Istanbul International Film Festival

Overview

The Istanbul International Film Festival is Turkey's leading international film festival. The 45th edition ran April 9 to 19, 2026, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and sponsored by N Kolay. The festival screened 39 competing films across 7 venues on both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, with the Golden Tulip as its top competitive prize.

The 2026 edition marked a revamped format under artistic director Kerem Ayan. The new structure mixes Turkish and international works in the main Golden Tulip Competition, while maintaining dedicated sections for Turkish cinema through the New Visions and Short Film competitions. The festival directorate aims to ensure that one third of the films in the Golden Tulip Competition are from Turkey, making it one of the few major international festivals that guarantees domestic representation in its top competition.

The 2026 Golden Tulip was awarded to "Memory of Princess Mumbi" by Swiss-Kenyan director Damien Hauser, a dystopian fable set in 2093 created with the use of artificial intelligence. This marked the first time a feature film made with AI won the top award at a prominent international film festival. The jury was chaired by Scottish director David Mackenzie.

Submission Details

Submissions are accepted through the festival's online submission system. Key details for the 45th edition (2026):

Critical Submission Rule

Films produced outside Turkey are included in the official selection by invitation only. No open call for submissions is issued for international films. Turkish filmmakers can submit through the online system, but international filmmakers must be invited by the Festival Directorate. This is a fundamental difference from most major festivals that accept open international submissions.

Eligibility Restrictions

• Films that have been screened at any theatrical release or public film screening event within the borders of Istanbul are not eligible
• Feature-length fiction films from Turkey that have received a Best Film Award at a festival within Turkey are not eligible for competition
• Films commercially released in Turkey on DVD, online, television, VOD, or streaming platforms are not eligible
• Films not selected in previous years will not be reconsidered, even if re-edited
• No premiere requirement applies to short films

Competition Sections

• Golden Tulip Competition - international competition for films 60+ minutes, requiring a Turkey premiere. The festival directorate aims to include one third Turkish films in this section. Awards include Golden Tulip Best Film, Special Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Actor
• New Visions - national competition for emerging Turkish cinema, 60+ minutes. Awards include the Seyfi Teoman Best Film Prize and craft awards
• Short Film Competition - national competition for Turkish short films, maximum 20 minutes
• Non-Competitive Sections - narrative features and documentaries presented within special thematic programmes
• Special Sections - tributes, retrospectives, and curated programmes

Awards and Prizes

Golden Tulip Competition (45th edition, 2026)

• Golden Tulip Best Film - "Memory of Princess Mumbi" (dir. Damien Hauser, Kenya/Switzerland/Saudi Arabia)
• Special Jury Prize - "Resurrection" (dir. Bi Gan, China)
• Best Director - Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret for "Summer Camp" ("Ma frere")
• Best Screenplay - Markus Schleinzer and Alexander Brom for "Rose"
• Best Actress - Inci Sefa Cingoz for "Those Who Whistle After Dark"
• Best Actor - Kemal Burak Alper for "Dead Dogs Don't Bite"
• Special Mention - "Hen" (dir. Gyorgy Palfi), awarded to all animals in films

New Visions Awards (Turkish Cinema)

• Seyfi Teoman Best Film Prize - "32 Meters" (dir. Morteza Atabaki), which also won Best Editing
• Best Screenplay - "The Most Beautiful Funeral Songs" (dir. Ziya Demirel and Yusuf Tan Demirel)
• Best Actress - Esra Dermancioglu for "The Most Beautiful Funeral Songs"
• Best Supporting Actress - Cagdas Ekin Sisman for "The Most Beautiful Funeral Songs"
• Best Supporting Actor - Ozer Kececi for "The Most Beautiful Funeral Songs"
• Best Art Direction - Elif Oner for "Cemetery of Nameless Works"
• Best Music - Efe Demiral for "Cemetery of Nameless Works"
• Best Cinematography - Resat Okan Candemir for "Goat501"
• Best Actor - Burak Dakak for "About My Mother"

Independent Jury Awards

• FIPRESCI Prize - "Rose of Nevada" (dir. Mark Jenkin)
• Film Directors Association (Film-Yon) Best Director - Sunay Terzioglu for "Vines, Roots and Passions"
• Turkish Film Critics Association (SIYAD) Best Film - "Cemetery of Nameless Works" (dir. Melik Kuru)
• Association of Documentary Filmmakers (BSB) Best Documentary - "2m2" (dir. Volkan Uce)

Festival History

The Istanbul International Film Festival was founded in 1982 under the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), which also organises Istanbul's major music, theatre, and biennial events. The festival has operated continuously for 45 editions and has maintained its status as Turkey's most internationally connected film event.

Turkey has one of the most active theatrical markets in the world, with domestic films regularly topping box office charts. The Istanbul festival is where Turkish cinema engages with international programming and where international films seek Turkish audiences. Turkish directors including Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose films have won major awards at Cannes including the Palme d'Or, have been featured throughout the festival's history.

The 2026 edition under artistic director Kerem Ayan introduced a revamped format that mixes Turkish and international works in the main competition, a structural change from the previous format that separated international and Turkish competitions. The 46th Istanbul Film Festival will take place in April 2027.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The most important thing to know about the Istanbul Film Festival is that international films are included by invitation only. There is no open call for submissions for films produced outside Turkey. If you are an international filmmaker, your film must be invited by the Festival Directorate. This means the festival is not a submission target for international filmmakers in the way that Berlin, Tribeca, or Edinburgh are. International sales agents and producers should focus on getting their films seen by the festival's programming team through market screenings and industry connections.

For Turkish filmmakers, the festival is the most important domestic platform. The New Visions section is specifically designed for emerging Turkish cinema and offers craft awards alongside the top prize. The Short Film Competition is open to Turkish short films under 20 minutes with no premiere requirement. Turkish feature films must have been produced after January 1, 2025, must not have been screened publicly in Istanbul, and must not have won a Best Film award at another Turkish festival.

The Golden Tulip Competition requires a Turkey premiere for all films. The festival covers inbound and outbound freight costs for physical copies, as well as storage, customs, and handling costs in Turkey. Screening copies must be delivered no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled screening date. All films are screened in their original versions with Turkish and English subtitles.

See Also

Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding the Turkish film market and international sales, see International Film Markets. Read the full Istanbul Film Festival regulations.