Presentation of awards at the 6th Korkut Ata Film Festival of the Turkic World
- The 6th Korkut Ata Film Festival of the Turkic World ended with a closing ceremony of awards held at the Atatürk Cultural Centre in Istanbul. Speaking at the ceremony, TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev stressed the importance of the Festival becoming as a platform for new film projects and international co-productions.
- The closing ceremony of the festival, held in Istanbul from November 3rd to November 7th, 2026, was attended by TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev, the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan Mr. Abdulaziz Akkulov, the Deputy Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan Mr. Cihangir Ahmedov and executives of the film industry from TURKSOY member countries along with cinema artists, directors and producers from the Turkic World and numerous guests. The festival featured 56 films, 30 productions thereof being in the feature-length fiction, documentary and short film categories.
- Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy highlighted the importance of cinema in the preservation of the shared cultural memory of the Turkic World and its transmission to future generations. Minister Ersoy also emphasised the fact that the festival aims at increasing the number of co-productions while strengthening cultural ties and enhancing the international visibility of Turkic World cinema.
- Minister Ersoy: “Our aim is to ensure that r the cinema of the Turkic World achieves a stronger position on the international stage”
- Speaking at the closing ceremony, Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy noted that Korkut Ata symbolises wisdom, the oral tradition and storytelling in the shared memory of the Turkic World, and stated that the festival keeps this deep-rooted narrative tradition alive through the universal language of cinema.
- Highlighting that cinema is a powerful form of art which preserves the cultural memory of societies and brings people from different regions together through shared emotions, Minister Ersoy said that the Korkut Ata Film Festival of the Turkic World enriches this shared memory with new works and has therefore become an important platform strengthening cultural ties.
- Viewing the festival’s return to Istanbul for its sixth year as a significant opportunity to transform the experience gained to date into new collaborations, Minister Ersoy noted that the free screenings held across five different venues introduced the rich cinematic heritage of the Turkic World to a wide audience.
- Recalling that the Cinema Summit of the Turkic World organised as part of the festival brought together cinema institutions, producers and industry representatives to discuss co-production opportunities, Minister Ersoy stated that support will be provided for four film projects to be selected under the Turkey–Kyrgyzstan Project Presentation, which was held for the first time.
- Minister Ersoy who further noted that the International Korkut Ata Cinema Symposium of the Turkic World and the artificial intelligence panel had also strengthened the festival’s academic and technological dimensions, also emphasised the importance of younger generations becoming acquainted with their shared cultural heritage and carrying this heritage into the future through new works.
- Stating that Türkiye attaches great importance to the development of cultural relations with the Turkic World, Minister Ersoy noted that the support provided by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the unity and solidarity of the Turkic World has bolstered cultural cooperation.
- Minister Ersoy concluded his speech emphasising the particular importance they attach to contributing to the ideal of unity in language, thought and action through culture and the arts, and stated that their aim is for the festival to be held each year with wider participation, for co-productions to be increased, and for the cinema of the Turkic World to achieve a stronger position on the international stage.
- Secretary General Sultan Raev: “Korkut Ata should be a festival where new films are born”
- Speaking at the closing ceremony, TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev drew attention to the deep-rooted civilisational heritage and strong narrative tradition of the Turkic World and noted that the shared cultural memory kept alive for centuries through the spoken word music and literature is now finding new life in works created through the medium of cinema.
- Stating that the true value of the Korkut Ata Film Festival of the Turkic World lies not merely in preserving this great heritage but in reinterpreting it through the artistic language of our time and introducing it to the world of cinema, Secretary General Raev said that these awards make the artists’ efforts visible, encourage them and pave the way for new successes.
- Congratulating all filmmakers who dream, write, direct and bring their works to audiences irrespectively of the fact that they received an award or not, Secretary General Raev said: “Because the true power of cinema stems from the courage to create.”
- Commenting on the festival’s future, Secretary General Raev noted that the presentations of this year’s Türkiye–Kyrgyzstan project have been a significant step towards bringing as-yet-unfilmed projects to life. Stressing the need to bring more young filmmakers into contact with producers, co-production opportunities and the international film community, Secretary General Raev remarked: “The Korkut Ata Festival should not merely be a venue to show film productions which have already been finalized but a festival where new films are born.”
