Celebrating 21 Years! Boston Turkish Festival's 21st Annual Documentary & Short Film Competition October 30 - November 15, 2026 Co-presented with the Museum of Fine Arts Boston Film Program FINALIST FILMS & SCREENING SCHEDULE TBA

FILMS AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON Co-presented with the MFA Film Program November 13 - 15, 2026

NIGHT OF BLINDNESS Kör Gece WINNER OF BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD AT THE SHANGHAI FILM FESTIVAL FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2026 | 7:30 p.m. Remis Auditorium Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 465 Huntington Avenue Written and Directed by REİS ÇELİK 90 min. / b&W / 2026 / with English subtitles Cast: Hacı Ali Konuk, Özge Arslan, Nilüfer Açıkalın, İştar Gökseven, Aydın Orak DIRECTOR PRESENT Q&A Following Film Screening Inspired by the director’s own real-life experiences, Night of Blindness is set in Türkiye in the aftermath of the September 12, 1980 military coup. The film is the second installment of the planned “Night Trilogy.” The first film, Night of Silence (2012), received the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and was screened at numerous prestigious international festivals, including the Boston Turkish Film Festival, and winning multiple awards. A wanted activist hides inside the wooden formwork of a concrete column at a construction site. Only a thin plank separates the hunted from the hunters. As soldiers search the site without success, the arrival of a concrete mixer threatens to bury her alive. In the face of certain death, a small and silent act of courage may become her only chance for survival.   "Through its sharp and sensitive narrative, the film allows us to feel the massive impact created by small, courageous acts." — Official Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) Jury Citation (Chaired by Tony Leung), Best Screenplay Award

ON THE DRY ROCK Kuru Taşın Başı WORLD PREMIERE AT THE THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2026 | 2:00 p.m. Remis Auditorium Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 465 Huntington Avenue Directed by YEŞİM USTAOĞLU, JASMIN SELEN HEINZ 82 min. / 2026 / with English subtitles When a dam floods a Turkish valley, displacing a mountain community, the film captures the haunting beauty of loss, abandonment, and despair while reflecting on memory, pain, and the possibility of renewal.   "The editing... moves smoothly between the two axes, allowing a compelling antithesis to emerge that serves the narrative effectively... Ultimately, 'On the Dry Rock' is an artistic documentary that nevertheless succeeds in presenting its social commentary with clarity, resulting in a thoughtful and accomplished work."  — Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse

YELLOW LETTERS Sarı Zarflar / Gelbe Briefe GOLDEN BEAR AWARD AT THE BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2026 | 2:00 p.m. Remis Auditorium Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 465 Huntington Avenue Directed by İLKER ÇATAK 128 min. / 2026 / with English subtitles Cast: Özgü Namal, Tansu Biçer, Leyla Smyrna Cabas, İpek Bilgin Derya and Aziz, a celebrated artist couple from Ankara, lead a fulfilling life with their 13-year-old daughter Ezgi – until an incident at the premiere of their new play changes everything. Overnight, they find themselves targeted by the state and lose their jobs and their home. They move to Istanbul to temporarily stay with Aziz's mother. While Aziz ekes out a living with odd jobs and holds on to his convictions, Derya searches for a way to become financially independent. An increasing distance grows between them and their daughter until they are forced to choose between their values and their shared future as a family.   “Berlin in the role of Ankara, Hamburg as Istanbul. The winning film of this year’s Berlinale is a meticulous analysis of a struggle against power that could be set anywhere and doesn’t lose its momentum for even a second. Playwright Aziz and his wife Derya run afoul of the regime, and although they overcome the loss of their home and their jobs thanks to the help of friends and family, it is unclear whether this conflict can remain entirely without victims. The new situation tests the relationships within the family, especially as regards the couple’s teenage daughter.” — Vít Kořínek, Karlovy Vary Film Festival

2026 COMPETITION FINALISTS AND SCREENING SCHEDULE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE COMPETITION IN PREVIOUS YEARS