TRT World Citizen “Humanitarian Film Festival” Awards Found its Winners

TRT World Citizen "Humanitarian Film Festival," organized by TRT to provide film producers with an important platform to address humanitarian issues from their unique perspectives, was held for the fifth time this year. Participants of the festival, during which significant topics such as war, conflict, women's rights, the climate crisis were discussed, met with film producers and industry professionals. At the awards ceremony held at the end of the festival, the directors of the winning films received their awards by Presidency's Director of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye Fahrettin Altun and General Director of TRT Mehmet Zahid Sobacı. The TRT Special Award at the festival was presented to the film "Night" by Palestinian director Ahmad Saleh.

The TRT World Citizen "Humanitarian Film Festival," which aims to shed light on global humanitarian issues, took place on Sunday, November 5th, at the Atatürk Kültür Merkezi in İstanbul. In its fifth year, the festival centered on various topics such as war, conflict, women's rights, the migration crisis, climate change, environmental pollution, hunger, famine, homelessness, and poverty while keeping humanity at its core. The winning films at the festival were awarded by Presidency's Director of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye Fahrettin Altun and General Director of TRT Mehmet Zahid Sobacı.

Presidency's Director of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye Altun: “"I find this festival, which draws attention to millions of people in pain and despair with the power of art, extremely valuable”

Presidency's Director of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye Fahrettin Altun, presented the First Prize and Climate Awareness Award at the TRT World Citizen “Humanitarian Film Festival” stated, “"I hope that this festival, which is one of the most meaningful manifestations of TRT's human-centered broadcasting policy in recent years, where TRT has been pursuing a 'the essence, the word is human' approach, brings blessings to all of humanity. In today's world, which is going through an extremely critical threshold due to economic crises, pandemics, famine, climate change, and ongoing conflicts, I find this festival, which draws attention to millions of people in pain and despair with the power of art, extremely valuable.”

Altun emphasized, "The key to motivating us in the face of humanitarian crises is not tragedies reduced to numbers or categorized; it is the ability to understand these pains and the lives of those who experience them one by one,” and he continued his speech by stating that the TRT

World Citizen "Humanitarian Film Festival" has taken on the responsibility of fulfilling this mission.

Altun mentioned that President Erdoğan continues to proclaim the truth in the face of the hypocrisy and cowardice shown by so-called civilized and democratic countries. He stated, "As Türkiye, we always prioritize a humanitarian approach in the resolution of global and regional problems, and we advocate keeping diplomatic channels open at all times. In this regard, we are very attentive to effectively using state-of-the-art tools of intergovernmental modern interaction, to develop preventive and preemptive mechanisms concerning crises and tragedies. We are highly pleased that our country's understanding of taking responsibility for global peace and stability is never shied away from. The fact that our public broadcaster, TRT, has successfully integrated this understanding and sensitivity into its operational field is very satisfying. TRT World Citizen Humanitarian Film Festival should be seen as one of the institutional manifestations of Türkiye’s sensitivity in this matter."

Altun emphasized the significance of receiving applications from hundreds of films from all around the world for the festival. He expressed his gratitude to those who contributed to the festival, including General Director of TRT Mehmet Zahid Sobacı.

General Director of TRT Sobacı: "We must lift the blockade in the world's mind"

General Director of TRT Mehmet Zahid Sobacı presented the TRT Special Award to Palestinian director Ahmad Saleh for his film "Night" during the festival. He thanked all the producers and directors participating in the event and emphasized that the TRT World Citizen "Humanitarian Film Festival" was a result of TRT's "human-centered" approach.

Sobacı noted that they needed to bring the stories of unheard cries to the world and that the TRT Special Award given to the film "Night" by director Ahmad Saleh, which tells the story of the tragedy in Palestine, was a testament to TRT's mission. Sobacı stated, “Since October 7th, Israel has been carrying out a comprehensive massacre against the people of Gaza. They are committing atrocities without discrimination, targeting infants, children, women, and the sick. They have been demolishing hospitals, sacred places, schools, and refugee camps, committing crimes against humanity. While the West attempts to suppress and silence the conscientious citizens who take to the streets in support of Gaza, our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stands in solidarity with the people and cries out for justice in public squares. He is using all available means to strive for peace and, through his unwavering stance, upholds the dignity of humanity.”

Sobacı, emphasizing the importance of the TRT World Citizen "Humanitarian Film Festival" project, stated, "For years, imaginary heroes, supposed righteousness, and certain concepts have been produced from a single center and presented to us as if they were a set of universal values. Now, we must lift the blockade in the world's mind. And here, the responsibility lies with us, with you."

General Director of TRT Sobacı, continued his speech by explaining TRT's position in broadcasting to the participants, saying, "As Türkiye’s public broadcaster, we adopt a human-centered approach in all our television and radio channels, digital news platforms, mobile applications, and our international digital platform, 'tabii.' In this context, I would like to

reiterate my pleasure in hosting you, who focus on humanitarian issues, in our country and holding the Humanitarian Film Festival in Türkiye, the conscience of the world. Just a week ago, we celebrated the centenary of our Republic; we have been striving for the well-being of this region for a thousand years; you are in a country that has always used its power, technology, and will in favor of the oppressed."

The "TRT Special Award" of the festival was presented to the Palestinian director Ahmad Saleh.

In addition to film screenings, the festival featured a "Film Production Panel" with the participation of the festival's jury president Derviş Zaim, jury members Ismaël Ferroukhi, Suat Köçer, Vuslat Saraçoğlu, and Reshad Strik. There was also an "Acting Workshop" with actress Pelin Karahan. The festival received applications from over 370 films from various countries, including Türkiye, Iran, Germany, Palestine, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Hungary, and New Zealand. Out of these, 12 films were screened, and awards were presented in five categories: Best Film, Second Best Film, Third Best Film, Climate Awareness Special Award, and TRT Special Award. The TRT Special Award was given to the film "Night" by Palestinian director Ahmad Saleh.

The works that received awards are as follows:

· First Place: “Branka”, Ákos K. Kovács (Hungary)

· Second Place: “Split Ends”, Alireza Kazemipour (Iran)

· Third Place: “Displaced”, Samir Karahoda (Kosovo)

· Climate Awareness Award: “The Sprayer”, Farnoosh Abedi (Iran)

· TRT Special Award: “Night”, Ahmad Saleh (Palestine)