From June 14th to 21st Turkey hosted the International Migration Film Festival, although due to the health situation this year’s event took place online. Over fifty films were screened and hundreds of film-makers, members of the press and participants were able to meet remotely. More than 30 million people viewed the films on the Festival Scope platform.
The International Migration Film Festival wants to help viewers reassess how much migration has contributed to civilization and reconsider its cultural impact.
The winner of the International Feature Film Competition is the documentary For Sama by Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts. Through the personal experiences of the director, Waad Al-Kateab, the film shows the war tearing Aleppo apart: her hopes, doubts and terror for her husband and their baby daughter Sama over 5 gruelling years. The jury said they had chosen this film for its powerful story, “changing how we look at the refugee crisis”, and for its editing which “transforms traumatic images of everyday reality into a powerful narrative.”
For the short films:
The UNICEF International Competition Award went to Amelia Nanni’s Children of the Shore in which she describes how two children meet and bring their worlds together.
The Same Boat Award went to Zeynep Köprülü for Orada (There). The film-maker follows an actress who has to choose between continuing her career in France or returning to Turkey to say goodbye to her dying father.
The masterclasses, conferences, and workshops broadcast during the festival are still available on their official Instagram account.
Sources :
https://cineuropa.org
https://migrationff.com
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