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The Village of Ballet Dancers

Can ballet be a village's source of income? A few individuals becoming ballet dancers from a single village might not surprise anyone. But when 13 ballet dancers emerge from the same village, that’s when it becomes truly remarkable. This documentary unveils the extraordinary story of a seemingly ordinary village in Turkey: a tale of passion rising above poverty, social prejudice, and adversity.

Bale bir köyün gelir kaynağı olabilir mi? Tek bir köyden birkaç kişinin bale dansçısı olması kimseyi şaşırtmayabilir. Ancak aynı köyden 13 bale dansçısı çıktığında, işte o zaman gerçekten dikkat çekici hale gelir. Bu belgesel, Türkiye'de görünüşte sıradan bir köyün sıra dışı hikayesini gözler önüne seriyor: yoksulluk, toplumsal önyargı ve zorlukların üstesinden gelen bir tutku hikayesi.

  • Fatih Diren
    Director
  • Fatih Diren
    Writer
  • Elif Feyza Demir
    Writer
  • Fatih Diren
    Producer
  • Evrim İnci
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    22 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Türkiye
  • Country of Filming:
    Türkiye
  • Language:
    Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    Dijital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Altın Safran Belgesel Film Festivali - Golden Saffron Documentary Film Festival
    Safranbolu
    Turkey
    May 7, 2025
    Turkish
    National best short documentary award
  • Art Film Awards
    Skopje
    North Macedonia
    March 23, 2025
    Best Short Documentary
  • MOD Fest Podgorica - Minority Open Days
    Podgorica
    Montenegro
    May 8, 2025
    Best Film Award
  • Düzce Konuralp Film Festivali
    Düzce
    Turkey
    May 15, 2025
    Belgesel Kategorisi İkincilik Ödülü
  • Dijital Detaylar Kültür Sanat Belgeselleri Film Festivali
    İstanbul
    Turkey
    May 10, 2025
    Best Editing Award
  • Greece International Film Festival
    Athens
    Greece
    March 29, 2025
    Greece
    Honorable Mention
  • The Impact DOCS Awards
    California
    United States
    August 12, 2025
    Best Short Documentary
  • LAMPA International Film Festival of socially oriented short films, videos and social advertising
    Perm
    Russian Federation
    September 13, 2025
    Rusia
    Award Winner
  • International Short & Symbolic Art Film Festival (ISAFF)
    Saint-Petersburg
    Russian Federation
    August 23, 2025
    Rusia
    Best Short Documentary
  • Baku International Film Festival
    Bakü
    Azerbaijan
    November 7, 2025
    Jüri Özel Ödülü
  • 9. Güzel Ordu Uluslararası Kısa Film Yarışması
    Ordu
    Turkey
    October 18, 2025
    Jüri Özel Ödülü
  • Budapest Film Festival
    Budapeşte
    Hungary
    November 21, 2025
    hungary
    Best Short Documentary
  • 13. International Silk Road Film Festival
    İstanbul
    Turkey
    December 10, 2025
    En iyi senaryo ödülü
  • 2. Uluslararası Turan Film Festivali
    İzmir
    Turkey
    May 3, 2025
    İzmir
    En iyi belgesel ödülü
  • Turkish World Documentary Film Festival
    Ankara
    Turkey
    October 20, 2025
    2. En İyi Kısa Belgesel Ödülü
  • International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival
    Adana
    Turkey
    September 22, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Cranford Film Festival
    New Jersey
    United States
    April 26, 2025
    Nomenee
  • Authentic Global Film Awards
    California
    United States
    June 12, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Tirana Mediterranean Film Festival
    Tirane
    Albania
    May 1, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Emberlight International Film Festival
    Michigan
    United States
    August 15, 2025
    Official Selection
  • SEE Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    June 2, 2025
    France
    Official Selection
  • İKÇÜ Film Festivali
    İzmir
    Turkey
    May 27, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Ciputra Film Festivali (CFF)
    Jawa Timur
    Indonesia
    May 31, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Foça Film Days
    İzmir
    Turkey
    October 15, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Festival Internazionale Nebrodi Cinema Doc
    Messina
    Italy
    September 29, 2025
    Finalist
  • Ardea Film Festival Ardea Film Festival
    Roma
    Italy
    July 17, 2025
    İtaly
    Official Selection
  • DokuBaku IDFF
    Bakü
    Azerbaijan
    October 13, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Anatolia International Film Festival
    İstanbul
    Turkey
    August 8, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Orange International Film Festival
    Catania
    Italy
    September 18, 2025
    Official Selection
  • KYMATA International Film Festival
    KEFALONIA
    Greece
    August 24, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Korea International Ethnographic Film Festival
    Seoul
    December 19, 2025
    Asia
    Offical Selection
  • Szczecin Film Festival
    Szczecin
    Poland
    October 16, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Dream Catchers Film Festival

    United States
    November 27, 2025
    Official Selection
  • 4. BÜYÜK TAARRUZ INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
    Afyon
    Turkey
    October 13, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Uluslararası 4 Dicle Belgesel ve Kısa Film Festivali
    Diyarbakır
    Turkey
    October 14, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Trabzon Film Festivali
    Trabzon
    Turkey
    December 24, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Boston Turkish Film Festival 20th Annual Documentary & Short Film Competition
    Boston
    United States
    November 8, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Serbest International Film Festival
    Kishinev
    Moldova
    September 5, 2025
    Moldova
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Fatih Diren

He was born in 1984 in Corum. He completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Corum. In 2004, he was accepted to the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema of the Faculty of Communication at Mersin University. In 2008, he continued his education at the North Karelia University of Applied Sciences in Finland for 6 months with Erasmus (student exchange program). He completed his undergraduate education in 2009. During his school years, he started to take part in sound works in national projects in the sector and worked as a sound operator and boom operator in many cinema, series and advertising projects. After taking a break from the sector, he started his master's degree in the Department of Cinema and Television at Ordu University and graduated. Then, he completed his doctorate in the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema at Istanbul University and obtained the title of Doctor. He works as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema of the Faculty of Communication at Nigde Omer Halisdemir University.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The film Ballet Village is a film that shows that people living in the countryside can be successful in the field of art if they want to. It wouldn't surprise anyone if one or two ballet dancers were to come from a village. However, it would be interesting for the audience if 13 ballet dancers were to come from a village.