Bozcaada to host maiden ecological documentary festival

The island of Bozcaada is getting ready to host the very first International Festival of Ecological Documentaries. National and international premieres from 22 countries, as well as panels and an exhibition, will be part of the festival running between Oct 30 and Nov 2 Bozcaada, a beautiful unspoiled island off the Aegean coast, mentioned in both the Iliad and Aeneid, is getting ready to host the first Bozcaada International Festival of Ecological Documentaries (BIFED) between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2.

BIFED will be the only international film festival in Turkey to exclusively include in its program documentaries on ecology, festival director Petra Holzer Özgüven told the Hürriyet Daily News.

The local government and the people of the island are all part of the festival, which sets out to draw attention to threats against the world’s ecosystems such as those caused by global warming and pollution, Holzer Özgüven said.

“An ecological documentary film festival was an idea that had been stirring for a long time. To bring it to life, we needed local government and a community that would not only support such a festival but embrace it,” she added.

However, the festival got more than it had bargained for, with Bozcaada Mayor Hakan Can Yılmaz becoming its official president.

“Mayor Yılmaz was so encouraging that the decision to hold the festival was taken in his office. Such an ambitious project is not feasible without the support of the local government, local NGOs and the local people themselves,” Holzer Özgüven said.

BIFED will feature national and international premieres with participants from 22 countries. There will also be panels on grapes and viticulture, olives,...