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Longarms

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Student Documentaries from Türkiye

Longarms

00:15:00

Cemal Karaaslan

-

Türkiye

Dilara is an art student striving to become a successful painter despite the challenges in her life and dreams of studying abroad. Cemal, a film student, wants to document her journey, knowing that their last days together could come at any moment. However, things do not go as planned. They try to overcome the difficulties of pursuing art and creating something meaningful in a small town with the support of their friends.

Dilara, hayatındaki zorluklara rağmen başarılı bir ressam olmaya çalışan ve yurt dışında eğitim almak isteyen bir resim öğrencisidir. Sinema öğrencisi Cemal, arkadaşı Dilara'yla geçireceği son günlerin her an gelebileceğini düşünerek onun belgeselini çekmek ister fakat işler planladıkları gibi gitmez. Küçük bir şehirde sanatla uğraşmanın ve bir şeyler üretmenin güçlüğünü arkadaşlarının desteği ile aşmaya çalışırlar.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

12:00

Fransız Kültür Merkezi

Sukande Kasáká | Ailing Land

Best International Short Film

Sukande Kasáká | Ailing Land

Kamikia Kisedje, Fred Rahal

Kamikia and Lewaiki, from the Khĩsêdjê people, are forced to abandon their largest village after detecting pesticide contamination that poisons their land, rivers, and food. Surrounded by monocultures of soy, they fight to protect their culture, their families, and their territory, facing an invisible enemy that threatens their very existence.
Fekry's Thoughts

International Short Film Competition

Fekry's Thoughts

Essam Hayder

A contemporary portrait follows the life of an Alexandrian Framemaker born in the 1930s. Through his personal story, the film explores the profound changes in Egypt over the past 80 years, capturing society's transformation through a dedicated craftsman's eyes.
Baghdad Graphic

International Short Film Competition

Baghdad Graphic

D.K. Odessa

Based on fragments from a never finished graphic novel, Baghdad Graphic presents an unflinching account of an Iraqi journalist and his desperate effort to survive the invasion of his country. An intensely personal portrait of the costs of war.
Master of Time

Documentaries from Türkiye

Master of Time

Muhittin Yüceli

When Adana's iconic Great Clock Tower broke down in 2014, it was brought back to life by the expertise of Murat Yurtbulmuş. Having been involved in clockmaking since childhood and honing his skills in Germany, Yurtbulmuş shares the challenges of clock repair, his personal memories, and the mysteries of clocks in this documentary. This work not only captures a repair process but also reveals the life story of a passionate craftsman.
CAHİDE SONKU "Türkiye's First Female Producer and Director"

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

CAHİDE SONKU "Türkiye's First Female Producer and Director"

Nurullah Güzel

Our film aims to introduce the life of Cahide Sonku to students of the Radio, Television, and Cinema department. In this context, it focuses on examining the historical development of Turkish cinema to better understand Cahide Sonku and to inspire future generations through her story. Cahide Sonku’s cinema career is important not only because of her success in the arts but also because it reveals the role of women and gender dynamics in Turkish cinema and the art world in general. Her life and contributions help us develop a deeper understanding of women’s presence in the film industry. As a result, this documentary will add meaningful value to the literature by focusing on Cahide Sonku’s unique contributions to cinema.
Bocuk: An Ancient Ritual

International Short Film Competition

Bocuk: An Ancient Ritual

Buğra Mert Alkayalar

"Bocuk" traces the remnants of a Balkan-Turkic belief said to date back to the Middle Ages, still alive in a remote village of Thrace. This docudrama explores the contemporary meaning of an ancient winter ritual and documents the local narratives surrounding it. Blending fear with tradition, the film invites viewers to discover the extraordinary Night of Bocuk, a practice still observed across generations in Turkey.
HaulHaul

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

HaulHaul

Yeliz Kıroğlu, Damla Mozioğlu

This documentary shows the new popularity of thrifting; the core between sustainability and subculture creates a conflict because of the commodification of aesthetics- the perspectives of different people from different backgrounds.
Foto Akgün

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

Foto Akgün

Fidan Çaça

A tribute to Mehmet Akgün, a camera repairman in Konya who has been restoring memories for nearly 50 years. Foto Akgün tells the inspiring story of resilience, craftsmanship, and passion—despite physical limitations.
Mother of Snow Cranes

En İyi Uluslararası Uzun Metraj Belgesel Film

Mother of Snow Cranes

Iiris Härmä

Over 90 years old, Ellen Vuosalo has lived many lives. First as a Finnish immigrant in Canada, then as an American citizen and student of zoology at UCLA and finally as a Mother of Cranes in Iran. Iiris Härmä's Mother of Snow Cranes tells the story of an incredible woman's extraordinary life, from love to tragedy to revolution. It is a story about nature, humanity, and the role of women in both the West and Iranian culture. Or as Ellen herself says " What a life! What a world!" Reference story: Unlike the world famous story of Betty Mahmoody (NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER, 1991), MOTHER OF SNOW CRANES tells the story of the Western woman who had to stay in Iran and later who decided to stay. Our production company Guerilla Films has produced award-winning documentary films for international broadcasters (YLE, SVT, NHK, ARTE, NETFLIX etc.), cinemas and film festivals for more than 20 years. Mother of Snow Cranes (orig. Kurkien äiti) Duration: 78 mins Director: Iiris Härmä Producer: Visa Koiso-Kanttila/ Guerilla Films Production Country Finland Filming location Iran Release Date: Cinematic release in Finland September 2024.
ALTAY

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

ALTAY

Pelin Girgin

The Altai Mountains, one of the ancient heritages of human history, are not only home to towering peaks and vast steppes, but also the birthplace of a culture, an identity, and a belief system. “Altai” is the documentary that tells the story of the Kazakh Turks, who carry the traces of the past forward and pass them on to future generations.
Halal Dreams

