Celebrating 20 Years! Boston Turkish Festival's 20th Annual Documentary & Short Film Competition October 30 - November 16, 2025 Co-presented with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Film Program

COMPETITION OPENING THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. Alfond Auditorium MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN HEMME DIES Hemme’nin Öldüğü Günlerden Biri Written and Directed by Murat Fıratoğlu 83 min. / 2024 / with English subtitles Cast: Murat Fıratoğlu, Sefer Fıratoğlu , Salih Taşçı , Güneş Sayın , Ali Barkın Birkan Türkiye’s Entry for the 98th Academy Awards World Premiere and Orizzonti Special Jury Prize: Venice Film Festival SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. Remis Auditorium MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON THE CHORDS OF CHANGE Bir Cumhuriyet Şarkısı Directed by Yağız Alp Akaydın | Written by Sırrı Süreyya Önder 128 min. / 2024 / with English subtitles Cast: Salih Bademci, Ertan Saban, Okan Yalabık, Ahmet Rıfat Sungar, Melis Sezen, Birce Akalay, Mehmet Özgür, Bensu Soral, Emre Karayel The story of remarkable creation of "Özsoy," the first Turkish opera, in 1930's; a monumental task completed in just 27 days by composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun and a dedicated team of musicians and artists. Ahmet Adnan Saygun is widely regarded as one of the most significant Turkish composers of classical music, and is particularly known for his incorporation of Turkish folk music into his compositions. His work has been deeply appreciated by world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who has performed and recorded several of Saygun's pieces, bringing them to a wider international audience. University Members now get $5 tickets for all regularly priced MFA Films, in person on the day of screening with a valid student ID.  Find out if your school participates.

COMPETITION FINALISTS October 30 - November 16, 2025 In the Order of Screening Date

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 | 6:30 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston 170 Beacon Street GET YOUR DAILY PASS With the Daily Pass you can watch any or all the films screened on this day NO COUNTRY FOR OTHERS Yeni Han Directed by Bingöl Elmas Doc. | 52 min. | 2025 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 | 6:30 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston A film about migration, otherness, and the fragile possibility of living together. In Istanbul’s Aksaray district, traces of distant geographies collide. At the heart of this convergence is Yeni Han. It’s a place of hope and confusion, of shifting identities and uncertain futures. READ MORE... KARDEŞ TÜRKÜLER: 30 YEARS WITH SONGS OF FRATERNITY Kardeş Türküler: 30 Yılın Öyküsü Directed by Çayan Demirel & Ayşe Çetinbaş Doc. | 106 min. | 2025 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 | 7:30 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston The chronicles of musical and political journey of Kardeş Türküler, which began within the Boğaziçi University Folklore Club in 1993. It presents a kind of chronicle of "togetherness"—a fraternity of cultures and languages that cannot be divided by borders, encompassing children, women, trees, and rivers. Not only languages, but history, culture, poetry, writers, and artists meet on the stage. READ MORE... SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 6:30 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston 170 Beacon Street GET YOUR DAILY PASS With the Daily Pass you can watch any or all the films screened on this day THE VILLAGE OF BALLET DANCERS Baletler Köyü Directed by Fatih Diren Doc. | 22 min. | 2025 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 6:30 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston 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. READ MORE... LIKE A NOVEL Roman Gibi Directed by Tayfun Belet Doc. | 62 min. | 2025 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 7:00 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston Starting their life of love and struggle in Thessaloniki, Sabiha and Zekeriya Sertel were two journalists who fought for freedom during Türkiye’s turbulent times. After Sabiha’s death, her family kept her existence a secret. Her niece, Nur Deriş, discovers Sabiha’s story through the book Like a Novel. READ MORE... WILL YOU COME WITH ME? Directed by Derya Durmaz Anim. Short | 2 min. | 2023 Voice: Derya Durmaz SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 8:00 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston A Berlin born little story... The city which fools you with its liberated outlook, tends to give you a slap in the face when you get into intimate relationships, only to find out that things still aren't so different than when women had to take responsibility for not only their actions, but also men’s, and had to bare the consequences all on their own... READ MORE... EUDAIMONIA Directed by Gizem İbak Short | 13 min. | 2025 Feat. Mehmet Aslantuğ, Yağmur