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Maestro’s hands

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International Short Film Competition

Maestro’s hands

00:26:00

Aleksey Barykin

-

Russia

He has amazing hands. With the most delicate gestures he directs a symphony orchestra. He worked with great people: Maya Plisetskaya, Rodion Shchedrin, Mstislav Rostropovich. He conducted at the Bolshoi Theater, the Bavarian Ballet, the Royal Swedish Opera. One of the best conductors in the world, Renat Salavatov shares the secrets of his mastery.

Thursday, January 22, 2026

15:00

Fransız Kültür Merkezi

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.
Yazbek: A Portrait

International Short Film Competition

Yazbek: A Portrait

Frederick Shelbourne, Lucy Andia

Yazbek: A Portrait recounts a Sergio's life, leading up to the moment he uncovers a box of his late father’s lost negatives. As he develops the photographs, Sergio reconnects with his father in ways he never expected, discovering new facets about the man and his legacy. Sergio reflects on how his father taught him not only the secrets of photography but also of life itself, shaping his understanding of the world through the lens. This film explores themes of memory, family, and the profound connection between art and life. ... 'Yazbek: A Portrait' narra la vida de Sergio, hasta el momento en que descubre una caja con los negativos perdidos de su difunto padre. Mientras revela las fotografías, Sergio se reconecta con su padre de maneras que nunca imaginó, descubriendo nuevas facetas sobre el hombre y su legado. Sergio reflexiona sobre cómo su padre le enseñó no solo los secretos de la fotografía, sino también de la vida misma, moldeando su comprensión del mundo a través del lente. Esta película explora temas como la memoria, la familia y la profunda conexión entre el arte y la vida.
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.
Since You've Been Gone

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

Since You've Been Gone

Ayşegül Ongun

A woman who lost her father follows the historical route that she and her father used to follow. During the journey, she tries to understand her own connection to the city. While she compares her father's Istanbul in his youth and today's city, she ironically conveys the problems such as unplanned urbanization, ecological distortions, and crowd. Throughout the journey she talks to her father, while she uses the city as a metaphor for remembrance and nostalgia in relation with grief and loss.
Yalla, Baba!

International Feature Film Competition

Yalla, Baba!

Angie Obeid

Angie (34) takes her father Mansour (74) on a roadtrip from Brussels to Beirut by car in an attempt to retrace the same path he took 42 years ago. However, the route is no longer the same, and neither is their relationship.
Playing on the Road

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

Playing on the Road

Eminhan Çakır

The documentary focuses on the daily lives of young artists performing in the streets and venues of İzmir. Each artist, with their own unique style and story, meets audiences in public spaces, highlighting the importance of music in their lives. Despite bans, pressures, and hardships, these young musicians strive to sustain their art and lives, seeking support and solidarity. Their stories of resilience and creativity, intertwined with the power of music, not only inspire but also reveal the ways in which they hold on to life and nurture hope.
Adas Falasteen

International Short Film Competition

Adas Falasteen

Shamar Taher Lulu, Hamdi Khalil el Husseini

"Palestine Lentils" is a documentary film that tells the story of a Palestinian chef and his role in using his hobby as a shield against the famine caused by the war on Gaza, preserving the spirit of resilience and hope within his community.
Trains

International Short Film Competition

Trains

Maciej Drygas

TRAINS is a found-footage documentary composed entirely of archive footage and sound design that creates a collective portrait of people in 20th century Europe, capturing their hopes, desires, dramas and tragedies. A train compartment is a place where people are taken out of their everyday context for a while. Sometimes the journey is accompanied by the hope that something will change in our lives upon reaching the destination, or conversely, by a stark absence of hope. And yet the history of the 20th century unfolds in railway carriages in a repetitive refrain. Every few years, hauntingly similar scenes play out in railway stations around the world: carriages full of men leaving for war, only to return wounded or as casualties. This cycle is followed by an exodus of civilians, evacuees mingling with prisoners of war returning from camps, and soldiers of victorious armies leading the defeated, until ordinary passengers reappear at stations.
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.
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.
The Stonemason’s Daughter

International Short Film Competition

The Stonemason’s Daughter

Arturo Franco

The film was shot around the place of O Fieiro, a small village of no more than twelve houses and nine inhabitants, among them Rosa. A ninety-year-old woman who dedicates her last years to watching the rain through the window. Her father was a canteiro, a house builder, before the reservoir changed everything. Rosa remembers how her father lifted the stones and the people transported them from one place to another. It is shown as an abstract visual poem where the rain and the stones are the protagonists of the story Rosa tells us.
Mukunan Aprendiz de Pajé

International Short Film Competition

Mukunan Aprendiz de Pajé

Rodrigo Sena Sena Sena

Mukunã prepares to become the Shaman of the Potiguara Katu village in Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), older than us, the power plants become the teacher teaching environmental care.
Who Shot Jr.? (With the Director in Attendance)

Documentaries from Türkiye

Who Shot Jr.? (With the Director in Attendance)

Gül Abus Semerci

This documentary takes a closer look at the passionate fans of the Turkish TV series industry. It explores how fans feel so connected to the stories that they even influence actors’ lives or the script’s flow. Their passion leads to social media campaigns targeting writers and efforts to "save" favorite characters, reflecting their strong sense of belonging. Meanwhile, industry representatives’ comments on fans and the cold realities of their professional world add another striking layer. This contrast of admiration and distance paints a portrait of the series world and its fans.
Kuşgözü Grubu Gösterimleri

Belgesel Fotoğraf Gösterimleri

Kuşgözü Grubu Gösterimleri

Kuşgözü

The Seasons Within Me

Documentaries from Türkiye

The Seasons Within Me

Sevda Doğan

I am a documentary filmmaker living with bipolar disorder. I have turned the camera toward myself and begun documenting the process of making my first feature film. Throughout this journey, bipolar disorder and the shifting conditions of my country have been my greatest challenges, while inner reflection and artistic creation have been my strongest sources of support. In this sense, the documentary offers a sincere companionship both to those on the path of self-discovery and to individuals going through similar experiences.
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?
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.
Toprağın Hatırası

Documentaries from Türkiye

Toprağın Hatırası

Didem Tütüncü

"The Memory of the Soil" takes viewers on a journey from İzmir's ancient past to the present, exploring the vineyards and the cultural heritage of Buca. This story, spanning from Levantine mansions to contemporary producers, reveals that grapes are not merely a fruit; they symbolize time, memory, and collective consciousness. From harvest rituals to winemaking traditions, from cherished memories to today's hopes, the documentary makes visible a culture deeply rooted in the soil of İzmir.
Evara

Student Documentaries from Türkiye

Evara

Cansu Carlak

Evara, which means gift of God, deals with the cycle journey of our character who finds herself in the middle of the climate change crisis in the conflict between city and nature. Based on the philosophy of second nature and social ecology, Evara is a critique consisting of questioning, resistance, observation and feelings and is reflected through performance art.
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.
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