Founded this year, the Eye Society - For All Watching Occasions is organising the Ayvalık International Film Festival between 16-21 September followed by an event in Diyarbakır on September 24-25 with the support of Kültür için Alan(Spaces of Culture) and the collaboration of Mordem Sanat.
The Eye Society - For All Watching Occasions was established to organise culture and art events and workshops all over Turkey with a special focus on Ayvalık and the wider Aegean Region. Mordem Sanat is an art centre located in Diyarbakır that is designed as a public space for the production and exhibition of various artistic disciplines. Now, with the support of Kültür için Alan (Spaces of Culture) the two institutions are bringing the Ayvalık International Film Festival to Diyarbakır.
The Spaces of Culture project was initiated by the Goethe-Institut, the Embassy of the Netherlands, the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul and the Institut francais de Turquie; in cooperation with the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and Anadolu Kültür. Besides providing resources and funds for cultural projects in the fields of visual and performing arts in Izmir, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep and neighbouring cities, the initiative also offers different training and development opportunities to local institutions and professionals involved in artistic production.
The project supported by Spaces of Culture will screen 10 films featured at the Ayvalık International Film Festival at Mordem Sanat in Diyarbakır on September 24-25. In addition, a group of students and filmmakers participating in the Ayvalık festival will travel to Diyarbakir to attend the screenings and complete the training workshops.
Mordem Sanat will provide the venue and equipment for the screenings and workshops and undertake the organisation in Diyarbakır. They will also be participating in the Ayvalık International Film Festival to be held in the second week of September.
Expressing her excitement about the project, the Eye Society director Azize Tan said that they believed it was very important to spread cultural activities outside Turkey’s big cities by cooperating with institutions and individuals working in the field of culture and arts in Turkey. Tan pointed out that, after being confined to online events during the pandemic, this project would help strengthen the cultural ties between the northwest and southeast of the country and enrich our lives through joint events between cities.