Ayvalık International Film Festival
The Ayvalık International Film Festival is being organized by the Eye Society - For All Watching Occasions, founded in February 2022. Although a new member of the rich cultural and artistic life of Ayvalık, the Eye Society- For All Watching Occasions has been founded by a team with strong experience in the field. Its board chairperson Azize Tan has worked at festivals since 1992, served as the director of the Istanbul Film Festival and founded the co-production platform Köprüde Buluşmalar/Meetings on the Bridge. In 2018 she became the founding director of the Başka Sinema Ayvalık Film Festival. In 2022, with her team, she founded the Eye Society- For All Watching Occasions as an independent organization in order to organize cultural and artistic events primarily in Ayvalık and the Aegean Region. The association aims to prioritize youth-oriented projects and transform Ayvalık into a centre both for cinema and the other arts.
With its history, culture, architecture, cuisine, location and considerate habitants, Ayvalık presents a perfect environment to organize a film festival. The Ayvalık International Film Festival applies a different model than other festivals in Turkey; there is no competition within the scope of the festival, the aim is to create a zone of debate by supporting film screenings with panels and talks. Film students from all corners of Turkey work in the festival’s organization and meet the industry by taking part in workshops organized in collaboration with professionals in the field of cinema. Festival sites are carefully selected to reflect the history and cultural texture of the region. The Ayvalık International Film Festival aims to take its place among the leading festivals of Turkey, seeking its unique answer to the question: How can a city and festival complement each other? The festival also intends to become a social creativity platform that brings together individuals and institutions that strive to create this change.
The logo of the Ayvalık International Film Festival finds its inspiration in the north-easterly Poyraz wind, the waves of the sea and the historical heritage of Ayvalık. It is our greatest desire to contribute to that heritage.