Finalists announced for 11th Turkish world documentary film festival
Held annually under the leadership of the Federation of Journalists of the Turkish World, the festival is supported by the General Directorate of Cinema of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, TÜRKSOY, the Union of Municipalities of the Turkish World, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).
Organized this year under the motto "Strong Culture, Strong Future," the festival aims to promote the common historical and cultural heritage of Turkic communities living across a vast geography stretching from the Balkans and Anatolia to Central Asia and Siberia.
The submitted documentaries were evaluated by a preliminary jury chaired by Ferda Gürcan, with finalists selected in three competition categories: Feature Documentary, Student Documentary, and Short Documentary.
The Feature Documentary Competition features ten finalists from Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, and the Sakha Republic of Russia, highlighting stories from different parts of the Turkic world.
The Student Documentary Competition includes 15 finalists from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan, showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers exploring history, identity, and cultural heritage through documentary filmmaking.
The Short Documentary Competition also selected 15 finalists, featuring productions from Türkiye, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, and Sakha, reflecting the festival's growing international reach.
Screenings of the finalist films, along with the gala and award ceremony, will take place in Ankara between Oct. 7 and 9, 2026.
Award-winning documentaries will later be screened across ten countries and ten cities under the festival's "10 Countries, 10 Cities, 1 Festival" initiative, while also being made available to wider audiences through online platforms.
By bringing together filmmakers from different regions of the Turkic world, the festival seeks to preserve and promote the shared history, culture, and values of Turkic peoples through documentary cinema.