Damcıoğlu, Mert Ali Dayı, Kaan Alp Dayı SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 8:00 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston When a middle-aged divorced man sets out to visit the lake of his childhood with his adolescent son, long-suppressed memories of his youth and first love begin to resurface along the way. READ MORE... MINUS ONE Eksi Bir Directed by Ömer Ferhat Özmen Short | 15 min. | 2024 Feat. Müfit Kayacan, Aram Dildar SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 8:00 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston Disturbed by a 'smell' he believed originated from the new tenants in the basement apartment, the building manager, Mr. Enver, started collecting signatures from residents to evict them. READ MORE... NâN Directed by Enes Küçük Short | 15 min. | 2024 Feat. Ümit Acar, Fatih Kaya, Üzeyir Ulus SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 8:00 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston Struggling with increasing nightmares and a worsening illness, Ahmet encounters Fatih, a newcomer to his village. Everything about Fatih reminds Ahmet of his past, filled with memories, dreams, and losses. Fatih's presence offers Ahmet both comfort and a chance to confront his past. READ MORE... THE SURROGATE GIRL Hangi Gece Büyüdüysem Directed by Onur Güler Short | 17 min. | 2023 Feat. Nilperi Şahinkaya, Aslıhan Kapanşahin SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 8:00 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston High school student Mira is forced to hide her pregnancy for 9 months. She decides to sell her baby to an infertile couple in her neighborhood. The couple lies to everyone, claiming the wife, Serpil, is pregnant. Mira arrives at their house to give birth, but things don't go as planned. READ MORE... APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION Yıkım İçin İştah Directed by Zehra Eda Sert Short | 18 min. | 2025 Feat. Burcu Halaçoğlu, Dicle Şengül SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 8:00 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston Reveals the silent yet destructive conflict within a 'modern' middle-class family, where a controlling mother is in constant tension with her daughters - Ilgin's fragility and Ege's search for identity. The film invites the audience to reflect on family bonds, individual freedom, and the devastating impact of repressed emotions. READ MORE... GARAN Directed by Mahsum Taşkın Short | 19 min. | 2024 Feat. Yavuz Akkuzu, Savaş Işık SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 8:00 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston A man is stuck on the border between two countries. He has jeopardised his whole livelihood by spending the last money he had on a herd of cows that he awaits coming from the war torn neighbouring country. READ MORE... SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 | 6:30 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston 170 Beacon Street GET YOUR DAILY PASS With the Daily Pass you can watch any or all the films screened on this day SOUND DREAMS OF ISTANBUL Directed by Anıl Eraslan Doc. | 70 min. | 2025 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 | 6:30 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston Inspired by a dream, musician and filmmaker Anıl Eraslan returns to Istanbul to make a film with his Istanbulite musician friends. Along the way, he invites them to recite their sonic dreams and stage them as musical performances in unconventional urban settings. READ MORE... MASTER OF TIME Zamanın Ustası Directed by Muhittin Yüceli Doc. | 17 min. | 2024 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 | 7:45 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston When Adana's iconic Great Clock Tower broke down in 2014, it was brought back to life by the expertise of Murat Yurtbulmuş. Having been involved in clockmaking since childhood and honing his skills in Germany, Yurtbulmuş shares the challenges of clock repair, his personal memories, and the mysteries of clocks. READ MORE... A STRANGE COLOUR OF DREAM Bir Garip Rüya Rengi Directed by Yasemin Akıncı Doc. | 74 min. | 2024 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 | 8:00 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston Ertil, a retired architect, spends his time designing 3D projects in pursuit of dreams of Türkiye's potential modernization. Outside, Istanbul builds itself layer upon layer, almost endlessly with its deep history. READ MORE... FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. GSU Auditorium, Boston University 775 Commonwealth Avenue GET YOUR DAILY PASS With the Daily Pass you can watch any or all the films screened on this day ERGONOMIC MONOLOGUES Ergonomik Monologlar Directed by Hüseyin Urçuk Short | 14 min. | 2024 Feat. Hasan Tanay FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 1:00 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University An enlightened middle-aged writer isolates himself from the outside world and devotes