The festival honored the strongest contemporary voices in Turkish cinema by awarding films that place moral inquiry, social resistance, and local memory at their core. The Main Jury, chaired by director Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun, determined the winners in 12 categories.
Two Major Achievements in the National Feature Film Competition:
Best Film Award (İnci Demirkol Award): Seyfettin Tokmak’s Empire of Rabbits (Tavşan İmparatorluğu) took the festival’s top prize. The jury justified its decision by stating that the film “constructs a dark and profound allegory of poverty, exploitation, and intergenerational violence, while boldly portraying a world in which victimhoods intertwine with one another.” Tokmak also won the Onat Kutlar Best Screenplay Award.
Best Director Award: The award went to Emine Emel Balcı for her film I’m Here, I’m Fine (Buradayım, İyiyim), which questions learned motherhood and conveys the healing power of solidarity through its cinematic universe. Balcı shared the FİLM-YÖN Best Director Award with Seyfettin Tokmak.
Other Major Awards:
Mahmut Tali Öngören Best First Film Award: Şeyhmus Altun – The Breath We Take (Aldığımız Nefes)
SİYAD (Film Critics Association) Best Film Award: Ziya Demirel – The Most Beautiful Funeral Songs (En Güzel Cenaze Şarkıları). The jury praised the film for “reflecting the ordinary flow of daily life onto the screen with rare elegance” and for “looking at great despair through the lens of humor.”
Acting Awards:
Best Actress: Sevda Baş (Atlet)
Best Actor: Hakan Karsak (The Breath We Take)
Documentaries and Ankara’s Local Memory
Strong works also stood out in the documentary and short film categories:
Best Documentary Film Award: 30 Years with Kardeş Türküler, directed by Ayşe Çetinbaş and Çayan Demirel. The jury commended the film’s ability to portray “the culture of collective work and solidarity built over the years.”
VEKAM Ankara Films Award: Erhun Altun – The Story of a Passion (Bir Tutkunun Hikâyesi). The award recognized the documentary’s contribution to the city’s sports and youth history by telling the story of a small team that sprouted in an Ankara schoolyard and rose to become world champions.
Best Short Film Award: Toprak Işık – I Think I’m Alive (Not the Musician One) (Yaşarım Bence (Müzisyen Olan Değil)). The film was deemed worthy of the award for “its independent attitude and courage.”
The festival was completed with the support of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, and the European Union Delegation to Türkiye.
