Istanbul's one and only fashion film festival will bring leading designers and opinion leaders in the fashion industry to Zorlu Performing Arts Center (PSM) this month to explore the fast-growing genre of fashion film. Taking place from Nov. 28-29, "Fashion Film Fest Istanbul" will showcase the work of independent fashion designers and directors.In recent years, viral fashion films have become a threat to traditional catwalk shows and made the industry independent on video installations. The use of video art now helps represent the fashion industry as a concept as well as a cultural form. It adds another aesthetic dimension to collections. The festival will offer a unique opportunity for Istanbulites to experience fashionable video art. The film program includes documentaries, designer brands and experimental shorts, fashion-in-film classics as well as the style-filled movies that have inspired our love of fashion.Aside from film screenings, visitors can attend talks featuring big names such as fashion designer Nihan Buruk, designer and director Ümit Ünal, founder of Berlin Fashion Film Fest Niccolo Montanari, founder of Serbia Fashion Week Svetlana Horvat and French designer Damir Doma. The second day's program will feature another talk with Martina Fortuni and Svetlana Horvat. Damir Doma will also be talking about his life, collections and sources of inspiration during an exclusive panel session.On the first day of the event, 10 award-winning films from the Madrid Fashion Film Festival will be screened. Jose Murciano, the director of the Madrid Fashion Film Festival, will deliver a talk on the evolution of communication in the fashion world as well as the changing discourse on runway shows and fashion films.The festival's next surprise will be the video installation of world-renowned artist Marie Vic. The installation, "Ten Blows," was displayed for the first time in New York last March. The installation was created by using the work of Givenchy's head designer Riccardo Tisci. Featuring 10 short videos of chiffon Givenchy gowns, Vic's work is set in the Mojave Desert, California. Ten Blows will be on display for the first time following its premier in the U.S.Fashion Film Festival Istanbul will also include content and collaboration agreements with other fashion film festivals like those in Madrid, Berlin, Austria and Lahore. The collaborations will facilitate the screening of Turkish fashion films in other countries, helping local designers promote their work on global platforms.The festival will also host a fashion film competition judged by independent local and foreign fashion designers. The jury will include Damir Doma, Ümit Ünal and Selman Bal. Tuna Yılmaz, the festival's founder and director, said, "Istanbul is taking big steps to reach a leading level in the global power game by investing in many fields, like the fashion industry. The city hosts fashion designers, buyers, bloggers and travelers from all around the world. It is important to show that Istanbul's fashion scene is not merely about catwalks, it has a bigger vision." Yılmaz stressed that the festival aims to become a different and more global event compared to its past showings. Some of the other festival participants are fashion designers Nihan Buruk and Özlem Yalın along with curator Mehmet Kahraman and creative consultant Gülriz Eğilmez.The director of the winning film will be granted a production support budget of TL 5000 ($1,712) by Digital Film Center. The winning director's new film will be set in Istanbul and screened on Fashion One TV. All screenings, talks and award ceremonies are free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required.