Organized for the eighth time this year by the Sabancı Foundation with the slogan "Short Film Long Impact," themed "In short we suffer from thirst" announced its winners on Wednesday.
The first prize went to the film "Life in Dreams," directed by Can Yeşiloğlu. Speaking at the award ceremony, Güler Sabancı, chairperson of the board of trustees of the Sabancı Foundation, said: "For this year's competition, we chose the theme 'Water Crisis,' which is currently and in the future considered among the most important problems on the entire planet. Fortunately, filmmakers have internalized this issue and produced striking works."
Out of the 12 works that made it to the finals in the competition, the first prize went to the film "Life in Dreams," directed by Can Yeşiloğlu. Güler Sabancı presented the award to Yeşiloğlu. The second place in the competition, the film "Toward the End," was awarded to the director Cihan Yıldırım by Nevgül Bilsel Safkan, an advisory committee member of the Sabancı Foundation. The third-place film "Anthropocene," directed by Mehmet Gürü Avcu, received the award presented by Zeynep Atakan, the art director of the competition. The Honorable Mention Award went to Sinan Kaldan for the film "Wild," while the Social Impact Award was given to Cihan Yıldırım for the second-place film "Towards the End."
Speaking to Daily Sabah, Safkan remarked: "The quality of films improves every year. After going through a research and discussion process each year, we try to address a global and current issue. Intensive content work is done until the competition is concluded, and we discuss the topic throughout the year. The overarching title contains many themes. Directors create these themes by drawing inspiration from the problem. And finally, after eight years, we won the European Film Academy Award for the first time. This award, given to leaders for sustainability efforts and organized for the 36th time, was presented to our beloved leader Güler Sabancı. This not only made us proud but also brought us happiness to achieve a first for our country. It became a reward for the intensive work we have done."
Güler Sabancı was honored with the Sustainability Award (Prix Film4Climate) in December 2023 in Europe, extending the scope of sustainability beyond environmental sustainability, recognizing inspiring institutions and organizations and promoting a sense of responsibility.
The winners of the awards were determined through evaluations by the jury of the 8th Short Film Competition, consisting of film critic Alin Taşçıyan, successful actors in theater and important productions Salih Bademci and Tilbe Saran and film producer and director from world cinema Jamillah Van Der Hulst, along with creative producer and script consultant Suzanne Pradel. The Social Impact Jury included journalist Nilay Örnek, architect Özgül Öztürk and social entrepreneur Yasemin Kırkağaçlıoğlu.
Also, the art director, Zeynep Atakan, said: "The two films that made it to the final exhibit a meticulous examination of the theme. Addressing thirst from diverse perspectives, the films provide a fresh outlook, uniquely fostering awareness. Each film, with its distinct narrative, offers glimpses into potential future scenarios. The progression is evident, with each year proving to be stronger than its predecessor. Notably, the films this year stand out for their thoughtful approach, challenging participants to delve deeper into the theme. The technical and visual quality of the submissions this year is commendable, marking a departure from earlier years."
"Exactly eight years ago, with the slogan 'Short Film Long Impact,' we launched the Short Film Competition to draw attention to social issues through cinema and contribute to the development of young artists. In this context, for these years, we have focused on very important current problems and aimed to create awareness in society. This year, we chose our theme as the 'Water Crisis,' which is currently and in the future considered one of the most important problems facing humanity. We wanted to once again highlight water scarcity, one of the undeniable consequences of the climate emergency, through short films that fit into five minutes and create a shocking effect on the audience," Güler Sabancı said during the ceremony.
"Fortunately, filmmakers have embraced the importance of this issue and put their signatures on striking works. The potential we see in the cinema field during the application process and evaluation of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition pleases us more and more every year. I wish our competition, which serves as a stepping stone for young filmmakers, opens new doors for them, and I congratulate all the applicants who applied to our competition," she added.
The first-place winner of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition received a prize of TL 60,000 ($1,990), the second-place winner received TL 40,000 and the third-place winner received TL 25,000. The Social Impact Award was also rewarded with TL 25,000 for the first time this year.
The Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition addressed "Refugee Women" in its first year, "Child Laborers" in the second year, "Discrimination" in the third year, "Digital Loneliness" in the fourth year, "Changing Climates, Changing Lives" in the fifth year, "New Professions in the New World" in the sixth year, "Young Women Not Involved in Education or Employment" in the seventh year, and with the theme of "Water Crisis" in its eighth year.
All the films that have been released so far can be watched on the Sabancı Foundation's YouTube channel, featuring not only the latest releases but also those from previous years.
