33rd International Istanbul Film Festival (2014)

Abstract

Throughout the last few decades, film festivals have become widespread distribution channels, connecting films, film crews, critics and film audiences within a professional network. Boissevain, as quoted by Robinson and Picard, lists “the rise of secularism, the increase in the diasporic populations, together with the increasing democratisation” as the most important factors to enable the current mushrooming of festivals (20). Although a recent antidemocratic turn has taken place in Turkey, which is evident from the increasing state violence on its people and the bans of Twitter and YouTube, Istanbul, as a vibrant cultural city, is still home to many exciting creative and cultural events, such as the Istanbul Film Festival.

Keywords

• film festival
• political event
• kurdish identity
• globalization
• istanbul
• distribution
• professional network
• politics
• art
• cinephilia