Awards Presented at the 11th Documentary Film Festival of the Turkic World

The event was attended by Mehmet Aygün, Deputy Mayor of Keçiören; Ulan Maksatov, Attaché at the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan; Taha Zahid Özdemir, TDBB Secretary General; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Kutalmış Yalçın, TÜRKSOY Representative; Nihat Değirmenci, Head of Department at the General Directorate of Cinema; and numerous other guests.

The Gala and Awards Ceremony of the 11th Documentary Film Festival of the Turkic World brought filmmakers from different parts of the Turkic world together in Ankara. A total of 21 awards, including special awards and jury special awards, were presented at the ceremony held at the Keçiören Yunus Emre Culture and Arts Centre.

The festival, which brings the shared history and cultural heritage of Turkic peoples to the big screen, honoured outstanding documentary productions.

In the feature-length documentary competition, first prize went to “Midsummer Day,” directed by Semyon Amanatov. Tayfun Belet’s “Roman Gibi” won second prize, while Orhan Tekeoğlu and Nurdan Tekeoğlu’s “Filos” received third prize.

Mustafa Ünlü’s “Ceza Sahası” won both the Jury Special Award and the BSB Best Film Award. Tülin Erarslan’s “Şahende Hanım’ın Suzişli Hatıraları” received a Jury Special Award.

In the short documentary competition, “Here to Stay,” directed by Sheida Kiran, won first prize. Yalçın Çiftçi’s “Pirlerin Düğünü” received second prize, while Fariza Tanay’s “Beautiful (Güzel)” was awarded third prize.

Mehmet Hanefi Uzunçam’s “Kerkük: Çelik Çekirdek” won the Jury Special Award, while “21 Kilometers,” a Kyrgyz production by Tynai İbragimov, received the Organization of Turkic States Special Award for the Modern Tourism Belt.

In the student documentary competition, Onur Sürek’s “Mevcut Üç” won first prize. Tufan Yıldız’s “Kavanoz/Sonsuz Bir Emek” received second prize, while “Ahraz,” by Abdülsamet Mavi, Muhammed Ağar, and Ege Döngel, was awarded third prize.

Cem Güzel’s “Soyut” won the Jury Special Award, while “Yolculuk,” by Kulpunay Baktibay from Kyrgyzstan, received the Student Jury Best Film Award.

The Azerbaijani production “Bir An,” by Almaz Qasımov, received the Turkic World Special Culture and Arts Award. The Kyrgyz production “Yaşlı Adam ve Sanat,” by Sabin Kıdırova, won the TÜRKSOY Culture and Arts Award.

In the festival’s artificial intelligence documentary competition, Mert Can Altun’s “Anadolu’nun Kayıp Pençeleri” won the Best Film Award. Yılmaz Kıvanç’s “Hürriyete Açılan Kanatla” received the Jury Special Award, while Berat Ellek’s “Sultanın Taşı” won the Organizing Committee Culture and Arts Award.