In order to encourage the production of short films, promote new productions in this field, and support new filmmakers who contribute to the national cinema, the Akbank Short Film Festival, which has created a festival culture that includes art lovers of all ages for 19 years, is starting! The 19th Akbank Short Film Festival, which covers Turkey’s art ecosystem for 30 years, will be held at Akbank Sanat between May 2-12.

As part of the 19th Akbank Short Film Festival, a workshop and panel discussion program will feature numerous artists such as Gülse Birsel, Umut Aral, Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen, Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun, Bulut Reyhanoğlu, Ekin Koç, Emir Etminan, Berkay Ateş, Mustafa Kara, Aleyna Seymen, Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz, Serkan Çakarer, Gönenç Uyanık, Aslı Dadak, Barış Yıkılmaz, Mine Pakel, Saki Çimen, Fırat Terzioğlu, Yalın Özgencil, and Utku Gürler, who will share their experiences in their respective fields with festival attendees.

On May 2, 2023, Tuesday:

Aleyna Seymen

Foley Workshop, 15:00

The principles of how foley art has evolved to the present day, and how it contributes to the atmosphere and dramatic scenes of a film will be discussed in the workshop. Participants will actively engage in a workshop that will provide them with experience on how the performative process works in foley art.

Gülse Birsel

On Writing

Panel Discussion, 18:30

Screenwriter, author, and actress Gülse Birsel will share her experiences with festival attendees in her panel discussion.

On May 3, Wednesday:

Aslı Dadak, Barış Yıkılmaz

Production Design Workshop, 15:00

Aslı Dadak and Barış Yıkılmaz, who have worked in the art department of numerous domestic and foreign films and have carried out production design, will share their experiences in the industry with festival participants.

On Acting

Interview, 18:30

A conversation will be held with actor Ekin Koç, who is part of the jury of the “National Competition” at this year’s Akbank Short Film Festival, about acting, career planning, and industry experience.

May 4th, Thursday

Screenplay Workshop by Mustafa Kara

Workshop, 15:00

Director Mustafa Kara will conduct a workshop in which he will share his knowledge and experiences about scriptwriting.

Film Music and Its Impact on Narrative

Interview, 18:30

Mine Pakel and Saki Çimen, who work in the field of film music, will share their experiences in this field with festival participants.

May 5th, Friday

Acting Workshop by Berkay Ateş

Workshop, 15:00

Successful actor Berkay Ateş, who has made a name for himself in independent works of Turkish cinema, mainstream television productions, and theater stages, will share his experiences with festival followers.

The World of Sound in the Post-Production Process

Interview, 18:30

Experienced and talented sound engineers Yalın Özgencil and Utku Gürler, who have an important role in storytelling and improving the viewer experience, will be interviewed about sound.

May 6th, Saturday

Trailer Workshop by Fırat Terzioğlu

Workshop, 15:00

In the workshop where trailers, one of the most important tools in the promotion of cinema works and in the process of expressing themselves, will be discussed, experienced editor Fırat Terzioğlu will share his experiences with participants. The workshop will be held online via Zoom in collaboration with KuDa (Editing Solidarity).

Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun, Bulut Reyhanoğlu

Documentary Cinema

Conversation, 18:30

This year, as part of the “Documentary Cinema” section, Crossroads, Turkey’s first contemporary art documentary, will be shown. Successful director Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun, who has also made feature-length films, and the film’s producer Bulut Reyhanoğlu will share their experiences with festival attendees in a conversation following the screening.

May 7, Sunday

Emir Etminan

Editing Workshop, 15:00

In the workshop, which is organized in collaboration with KuDa (Editing Solidarity), experienced editor Emir Etminan will share his experiences with participants on the topic of editing, which is a highly creative and crucial aspect of cinema.

Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz, Serkan Çakarer, Gönenç Uyanık

Relationship Between Digital Platforms and Cinema

Conversation, 18:30

Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz, the CEO of BluTV, experienced producer Serkan Çakarer, and young director Gönenç Uyanık, who has made works for digital platforms, will share their experiences and ideas with festival attendees.

May 9, Tuesday

Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen

Experiences

Conversation, 18:30

Norwegian director Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen will share his experiences with festival attendees. His short films “Darek” and “Everything Will Be Ok” and his feature-length film “Valley of Shadows,” which were made in the early years of his career, will be included in the program.

May 11, Thursday

Umut Aral

From Short to Long

Interview, 18:30

The “From Short to Long” section features directors whose journey into cinema started with short films and continued with feature films. The guest of this section is director Umut Aral, who has achieved success in platforms like Netflix and in the international arena. Aral’s award-winning short films and his first feature film, “Good Game,” will be screened during the festival. The director will share his experiences and journey in the industry through an interview.

For detailed information about the 19th Akbank Short Film Festival:

You can visit www.akbankkisafilmfestivali.com and www.akbanksanat.com.

For more information and visuals about the events:

UNITE Edelman / Tuğçe Yücel

Phone: 0 535 457 95 11 Email: tugce.yucel@unite.com.tr

Akbank Sanat: www.akbanksanat.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/akbanksanat

Instagram: http://instagram.com/akbanksanat

Twitter: https://twitter.com/akbanksanat

Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/akbanksanat

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/akbanksanat

AKBANK SANAT IS 30 YEARS OLD

Celebrating its 30th year, Akbank Sanat continues to support the development of contemporary art in Turkey and maintain its strong bond with art lovers of all ages. The goal is to transfer local and universal heritage to future generations. Akbank Sanat’s contemporary and energetic structure, which brings together different disciplines, enables the nourishment of new buds in the art ecosystem, as well as encompassing the grown-ups. With its mission to be “the place where change never ends,” it hosts a wide range of events, ranging from exhibitions to contemporary dance performances, from jazz concerts to seminars, from interviews to children’s workshops, and from film screenings to children’s theater shows, with close to 1,000 events per year. The Akbank Jazz Festival, celebrating its 33rd year, and the Akbank Short Film Festival, celebrating its 19th year, bring together young people from all over Turkey with their events spread throughout university campuses, not just in Istanbul. Akbank Sanat brings art lovers together with four exhibitions throughout the year and with the “Digital Art on Campus” project, it also takes a special digital art exhibition and its side events to university campuses.