International Experimental Film Competition

Halal Dreams

Mohammed Mamdouh

In the sleepless lights of New York, a father's longing becomes the city's quiet heartbeat.
I Just Keep Dancing

International Feature Film Competition

I Just Keep Dancing

Natasha Fefelova, Galina Goldfeld

An American, a Japanese, a Canadian, a Frenchman and a Brazilian work as ballet dancers in very different Russian cities. The world around them collapses for reasons beyond their control, and the characters have to make the most difficult choice in their lives. A choice on which not only their career, but also their destiny depends.
NONE

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

NONE

Ezel Manay

"NONE" is a black-and-white documentary that explores an inner journey during the Şebi Aruz night. The film captures moments in the backstreets of Konya, where divine love and music intertwine. Focusing on this special night, it highlights how people from diverse cultures express their emotions through music. What seems like a celebration from the outside transforms into a profound spiritual quest and an exploration of the universal language of love. The film reveals the power of music to unite souls, emphasizing the common thread found in each culture's unique sound. "Hiç" offers an emotional experience that invites viewers on a journey not only through visuals but also through deep emotional discovery.
Radio, My Love (With the Director in Attendance)

Documentaries from Türkiye

Radio, My Love (With the Director in Attendance)

Nazan Haydari, Özden Cankaya, Cem Hakverdi

Radio, My Love is an investigative documentary that frames radio broadcasting as an arena of struggle. The film revolves around the experiences of women who entered the profession in the 1970s by taking exams to join TRT, first established as an autonomous broadcasting institution. The documentary is based on the oral history project titled “Women Radio Broadcasters in the History of Turkey. It weaves together archival recordings with contemporary interviews, bringing voices from different eras together to reveal how these broadcasters shaped both the sound of radio and the cultural landscape of Turkey during a pivotal period.
Alley

Documentaries from Türkiye

Alley

Defne Kırmızı

The camera lingers, tracing a quiet alley where people go in and out of frame — glimpsed, reflected, and lost. A game unfolds in this stage, where shifting perspectives turn passersby into unwitting performers. Elsewhere, landscapes are slipping away and rebuilt on a cyclical pattern. A brief syncopation in a daily routine, a fleeting interplay of a place and bodies in motion.
Tight Lines (With the Director in Attendance)

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

Tight Lines (With the Director in Attendance)

Cihan Berkay Mahçup

“Tight Lines” tells the story of a woman whose life is woven with nets, beginning each day with the sea. She does not merely make a living from the sea; she speaks to it, challenges it, and endures alongside it. Fishing is often perceived as a man’s profession, yet in this documentary, the hands guiding the nets belong to a woman. Rastgele goes beyond the act of casting nets into the water, revealing a quiet yet powerful resistance that makes the unseen visible.
Enemy Number Three

International Short Film Competition

Enemy Number Three

Vladimir Sumashedov

During World War II, artist and photo montage master Alexander Zhytomyrsky uses his art to convince the enemy to end the bloodshed. Propaganda leaflets — passports to surrender — are dropped from planes in millions, aimed at soldiers on the front lines. Unlike bombs, they do not take lives, they are meant to save them. The creator of these leaflets works hard every day to see the humanity in his enemy amidst the hatred. Will he be able to preserve his talent and himself in this struggle?
Mahalleme Dokunma (With the Director in Attendance)

Belgesel Fotoğraf Gösterimleri

Mahalleme Dokunma (With the Director in Attendance)

Emine Kart

Let me tell you a bit about the neighbourhood we didn't want to touch. 100th Year, Workers' Blocks Neighbourhood. Built for workers, squatters have been living there for years. Thousands of buildings have sprung up around it, glass towers, shopping centres, mosque projects offering donation opportunities on credit card instalments, demolitions, constructions, bars and barricades. We didn't want this; we deserved better. The year was 2013... The whole country was united around three or five trees. The wind from those trees enveloped a student and retired neighbourhood in Ankara. Do you know what we wanted? We didn't want them to build that road separating the school from the neighbourhood. We didn't want them to cut down the forest that was home to all kinds of trees and animals. We wanted to throw in your faces every day the image of the workers and women your system killed, and those you slaughtered in the name of labour, peace and democracy, erasing them the very next day. We wanted a tree planted, a field we cultivated together, a garden where we could come together and tend to the crops. We wanted a patch of land open to labour and sustenance, with no lock on its gate.
Longarms

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

Longarms

Cemal Karaaslan

Dilara is an art student striving to become a successful painter despite the challenges in her life and dreams of studying abroad. Cemal, a film student, wants to document her journey, knowing that their last days together could come at any moment. However, things do not go as planned. They try to overcome the difficulties of pursuing art and creating something meaningful in a small town with the support of their friends. Dilara, hayatındaki zorluklara rağmen başarılı bir ressam olmaya çalışan ve yurt dışında eğitim almak isteyen bir resim öğrencisidir. Sinema öğrencisi Cemal, arkadaşı Dilara'yla geçireceği son günlerin her an gelebileceğini düşünerek onun belgeselini çekmek ister fakat işler planladıkları gibi gitmez. Küçük bir şehirde sanatla uğraşmanın ve bir şeyler üretmenin güçlüğünü arkadaşlarının desteği ile aşmaya çalışırlar.
Free Fish

Special Film Screenings

Free Fish

Bisan Owda, Carolina Pereira

Free Fish — filmed entirely in Gaza during the ongoing genocide tells the story of two brothers separated by war and displacement, whose daily struggle to fish under blockade becomes an act of survival and resistance. Because in Gaza, even the sea is under siege. Fishing has become an act of defiance — and creation, an essential exercise of freedom.
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