International Refugee Film Festival kicks off in Turkey’s İzmir

Duvar English

The Bridging Peoples’ Association's İzmir International Refugee Film Festival kicked off in the Aegean province on Oct. 3 for the third time, which will last until Oct. 8. 

Human rights defenders, academics, representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations attended the opening of the festival on Oct. 3 in İzmir.

Nuray Pehlivan, chair of the Bridging Peoples’ Association, made the opening speech and said the association has been making efforts to touch the difficult lives of refugees in various ways and to build a real environment of solidarity since the day it was founded. 

“We saw the field of cinema and documentary as an element of our solidarity and we have screened many films and documentaries so far,” Pehlivan said 

Pehlivan thanked the festival workers, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Goethe Institute, Gazete Duvar and the French Cultural Center, the directors and film crews.

Festival Coordinator Ufuk Tambaş said, “This year, heartbreaking stories from Ukraine are included in our festival selection. We will have films about both refugees and LGBTI individuals. The stories can be heartbreaking, but we are pleased with the work we do.”

French Cultural Center Event Manager Damla Çamur said, “We are very happy to host the festival. I hope the festival will always continue and we will continue to host it.”

Following the speeches, the movie “Tori and Lokita,” focusing on the story of a little boy and a young girl traveling alone from Africa, was screened. Then, a photo exhibition titled “What were you most offended by,” consisting of the works of the Bridging Peoples’ Association volunteers, was opened.