The 44th Istanbul Film Festival Kicks Off April 11 with 154 Films and Global Highlights
- Ben İzledim
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and sponsored by N Kolay, the 44th Istanbul Film Festival will run from April 11–22, 2025, showcasing 139 feature films and 15 shorts across 13 thematic sections and seven venues in Istanbul.
This year’s selection includes films by master auteurs such as François Ozon, Tom Tykwer, Michel Franco, Burhan Qurbani, Mahdi Fleifel, and Gary Hustwit, along with restored classics by David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Wim Wenders, Jacques Demy, and Robert Bresson. The festival opens with Cologne ’75, directed by Ido Fluk, which premiered at the 2025 Berlinale.
Competition Highlights
The Golden Tulip Competition, now combining national and international entries, features 15 feature films judged by an international jury chaired by Indian director Shekhar Kapur. Notable titles include:
Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of A Writer Who Decided to Write About A Serial Killer (Tolga Karaçelik)
Super Happy Forever (Kohei Igarashi)
Under the Volcano (Pod Wulkanem, Damian Kocur)
Harvest (Athina Rachel Tsangari)
Maldoror (Fabrice du Welz)
Short films will compete in an expanded international Short Film Competition, while the New Visions section, dedicated to debut or sophomore Turkish directors, will award the Seyfi Teoman Prize.
International Awards and Premieres
The festival features multiple award-winning titles from major festivals:
Dreams (Drømmer, Dag Johan Haugerud) – winner of the Golden Bear and FIPRESCI at Berlinale
The Last Showgirl (Gia Coppola) – Jury Prize at San Sebastián
Simon of the Mountain (Simón de la Montaña, Federico Luis) – Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prize
The Blue Trail (O último azul, Gabriel Mascaro) – Berlinale Grand Jury Prize
Star-Studded Galas
The N Kolay Galas present high-profile premieres, including:
Dreams (Michel Franco), starring Jessica Chastain
Eno (Gary Hustwit), a generative documentary about Brian Eno
When Fall Is Coming (Quand vient l'automne, François Ozon)
The Light (Das Licht, Tom Tykwer)
Diverse Sections and Documentaries
Sections like Young Masters, Around the World, and Specter highlight global perspectives. The Documentary Time strand includes 21 titles covering topics from war photography (The Man I Left Behind) to experimental music (Max Richter’s Sleep).
The Antidepressant section offers feel-good stories such as The Penguin Lessons (Peter Cattaneo) and Four Mothers (Darren Thornton).
Restorations and Retrospectives
The Turkish classic Desperate Road (Amansız Yol, Ömer Kavur) will be screened in a newly restored version. The festival also honors Zuhal Olcay with the Lifetime Achievement Award and retrospective sections on Norwegian auteur Dag Johan Haugerud and late editor Ayhan Ergürsel.
Industry Events
The festival’s Meetings on the Bridge, celebrating its 20th year, will host panels and project development events, including a new mentorship award for emerging producers in collaboration with Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Screenings and Events
Films will be screened at seven theaters across Beyoğlu, Şişli, and Kadıköy. Discussions with directors, including Haugerud and war photographer Larry Towell, will complement the screenings.
More information and full schedule are available at film.iksv.org.
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