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9th Izmir International Women Filmmakers Festival

April 24–29, 2026 | Izmir, Turkey

The Izmir International Women Filmmakers Festival (IIWFF) is an international gathering that celebrates creative courage, feminist storytelling, and cinematic solidarity. Founded with the aim of increasing the visibility of women’s cinema, the festival provides a powerful platform for women directors and female film professionals from around the world. Every year, the festival brings together bold films, inspiring conversations, and boundary-breaking narratives in İzmir—one of Turkey’s cultural capitals.

Slogan for 2026: Through the Lens of Conscience
The festival is open to productions in which at least one of the directors is a woman.
(Except for the Feminist Perspective category.)

In addition to film screenings, the festival will host a series of workshops, panels, and project development labs—including the "Creating Characters from Izmir" program, which supports emerging storytellers working on female-driven narratives rooted in local culture and identity.

Fem Reel Awards – Competition Categories

National Competition

• Best Feature Film
• “Biket Ilhan” Best Director Award
• Special Jury Award*
• Best Short Film
• Short Film Special Jury Award*
• Best Documentary

International Competition

• Best Feature Film
• Special Jury Award*
• Best Short Film
• Short Film Special Jury Award*
• Best Experimental Short Film
• Best Animation Film
• Best Documentary
• Feminist Perspective Award (Male directors are eligible to apply for this category.)

Rules & Terms

Conditions for Participation, Selection Committee & Working Principles

1. Directors may apply to the festival with more than one film.
2. In films with multiple directors, at least one of the directors must be a woman. (The Feminist Perspective category is excluded from this rule.)
3. There is no production year limit for submissions. However, films submitted for competition must be produced in 2024 or later.
4. All films that have not been previously screened at IIWFF are eligible to apply.
5. The final submission deadline is February 15, 2026. Applications must be submitted online via: https://filmfreeway.com/iwffturkey
6. All submissions will be viewed and evaluated by the pre-selection committee. Selected films will be announced on March 22, 2026 via the official website: www.kadinyonetmenlerfestivali.com.tr
7. All films must include English subtitles. Selected films will be screened with Turkish electronic subtitles. If embedded English subtitles are not available, an English SRT file must be provided by the director.
8. The selection committee consists of women directors and professionals working in the field of cinema.
9. Directors whose films are not selected may request online or in-person feedback from the committee during the festival dates.
10. Films cannot be withdrawn from the festival program after the submission deadline.
11. The selection committee evaluates films based on their artistic value and relevance to the festival’s content.
12. The invoice and bank account information for copyright payments must match the information of the legal rights holder declared in the application form.
13. Copyright fees for screenings will be paid no later than June 15, 2026.
14. Copyright and screening fees will only be paid to films in the national selection. Due to currency regulations, international films are not eligible for payment.
15. The accuracy of the information in the application form is binding for the applicant. All legal responsibility arising from this information belongs to the applicant.
16. The applicant must be able to prove that they have obtained all necessary permits and rights for public screening. If selected, a signed screening authorization and declaration of legal ownership must be submitted. These documents are required for official auditing by public institutions supporting the festival.
17. Films will be screened at venues deemed appropriate by the festival management. No changes to the venue or program will be accepted.
18. If a television network requests a screening, the festival management may assist in facilitating communication between the broadcaster and the film’s producer/director.
19. The legal copyright holder is solely responsible for any dispute that may arise concerning music, visuals, text, or other copyrighted materials used in the film.
20. The festival will cover accommodation and travel expenses for one team member of each national finalist film only.
21. All producers who apply to the competition are considered to have accepted these terms and conditions.

 

8TH INTERNATIONAL WOMEN FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL AWARDS HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED!

National Golden Reel Best Feature Film Award: Gülizar / Belkıs Bayrak

Biket İlhan Best Director Award: İkarus / Gökşin Doğa Egesoy

International Golden Reel Best Feature Film Award: Madina / Aizhana Kassymbek

National “Camera Eye” Best Documentary Film Award: Kadranı Olmayan Saat / Fatma Karakuş Kaçmaz

National “Camera Eye” Documentary Film Category Jury’s Special Award: Seize the Summit / Arva Damon, Binnur Karaevli

International “Camera Eye” Best Documentary Film Award: Grains Of Sand / Sarah Anne Gross

International “Camera Eye” Category Jury’s Specıal Award: Despite / Beatriz Balsini Prates

National “Short is Life” Best Short Film Award: Güle Güle Kaplumbağa / Selin Öksüzoğlu

National “Short Is Life” Short Film Category Jury’s Special Award: Sinek Gibi / Hazal Beril Çam

International “Short is Life” Best Short Film Award: Blue Land / Marine Auclair Marc

International“Short Is Life” Short Film Category Jury’s Special Award: Give Away / Maria Melenevskaya