himself only to writing. One day while working at the typewriter, he accidentally drops and breaks the globe on his desk. In search of a new world, he embarks on a journey full of inner reckoning. READ MORE... THE RAFFLE Çekiliş Directed by Muhammet Emin Altunkaynak Short | 17 min. | 2024 Feat. Evren Erler, Arben Akış FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 1:00 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University A clever, ambitious boy with a fierce sense of justice sets his sights on the big prizes the neighborhood grocer desperately wants to hold onto. The grocer is reluctant to part with the prizes because the boy is the one who keeps the raffle game going. READ MORE... DOMINO Directed by Coşku Baş Short | 8 min. | 2023 Feat. Ayşe Begüm Arslan, Coşku Baş FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 1:00 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University Experiencing problems with life and her environment, İnci was moved by her family to a house near a lake. However, due to childhood trauma, she begins experiencing interesting and mysterious issues in her new home. Struggling to cope, she seeks solutions and help from her family. READ MORE... WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT DILAN Dilan Hakkında Konuşmalıyız Directed by Umut Şilan Oğurlu Short | 20 min. | 2024 Feat. Sude Belkıs, Ayşe Lebriz, Nur Sürer FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 1:00 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University Dilan works in her uncle's real estate office and lives with her mother. She will turn 30 soon and feels she hasn't lived up to her potential. A documentary crew starts following her to figure out the cause of her problem. READ MORE... YAY YOUR ADVENTURE YARD HOP Hayal Gücü Oyun Parkı Directed by Jale İncekol Doc. | 45 min. | 2025 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 2:30 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University Following the major earthquake on February 6, 2023, game provider Nedim Buğral, along with a group of volunteers, set up play areas in various locations across Hatay. The project, named “Your Adventure Yard (YAY)”, is inspired by the "flexible playground" approach developed in Europe after World War II. READ MORE... EXAM ON THE EDGE OF TIME Zamanın Kıyısında Sınav Directed by İlkay Nişancı Doc. | 100 min. | 2024 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 3:15 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University While people hadn't even buried their deceased, they fell into the anxiety of exams after earthquake in Hatay. While the students see the university exam as a way out of this city where they have lost all their memories, the teachers unwittingly build their own utopia. READ MORE... AN EXTRAORDINARY SURGEON Sıradışı Bir Cerrah Directed by Orhan Tekeoğlu Doc. | 62 min. | 2024 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 5:00 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University Prof. Dr. Ali Akyüz, after a childhood marked by hardships, was admitted to Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. Despite challenging circumstances while staying with relatives, Akyüz completed his medical education and began his career as an idealistic doctor, eventually becoming a pioneer in the field of surgical endoscopy. READ MORE... SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. GSU Auditorium, Boston University 775 Commonwealth Avenue GET YOUR DAILY PASS With the Daily Pass you can watch any or all the films screened on this day CLOCK WITHOUT A DIAL Kadranı Olmayan Saat Directed by Fatma Karakuş Kaçmaz Doc. | 62 min. | 2024 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 | 1:00 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University The researcher investigating climate change decides to meet with people who make their living from nature and embarks on a journey across a vast region to explore different lives. Grounded in both social reality and scientific reality, the researcher strives to bridge the gap between the two. READ MORE... TOMATO, PEPPER, DEPRESSION Domates, Biber, Depresyon Directed by Aybüke Avcı Doc. | 68 min. | 2024 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 | 2:00 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University Tomatoes, peppers, and all the other plants in Adana’s Çetirevli village survive on medications, just like the diagnosed depression patients who make up half of the village population. READ MORE... LINES OF ILHAN Directed by Ayşegül Doğan Doc. | 96 min. | 2025 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 | 3:15 p.m. GSU Aud., Boston University The story of Turkish folklore expert İlhan Başgöz and his decades long journey from Gemerek, Sivas to Bloomington, Indiana. The film combines interviews filled with memories from early years of the Republic of Türkiye, Atatürk, Aşık Veysel, Nazım Hikmet, Yaşar Kemal and many others whose paths crossed with Ilhan Başgöz. READ MORE...

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