- Noting that the Cinema Summit of the Turkic World, the cinema symposium and the artificial intelligence panel organised as part of the festival were also significant for the future of the festival, Secretary General Raev touched upon the impact of technological developments on cinema, saying: “Technology can change the possibilities of cinema. However, no technology alone can create the spirit of our stories, human emotions or cultural memory.”
- Recalling that six years after its beginning, the festival which brings the Turkic World together in different cities has now returned to Istanbul – the city where it was first established, Secretary General Raev stated that becoming an international cultural brand is only possible through sustainable growth based on a strong anchorage and further highlighted that the cultural heritage, film industry and tourism potential of Istanbul offer significant opportunities for the Korkut Ata Film Festival to reach a global audience.
- Secretary General Raev who also touched upon the international success of Türkiye in the film and television sectors highlighted the strong contribution of such achievements to the promotion of the country, its tourism activity and the brand value of its cities. Noting that understanding culture and tourism as two complementary forces offers significant opportunities for the entire Turkic World, Mr. Raev expressed his belief in the fact that the expertise of Türkiye in this field will also contribute to the development of cinema throughout the Turkic World.
- Expressing his gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, the initiator and host of the festival as well as to all stakeholders, Secretary General Raev stated that the success achieved by Türkiye in the fields of culture and tourism under the leadership of the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the of the Republic of Türkiye Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy were a strong inspiration for the Turkic World.
- Stressing the need to take decisive steps towards the future of the festival, Secretary General Raev outlined Korkut Ata’s vision for the future, stating: “The true success of a festival is measured not only by the awards it presents, but by the films it inspires to be made in the years to come.”
- Secretary General Raev concluded his speech by quoting the prayer of Dede Korkut which says: “May the black mountains not crumble, may the great tree in the shade not be felled” – as expressed by the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at the 13th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States – and ends with the words: “May God never make you dependent on the unworthy”.
- Special Award of TURKSOY to Turkmenistan
- At the closing ceremony of the festival, awards were presented to the winning productions and successful artists in the feature-length fiction, documentary and short film competitions.
- In the Feature-Length Fiction Film category, the Special Award of TURKSOY was presented to the film “Gürgenç Güzeli Törebeg” by director Vefa Ishangulyyev from Turkmenistan.
- The Best Film Award of the festival went to the film “Kanto” by director Ensar Altay from Türkiye, and was presented by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
- The Best Director Award went to Zaur Gasımlı from Azerbaijan for his film “Tağıyev: Mektep”, whilst the the Best Screenplay Award was presented to Taalaibek Kulmendeev from Kyrgyzstan for his film “Yusuf”.
- The Best Actress Award went to Amina Salmanova for her performance in the film “Farzana Goes West” from Bashkortostan, whilst the Best Actor Award was presented to Matyokub Matçonov for his role in the film “Farz” from Uzbekistan.
- The Special Award of the Jury in the Fiction Film category was awarded to the film “38: The Final Point” by director Torebek Beisebayev from Kazakhstan.
- Awards in the documentary and short film categories
- The best documentary award went to the film “Isıyah: Summer Solstice” from the Republic of Sakha, directed by Semyon Amanatov, Mikhail Lukachevskiy, Sardaana Barabanova, Radomir Tomskiy and Lubov Borisova.
- In that same category, “Thirst for Life”, directed by Muminjan İsmatilla from Uzbekistan, came second, whilst “The Unquenchable Fire”, directed by Tunç Boran from Türkiye won the third place.
- The Special Award of the Jury in the Documentary Film category went to the co-production from Azerbaijan and Türkiye “Azıh Cave: The Cradle of Azerbaijan” directed by Atakan Kerküklü.
- In the Short Film category, the film “Rehber” by Turkish director Mert Erez won the first prize while the film “Grandmother”, directed by Temirlan Orisbayev from Kazakhstan, came second and “Yusuf, the Sun Child”, directed by Suhrob Qodirov and Dilshod Usmonov from Uzbekistan, came third.
- The title of Tourism Capital of the Turkic World was handed over to Tashkent
- The closing event of the festival featured a performance of works from various countries of the Turkic World by the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra.
- The ceremony attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and the Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan Mr. Abdulaziz Akkulov also featured the handover of the prestigious title of Tourism Capital of the Turkic World from Ankara to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, for the year 2027.
- The 6th Korkut Ata Film Festival of the Turkic World gives an artistic insight into the shared cultural heritage of the Turkic World through the medium of cinema and brings together filmmakers from different regions in Istanbul ended with a group photograph of award winners being taken as a remembrance of the day.
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