Nuri Bilge Ceylan will be the Special Guest of the 20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Celebrating its 20th edition, the Akbank Short Film Festival, a meeting point for cinema enthusiasts and the film industry, will be held from March 25 to April 4, aiming to create an effective platform for the leading role of short films in the art of cinema.

NURİ BİLGE CEYLAN AS SPECIAL GUEST

The special guest for the 20th anniversary of the festival will be director Nuri Bilge Ceylan. The accomplished director, who recently won the Best Actress Award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for the film About Dry Grasses, will meet with young filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts at the 20th Akbank Short Film Festival. During the event, Ceylan’s first short film Koza will be screened, followed by a discussion where he will share his experiences about the film and his cinematic journey.

Regarding the event, Nuri Bilge Ceylan stated, “I enjoy watching short films, always have. It’s a free space where personal expression takes precedence, free from commercial concerns. Being able to meet with young people through the Akbank Short Film Festival is valuable for me as well.“

AKBANK SHORT FILM FESTIVAL RECEIVES 2,421 APPLICATIONS FROM 74 COUNTRIES

In its 20th year, the Akbank Short Film Festival, a hub for cinema enthusiasts and the film industry, received a total of 2,421 short film submissions from 74 countries. This year, the festival will feature sections such as “Festival Shorts,” “Shorts from Around the World,” “Young Perspectives,” “From Short to Long,” “Experiences,” “Documentary Cinema,” “Perspective,” “Special Screening,” and “Forum.” In addition to many films that have participated in international festivals, numerous films will have their Turkish premieres at the festival.

The Akbank Short Film Festival will take place on both sides of Istanbul this year. Screenings will be held at Akbank Sanat, Moda Sahnesi, and online. The online screenings of the festival will be available at the website filmonline.akbanksanat.com.

For more information, visit Akbank Sanat’s official website.

AKBANK SANAT CELEBRATES ITS 30TH YEAR

Akbank Sanat, which continues to support the development of contemporary art in Turkey and maintains a strong connection with art enthusiasts of all ages, is celebrating its 30th year with the goal of preserving and passing on local and universal heritage to future generations. Acting as a hub for contemporary and dynamic structures that bring together different disciplines, Akbank Sanat not only nourishes new shoots in the art ecosystem but also includes the matured ones. With its mission of being the ‘place where change never ends,’ Akbank Sanat hosts a wide range of events, from exhibitions to contemporary dance performances, jazz concerts to seminars, discussions to children’s workshops, film screenings to children’s theater performances, with more than 700 events annually. The 33rd Akbank Jazz Festival and the 20th Akbank Short Film Festival, celebrating their respective milestones, bring together not only in Istanbul but also across university campuses with events reaching young people throughout Turkey. Hosting art lovers throughout the year with four exhibitions, Akbank Sanat also brings a special digital art exhibition and related activities to campuses through the ‘Digital Art on Campus’ project.