2025 FESTIVAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
1. Films eligible for the competition include documentaries and animations produced in the last 2 years featuring architecture and urban issues. Regarding architecture and urban issues, the festival also focuses on subjects such as the liveable environment, housing problems, urban rights, urban and social justice, and urban transformation.
Films should not have participated in this festival before.
2. Films attending in the competition are limited to 60 minutes.
3. a) Films from abroad whose language is not English must have English subtitles. All films that pass the pre-selection (English and/or non-English) must be submitted to the festival committee along with their dialogue lists, time codes, and SRT files. Films without an SRT file cannot participate in the competition.
b) Films to be submitted from Turkey, whose language is not Turkish, must have Turkish and English subtitles.
c) Turkish-language films to be submitted from Turkey must have English subtitles.
4. Regardless of the original format, a copy of the movie in H.264 format with an MP4 extension can be sent to the organizing committee via the “Filmfreeway (https://filmfreeway.com/Archfilmfest)” website and data transfer programs such as Vimeo, WeTransfer etc. The application form must be downloaded from www.archfilmfest.org and sent to archfilmfest@archfilmfest.org together with other documents. If any technical problems occur during the preview of the film, the director or the distribution company will be notified. The director or the distribution company is obliged to send a new copy within 48 hours at the latest. Otherwise, the film will be excluded from evaluation process.
5. The downloadable copy of the film to be sent to the Organizer Committee must be accompanied by:
a) The competition application form (Participants participating through Filmfreeway are not required to submit this form.)
b) 2 images from the film
c) 1 photograph of the director
d) Turkish and English biographies of the participating directors from Turkey, as well as English biographies of the international directors (limited to 50 words each).
e) The plot of the film, maximum 50 words, and also A 3-minute trailer from the pre-selected film must be added.
f) Films with incomplete or non-compliant application materials may be disqualified from the competition by the selection committee.
6. The participants may participate in the competition with multiple films.
7. Films that pass the preliminary selection will be included in the archive of the Istanbul International Architecture and Urban Films Festival, organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Branch of the Chamber of Architects of Turkey (TMMOB Mimarlar Odası İstanbul Büyükkent Şubesi).
The Chamber reserves the right to screen the selected films, with prior notice to the director, under the following non-commercial conditions:
● In non-commercial public screenings,
● For educational purposes, without any commercial intent, at various branches of the Chamber of Architects,
● At universities, for students studying architecture and urban planning,
These screenings will be free of charge.
By submitting their films, directors and producers are deemed to have accepted these conditions in advance.
8. Of the films that participate in the competition, the Festival Organiser Committee may include in the festival programme all or some of the films passing the preliminary elimination. The jury will evaluate these films and award the winners.
9. Competition Announcement: June 16, 2025
10. Application Deadline: August 1, 2025.
11. The films selected for screening will be announced on August 15, 2025, and the award-winning films will be revealed during the award ceremony on October 18, 2025.
12. The author is responsible for any copyrights that may arise from third parties during film screenings.
13. If necessary, the Organiser Committee may replace any Selection Committee members and form a preliminary jury.
14. Awards:
Sami Yılmaztürk Special Award
Established in 2019 in memory of C. Sami Yılmaztürk, an architect who dedicated his life to upholding ethical values in the profession and defending the public interest, and who served for many years on the executive boards of the Istanbul Metropolitan Branch of the Chamber of Architects of Turkey.
(This award is given only in the National Category): 20,000 TL
Documentary Category:
First Prize: 20,000 TL
Second Prize: 15,000 TL
Third Prize: 10,000 TL
Animation Category:
First Prize: 20,000 TL
Second Prize: 15,000 TL
Third Prize: 10,000 TL
Prize money will be transferred to the bank accounts provided by the winning directors. The festival will cover domestic bank transfer fees within Turkey. However, it is not responsible for any intermediary bank charges that may apply.
15. Board members and employees of Istanbul Metropolitan Branch, Chamber of Architects, Union of Chambers of Turkish Architects and Engineers (TMMOB), selection committee members, those whom selection committee members provide consultancy and/or act as a business or project partner, etc., and their first-degree relatives cannot participate in the competition.
16. The decision of the selection committee is final. Decisions are made by a majority of votes.
COMPETITION SELECTION COMMITTEE (In alphabetical order):
Ayşe Derin Öncel (Architect, Professor)
Dağhan Celayir (Director, Screenwriter)
İlkay Nişancı (Documentary Filmmaker, Associate Professor)
Koray Atay (Architect, Executive Board Member of the Istanbul Metropolitan Branch of the Chamber of Architects)
Meltem Cumbul (Actress, Acting Instructor)
Nazlı Eda Noyan (Professor, Head of the Animation Department, Bahçeşehir University)
Savaş Güvezne (Documentary Filmmaker)
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Alper Ünlü, Ahmet Erkan, Koray Güler, Ayça Yazıcı, Berfin Aydemir, Beyza Zihar, Doğuş Demir, Gizem Yaren, Hilal Duru Nebioğlu, Senanur Kevser Göksoy, Rümeysa Kuduban (Festival Secretary)
Festival poster: Behiç Ak
APPLICATION ADDRESS:
Rümeysa Kuduban
TMMOB Chamber of Architects
Istanbul Metropolitan Branch
Karaköy, Kemankeş Cad. No. 31
Beyoğlu 34425 İstanbul – Türkiye
Tel: +90 (212) 251 49 00 – 205
Fax: +90 (212) 251 94 14
E-Mail: archfilmfest@archfilmfest.org
Web: www.archfilmfest.org
