International Migration Film Festival

Hosted by Türkiye which has historically welcomed millions of immigrants, the Festival intended to stress that migration is an international story regardless of historical periods and to bring awareness on the topic.

Held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Festival worked on to show the immigration phenomenon through the eyes of cinema. It predominantly focused on directors and films that handle the themes of migration, immigrants, intersocietal cultural effects of migration, its contribution to civilizations and people’s adaptation processes. At the festival, the Honorary Presidency was taken over by the Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham, a Syrian-origin Syriac immigrant, while the Head of Jury of the ‘Feature Film Competition’ was the Palme d’Or-winning director Nuri Bilge Ceylan. With mastery classes, workshops, concerts and new-gen exhibitions with the latest technology, the Festival where 45 films from 30 countries reached 30 million viewers globally in a week.

The Festival held between June 14 and June 21 was the most participated and extensive thematic festival.