― 18 июля 2025 г.

Second Meeting of Cinema Directors of the Turkic World held in Istanbul

Organised by the International Organisation of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), the Second Meeting of Cinema Directors of the Turkic World took place on  July 18th, 2025 at Feriye in Istanbul, alongside with TRT 12 Punto events, Turkey's largest screenplay development and co-production platform. The meeting was attended by high-ranking officials from the film industry of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Türkiye.

The meeting organised in line with the decisions made  at the 40th Term Meeting of the Permanent Council of TURKSOY aimed at highlighting the role of cinema in the preservation of cultural heritage and its transmission to future generations, as well as at the institutionalization of cooperation in this field. It is in this context that participants of the first meeting of Cinema Directors of the Turkic World held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan had decided to establish TURKFILM – the Association of Cinema Directors of the Turkic World - to foster cooperation in the field of cinema and ensure the necessary coordination.

Hence, this meeting, held in Istanbul, was organised to determine concrete steps to be taken and establish a joint work plan.

In his opening speech, TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev said, "We are not here today just for a meeting, but to come together to build a shared memory, a shared culture and a shared future. For we are the heirs of a civilization with deep roots and a rich history. And cinema is undoubtedly one of the strongest carriers of this great heritage in today's world. The fact that we are meeting for the second time as film directors demonstrates that this determination is on its way to become institutionalized. We now expect concrete results, lasting structures and effective cooperation activities to result from these meetings. The most valuable outcomes of our meetings will be the transformation of the topics on our agenda, such as joint productions, festival collaborations and a cinema fund, from mere proposals into feasible projects."

The meeting was attended by Gurban Primov, Deputy Director General of Azerbaijan Cinema; Jumagali Kurmanbek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Cinema Support Centre of Kazakhstan; Aynur Düssenova, Kazakh National Cinema Support Centre; Aset Yernazarov, Executive Director of Kazakfilm; Ulan Adamaliev from Kyrgyzstan – Director General of the Kyrgyz Cinema; from Uzbekistan, Shuhratulla Rizaev – Head of the Uzbekistan Republic Cinematography Agency, Bekhzod Kadirov – Head of the Department for the Development of International Relations; from Turkmenistan, Sahısaılıh Bayramov – Deputy Chairman of the “Oğuzhan” Turkmenfilm Union, Annageldi Atanazarov – Department of International Relations of the State Committee for Television, Radio and Cinematography of Turkmenistan; Birol Güven from Türkiye – General Director of Cinema of the Republic of Türkiye, Faruk Güven – Director of Cinema at TRT, Sultan Raev, Secretary General of TURKSOY, and Salim Ezer, Special Representative of the Secretary General of TURKSOY in the field of cinema.

The meeting discussed the establishment of a working group on the Film Fund of the Turkic World, international co-production projects, national film festivals, the Korkut Ata Turkic World Film Festival, and exchanged views regarding issues of institutionalisation. Decisions were made following mutual discussions among cinema Directors.

Before the signatureceremony, the participants expressed their hopes for the success of TRT 12 Punto and expressed their gratitude to TURKSOY Secretary General for the organisation of the meeting and to the General Directorate of TRT for hosting the event.

At the end of the meeting, the Final Declaration of the Second Meeting of Cinema Directors of the Turkic World on the decisions resulting therefrom was signed by the representatives of the participating countries.

Additionally, following the meeting, officials participated in a panel on ‘Future Perspectives for Turkic World Cinema – Opportunities of Joint Production Projects’ and shared their assessments on the future of the sector.

The next meeting is planned to take place in Aktau, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2025.