The countdown has begun for the ‘International Migration Film Festival’ which set out as the largest and most extensive thematic film festival in the world. The festival will be held online between June 14 and 21, 2020, in Turkey where millions of immigrants have been embraced.

More than 50 films will be screened online during the festival and it will bring together hundreds of filmmakers, press members, participants from non-governmental organizations and academicians from Turkey and across the world. The ‘International Migration Film Festival’ will be inviting everyone to reassess the contributions of migration to the civilization, the cultural impact between societies and the adaptation processes.

Sharing experiences of well-known filmmakers from all over the world, workshops with the experts in cinema (Masterclasses), panel discussions with film professionals and sectoral guests will be held throughout the festival. Films and screenplays that have been rewarded and critically acclaimed in numerous festivals around the world for the last two years, will be awarded with a total of 26 thousand Euros prize as part of festival’s competitions.

Preparations for an online festival have been completed for the ‘International Migration Film Festival’, the world’s most extensive thematic film festival, which was originally planned to take place in Gaziantep, however has been postponed due to the pandemic affecting the world. Festival is organized under the auspices of Presidency of Republic of Turkey’s by the Ministry of Interior Affairs.

Ministry of Culture and Tourism also contributes to the festival organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, General Directorate of Migration Management. The festival will meet with the audience with a rich content and the latest technological opportunities between June 14 and 21, 2020.

More Than 50 Films, Hundreds of Participants

While more than 50 films that focus on themes of migration and civilization are screened, the festival will welcome hundreds of filmmakers, press members, representatives from non-governmental organizations and academicians. Such topics as migration as the common destiny of humanity and its contributions to the civilization will be discussed during the festival and the screenings will take place, just like in a traditional festival, through schedules announced in advance. The jury, which will be consisting of leading international and national masters of the cinema industry, will meet to determine the best films and scripts.

Masterclasses, Workshops, Panels…

At the ‘International Migration Film Festival’, experiences of well-known names from all over the world will be shared with the audience. Within the Special Masterclass events with limited number of attendees, directors and actors will convey their experiences. Such events will create the most remarkable moments of the festival. Workshops and panel discussions with expert names in the field will be held throughout the festival.

Everyone Will Be Able to View the Exhibitions

Within the scope of the festival, a series of new generation exhibitions with special content are prepared for everyone to visit. Additionally, there will be an opportunity to visit special exhibitions with VR glasses. Some of them will touching immigration subject and some of them will be about historical places of the world. Similar in reality with the stage concerts, festival concerts will be broadcasted live on YouTube. Artists who work and create in accordance to the topics of migration will be prioritized.

26 Thousand Euros Award Will Be Distributed

From all around the world, films that won awards and gained critical acclaim within the last five years’ major festivals and competitions will compete in two categories: International Feature Film and International Short Film competitions. At the end of the competition ‘Best Feature Film’ will receive 15 thousand Euros, ‘Best Short Film’ and ‘Best Inspirational Scenario’ will be awarded 5 thousand Euros. Additionally, another short film will be awarded with one thousand Euros within the competition named as “Same Boat”.

The Cultural Impact of Immigration Will Be Discussed

Hosted by the Turkish Republic, the country which has been opening its arms since 2011, to the millions of immigrants who were forced to leave their homes behind due to inhumane conditions, the festival intends to hold a mirror on the migration issue that has never ceased to exist in the agenda of humanity.

The International Migration Film Festival aims to emphasize on the subject that migration has been a common story experienced by all nations throughout history and to raise awareness on this issue. Aiming to display via cinema the contribution of migrations to the societies throughout the history, ‘International Migration Film Festival’ focuses mainly on films and directors who are dealing with the issues of migration, immigrants, cultural impacts of migration among the societies, its contributions to civilization and people’s adaptation processes.