Submissions open for Diaspora Int’l Short Film Festival

THE PRESIDENCY for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) has put together a new festival that intends to share a new perspective with the Turkish cultural scene and diaspora communities in various countries. The Diaspora International Short Film Festival, which will take place for the first time in Istanbul on Aug. 27-29, is accepting film submissions until July 30.

The competition, a YTB initiative, has been organized by the Bosphorus Culture and Art Foundation in cooperation with the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) with the support of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry. Anadolu Agency (AA) serves as the festival’s communication partner.

The festival, which will be held at the Atlas Cinema on İstiklal Avenue in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district, will reveal the unifying impact cinema and art has on societies, accepting submissions of short films that realistically and artistically reflect the lives of those living in diaspora communities. Productions emphasizing issues such as identity, multiculturalism, multilingualism, multiple belonging, harmony, coexistence, cultural interaction, social tolerance, migration and participation are expected to be on show at the event. Additionally, films that feature the contributions of diaspora communities to the countries they live in, their struggle for existence and their efforts to cling to life will be evaluated, as well as movies that deal with themes like racism, discrimination and xenophobia.

President of the YTB and Diaspora International Short Film Festival, Abdullah Eren, explained that they set to work on the project in order to unveil the common values but also differences of the diasporas through the lens of cinema, “which is one of the mediums where art can be revealed most effectively,” he noted. Further details can be found on the film festival’s website.