IFA Istanbul Film Awards is a monthly based film competition open to film makers and film lovers, recognizing and awarding the work of independent filmmakers worldwide.

IFA ISTANBUL FILM AWARDS IS AN IMDB QUALIFYING FESTIVAL!

Our mission is to honor, celebrate and award the best talent in the global filmmaking community.

Our vision is to promote films, helping filmmakers to improve their careers.

What we’re looking for?

Story-based films, which can be in the form of narrative (fiction), documentary (non fiction), or animation.

SUBMISSIONS FOR %25 DISCOUNT CODE (For Gold Fee Only) is: ifa0022

Each month, our Jury will award the best films through private screenings.

Films entered in multiple categories may win multiple awards!

The officially selected projects in each month receive IFA laurel and are announced on our website.

All monthly Winners receive IFA laurel and certificate and are rated at their respective IMDb pages (if applicable).

The IFA trophy is exceptional in the industry and is a work of art. Star part of the trophy is zinc alloy plated with 18k gold, the beautiful fifteen inch tall marble based. The design and copyright of the award is reserved.

We do not accept:

1. Amateur videos
2. Extremist or propaganda content from religious or political organizations
3. Films with a poor production standard (bad sound, lack of subtitles/captions for non-English films, video resolution less than 720p HD)
4. Any kind of pornography, including nudity or sexuality explicit scenes.

All Categories:

1) You must fully comply with these Entry Rules & Regulations, including all deadlines, project length, entry material, and other requirements
2) Non-English language projects must have English subtitles at the time submitted. Dialogue lists will not be accepted. No subtitles required for movies in Turkish language
3) Any genre and format is accepted (from 1 minute films to long, narrative/artistic films).
4) Eligible projects include feature films, runtime 41 minutes and more and short films, runtime 40 minutes and less; including documentaries, narratives, animation, and experimental films.
5) Online screeners preferred. If you choose not to upload your project to FilmFreeway’s site, please provide an online link to your submission and be sure to include the password in an email correspondence sent directly to IFA.
6) IFA does not download data or accept Dropbox submissions. Please only send links to your media hosted on 3rd party servers such as Vimeo or YouTube.
7) DVD Entries will not be returned.
8) Written comments describing entries are beneficial.
9) Entry fees are non-refundable.
10) No premiere status is required.
11) Rough cuts and incomplete projects are not accepted.
12) Multiple entries are allowed for each filmmaker and each entry may be entered in multiple categories. Films entered in multiple categories may win multiple awards. We reserve right to re-assign films to the appropriate category.
13) The film submitted to the IFA for a particular month can be re-submitted at any time for a second chance.
14) The IFA will not refund any fees if the filmmaker fails to submit the film in the correct category. Films submitted without the correct fees or proper submission media may be deemed ineligible at the discretion of the IFA programming director or executive director. The festival does not cover any of the expenses incurred by the filmmaker.
15) After a film has been an official selection, the filmmaker will be notified, and eventually the film will be listed on the festival website under Official Selections. The Official Selection status doesn’t mean that your film will be screened at the festival. It means that your film has been appreciated by our judges of panel and you can use the festival logo on your poster.
16) A nominee will be privately screened for the IFA judging panel, and will not be screened initially to the public.
17) We require an official trailer or poster, synopsis, director’s biography and filmography, a link to your film.
18) All films must have been made in or after 2019.
19) The applicant agrees to have read and accepted the rules & regulations for participation in the IFA. The applicant confirms that he / she has the requisite authority or has obtained the requisite authority from the producer / right holder to enter this film in the IFA and make available the print for screening.

DISCLAIMER:
All filmmakers understand and accept that if their film is accepted for presentation and screening at the film festival, they grant full and unrestricted permission for IFA to screen the film, video at times of the festivals choice and to charge an admission fee for the presentation of the digital video program.
The Filmmaker understands and accepts that they do not participate in receiving any funds from the Box-office proceeds which are fully retained by the festival to help cover the overall cost of the festival presentation. It should be noted for the record that box-office proceeds never cover the cost of presentation of the Features and Short Film Programs. IFA reserves the complete right to make changes in the program dates and times and to possibly not screen the video, despite its being selected for screening

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • EXTREME lack of communication for months. I sent many emails asking for the digital certificate and NEVER got a response. Also, Istanbul Film Award's website listed the wrong name as the winner. Would love for this to be corrected and to receive the correct digital certificate so I can post the win on my Instagram account.

    March 2023
  • What a wonderful festival! I'm so grateful that "Like a PowerPoint" was honored. Thank you so much!

    December 2022
  • Anindgita Dasgupta

    Very professionally managed film festival ,I am very grateful to recieve award for my web series kuch kuch film jaisi ,thanks a lot on the behalf of kuch kuch film jaisi team .

    December 2022
  • Confidential Media

    It's a great film festival! Thank you for awarding our Rift indie short film!
    Best regards,
    Laura Darago
    Director of Rift

    December 2022
  • Thanks for choosing with transparency as a winner our actor Naser Rafuna foir the Best Actor Award- Feature Film 'Hidden'.

    November 2022