International Best Animation Film Award: Pietra / Cynthia Levitan

International Animation Film Category Jury’s Special Award: As If It Could / Ada Güvenir

International Best Experimental Film Award: Wild Flower / Carina Pierro Cors

International Experimental Film Category Jury’s Special Award: Wishpers of Exiles / Devina Sofiyanti

Feminist Perspective Award: The Other One / Marie-Magdelena Kochova

Art Encouragement Award: Özlem Kahya, Sezer Kızıl Candan

Play

THE POSTER AND TRAİLER OF THE 8TH INTERNATİONAL WOMEN FİLMMAKERS FESTİVAL HAVE BEEN RELEASED

Organized by the Association of Women Filmmakers with the support of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and the main sponsorship of Türk Tuborg Inc., the 8th International Women Filmmakers Festival will be held in İzmir from May 5 to 10, 2025, welcoming cinema lovers from all around the world.

This year, the festival will feature competitions in eight different categories. 35 films will make their world premieres, and 58 films will have their Turkish premieres. With its World Panorama and competition sections combined, a total of 85 films from 30 countrieswill be screened for audiences.

Sponsored by Megapol Cultural Center and in collaboration with Institut français İzmirand Goethe-Institut, the “Creating Characters from İzmir” Project Development Workshop offers a space of inspiration for young filmmakers to develop their creative projects while aiming to merge İzmir’s cultural heritage with the power of cinema.

Continuing a beloved tradition, this year’s poster and trailer film once again spotlight a member of the festival team to honor women's labor behind the scenes. The face of this year’s campaign is Buğçe Çalışkan, the festival’s national coordinator.

With Türk Tuborg Inc. as the main sponsor, the festival continues its mission of amplifying women’s stories through cinema and contributing to the ongoing struggle for equal representation in the film industry.

Since its launch in 2018, the festival has been directed by its founder Gülten Taranç, while the Honorary Presidency is held by Attorney Sema Pekdaş.

Festival screenings will take place at Institut français İzmir, İzmir Sanat, and Casa Italia.For more details, please visit the festival’s official website and follow us on social media.

 

THE FİNALİST FİLMS OF THE 8TH INTERNATİONAL WOMENFİLMMAKERS FESTİVAL HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED!

Organized by the Women Filmmakers Association and withthe main sponsorship of Türk Tuborg A.Ş., the 8th International Women Filmmakers Festival will meet cinemalovers in İzmir between May 5–10, 2025.

The pre-selection jury, consisting of director Aysim Türkmen, musician and academic Prof. Berrak Taranç, film critic Banu Bozdemir, Asst. Prof. Dr. Dilaver Bayındır, academic anddirector Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hilal Süreyya Yılmaz, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Ebru Özyurt, has selected 94 films from 30 countriesfor screening and competition. The selected films will be screened at Institut français İzmir, İzmir Sanat, and Casa Italia. The detailed festival program and the World Panorama section will be announced in the coming days. 35 films willhave their world premieres and 58 their Turkey premieres at the International Women Filmmakers Festival.

With the motto “Not What It Seems”, the 8th International Women Filmmakers Festival takes place in İzmir between May 5–10!

Aiming to highlight the creativity, resilience, and uniqueperspectives of women filmmakers, the festival provides spacefor the narrative power of women from different geographies, cultures, and stories through a selection of 94 films. Inaddition to screenings, the festival will also featureworkshops, panels, talks, and special programs.

Sponsored once again by Megapol Culture Center andorganized in collaboration with Institut français İzmir andGoethe-Institut, the “Creating Characters from İzmir” Project Development Workshop offers an inspiring space for youngfilmmakers to develop their creative projects while connectingİzmir’s cultural heritage with cinema.

Supported by the main sponsor Türk Tuborg A.Ş., the festival continues to bring women’s stories to wider audiences throughcinema and contributes to the struggle for equal representationin the film industry. The festival, which began in 2018, is directed by its founding director Gülten Taranç, with honorarypresidency by Lawyer Sema Pekdaş.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS

As part of the 8th International Women Filmmakers Festival, which received 475 submissions from 67 countries, film competitions will be held in 8 categories. 35 films will havetheir world premieres, and 58 films will have their Turkishpremieres during the festival.

In addition, with the World Panorama and competitionsections—where the Turkish Film Critics Association(SIYAD) will present awards for Best Short Film and Best Documentary—a total of 94 films from 30 countries will be screened for audiences.

8TH INTERNATIONAL WOMEN FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL

The 8th International Women Filmmakers Festival will take place in İzmir from May 5-10, 2025, bringing together cinema enthusiasts. A total of 475 submissions have been received from 67 countries. The selected finalists and screening program will be announced on February 15, 2025.

As part of the festival, the "Creating Characters from İzmir Project Development Workshops" will be held, aiming to highlight İzmir's potential in film production and its rich cultural heritage. Applications for these workshops will open on February 20.