about the industry platform, which will be held for the 21st time this year.
Bringing together standout works from world cinema, award-winning productions, and new films by emerging directors, the festival will offer a full program over 11 days, including talks, special screenings, and various events.
The Cinema Honorary Award will be presented to actor Nilüfer Aydan and director Gianfranco Rosi. The opening film of the festival will be Three Farewells, directed by Isabel Coixet.
Competitions and program
The festival will feature three competition sections: the Golden Tulip Competition, New Perspectives, and the Short Film Competition. In addition, six other thematic sections will also be presented to audiences.
The Golden Tulip jury will be chaired by David Mackenzie. Other jury members include Tanja Meissner, Ekin Koç, Prof. Dr. Aslı Tunç, and Rodrigo Areias.
No queer films section
The festival’s section dedicated to queer cinema, titled "Neredesin Aşkım?" (Where Are You My Love?), has once again been left out of this year’s program despite İKSV’s announcement on Instagram following censorship criticism in 2025.
İstanbul Film Festival drops queer films section from 2025 lineup
- N Kolay Galas: Turkish premieres of highly anticipated films of the season.
- Young Masters: Directors who draw attention with their first or second films.
- Documentary Time: 22 films focusing on current issues.
- From the World: 27 titles from international cinema.
- Visions: Experimental and boundary-pushing works.
- Classics From Past to Present: Restored and cult classics.
Festival screenings will be held at seven theaters across both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. On the European side, screenings will take place at Atlas 1948 and Beyoğlu Sineması in Beyoğlu, and CineWAM Premium+ City’s Nişantaşı in Şişli. On the Asian side, venues include Kadıköy Sineması, Sinematek/Sinema Evi, and Paribu Cineverse Nautilus in Kadıköy.
Meetings on the Bridge marks 21st edition
The industry platform Meetings on the Bridge, held as part of the festival, will bring together film professionals from Apr 14 to 16. This year’s platform will feature 23 projects.
Festival tickets will go on sale starting Mar 27. Discounted tickets will be available for students through the “Young Ticket” initiative, while prices for different screenings will range from 250 to 350 liras.
The full program and further details are available on the festival’s official website.
(TY/VK)
