Istanbul Film Festival starts in April

The Istanbul Film Festival returns to the city for the 42nd time this year, bringing together cinema lovers with award-winning, quality films from the Cinema of Türkiye and World Cinema, as well as with special screenings, stars and master filmmakers.

The festival will take place between April 7 and 18 and will greet its audience with 134 feature and 29 short films, including the newest voices in world cinema, works that have reached cult status, the latest films of master filmmakers, and young talents.

As part of the festival, films by 160 directors from 84 countries will be featured in 14 sections for 12 days. In addition to the screenings, the festival will also feature interviews with guest directors and actors, special screenings and events.

The opening film of the festival is "Scrapper," which won the Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema-Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival. A heart-warming father-daughter story directed by Charlotte Regan, Scrapper co-stars Harris Dickinson.

The Cinema Honorary Awards, presented by the festival to names who have devoted themselves to the cinema, will be given to two film and stage actors, Kayhan Yıldızoğlu and Nevra Serezli. The awards will be presented at the opening ceremony of the festival on April 6.

Meetings on the Bridge, the co-production, training and networking platform that brings producers, directors and scriptwriters from Türkiye and its neighboring countries together with international film professionals, will be held this year on April 12, 13 and 14.

With its Film Development, Work in Progress and Neighbours workshops, Meetings on the Bridge provides an opportunity for filmmakers to present their feature fictional films and documentaries, and their films in post...