Milliyet Sanat / "We Have A Place Among Recognized Festivals"

"Ayvalık has all the qualities to be a city of festivals. With its history, architecture, rich cultural heritage, location, cuisine, and an incredibly engaged audience, it's an ideal place to host a festival."

Through the Seyir Children's Day event, which we began organizing last year, we discovered just how many individuals and initiatives work with children in Ayvalık. Even in big cities, it's rare to find such a variety and high quality of activities for children. In our Young Cinema program, we host 30 students from across Turkey at the festival, introducing them to the industry and providing training. We now believe we've become one of Turkey's notable festivals, with the goal of becoming more recognized internationally in the coming years.

What new elements can we expect at the festival this year?

To enhance our international collaborations, we're launching a project with Sweden through the support of Culture for Arts. We'll feature films and directors from Sweden, and students from Stockholm Film School will join our Young Cinema program. Additionally, we have a collaboration with the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Elisabeth Sankey, the director of 'Witches,' and Jeremy Warmsley, who composed the film's music, will be our guests. We'll screen Reha Erdem's 'Neandria' and host a talk titled 'Creating Worlds' with him. Yavuz Erten and Ercan Kesal will hold a conversation inspired by Tayfun Pirselimoğlu's film 'I Am Not Him.' Indiewire Magazine ranked 'Artificial Intelligence,' directed by Steven Spielberg, as the best film of the 2000s. Reflecting on the current impact of artificial intelligence in our lives, Professor Ali Albert Salah from Utrecht University's Department of Information and Computing Sciences will speak, moderated by Dr. Melis Behlil.

Due to the interest we've received, we've increased the number of venues this year. Ayvalık is known for its poyraz (north wind), which is symbolized in our festival logo. All our venues will be indoors this year to avoid the weather-related challenges we've faced in previous years. İsmet İnönü Cultural Center and Kırlangıç will be new additions to our list of venues. The Seyir Children's Day event, due to its popularity, will now span two days.

"'Memoirs of a Snail' is a highly creative and deeply moving animation."

"This year, the director of 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig,' which won the Jury Prize at Cannes, had to flee his home country of Iran. Mohammed Rasulof may never return home."

How has the 'Yeni Bir...' (A New...) Award impacted the festival and its participants?

One of the goals of our festival is to support projects that encourage young people. When we first discussed an award with Mey|Diageo, we agreed on an award that would encourage early-career filmmakers. Mey|Diageo's culture and arts consultant, Banu Zeytinoğlu, felt that this idea fit well with the company's culture. While there are awards in other festivals for directors who have made their first film, the 'Yeni Bir...' (A New...) award is given to a young filmmaker who stands out in the cinema field during the year, regardless of their specific role—whether a director, actor, screenwriter, editor, sound designer, or other. This diversity has been very well-received within the industry, creating a platform where young filmmakers feel seen. Since all films produced throughout the year are natural candidates, and the award is presented during the festival's opening ceremony, it avoids the stress typically associated with competitions. This year's award committee includes director Belmin Söylemez, editor Ali Aga, producer Anna Maria Aslanoglu, actress Nezaket Erden, and journalist Asu Maro. The winner will receive 75,000 TL from Mey|Diageo.

Don't Miss These Films at the Festival

The program features many acclaimed films making their Turkey premieres. What are your recommendations?

'The Seed of the Sacred Fig,' which won the Jury Prize at Cannes this year, is a powerful film centered on women, life, freedom, and resistance, and its director, Muhammed Rasulof, was forced to flee his country. 'All We Imagine as Light,' tells the stories of three women struggling to hold onto life in different ways, with a subtle narrative style; it won the Cannes Grand Jury Prize. Adam Elliot's 'Memoirs of a Snail,' which won Best Film at the Annecy Animation Festival, is both highly creative and deeply touching, with glimpses of the director's life. This film guarantees you’ll leave the cinema with the satisfaction of having seen a truly great film. Don’t dismiss it just because it's an animation.