The Most Anticipated Films of 2025 Coming to Ayvalık in September

The Ayvalık International Film Festival, organized by the Seyir Association in collaboration with Ayvalık Municipality, will bring film lovers together for the fourth time with Ayvalık’s historic streets, stone buildings, and unique atmosphere between September 16–21. In addition to screenings, panels and talks will open new opportunities for discussion in the field of cinema. The first five films announced from this year’s program will be screened in Turkey for the first time in Ayvalık, after their premieres at international festivals.

These five films bring together the creative voices of the world cinema and introduce viewers to unique stories from different parts of the world. The first film, It Was Just an Accident, is Jafar Panahi’s quiet yet striking tale of justice that won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Two films that shared the Jury Prize at Cannes will also be shown at the festival. Oliver Laxe’s Sirât, which follows a father and his young son on a harrowing journey through rave parties, faithless crowds, and existential trials in search of his missing daughter, promises a deeply unsettling experience. Meanwhile, Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling, a poetic portrayal of four women’s lives across generations and silences, emerged as one of the most acclaimed films of this year’s Cannes selection. Another highlight from Cannes’ main competition, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, will also have its Turkey premiere at Ayvalık. Completing the first five is Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, which debuted at the Berlin Film Festival and transforms a dim night on Broadway into a haunting inner reckoning.

From Panahi to Linklater: This Year’s Most Anticipated Films in Ayvalık

Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes —a festival he was finally able to attend after years of restrictions— unfolds in a quiet town where an ordinary accident triggers a gripping cycle of crime, memory, suspicion, and conscience. Beginning with former prisoners recognizing a stranger, the story shifts from a journey to a confrontation, from a quest for justice to a moral impasse. With its minimalist visuals and powerful performances, the film stands as a striking example of Panahi’s cinema that speaks through silence.

Oliver Laxe’s Sirât, winner of the Cannes Jury Prize, takes audiences into an apocalyptic journey across Morocco’s Saghro Desert. The story follows a father and son searching for a missing daughter while navigating rave parties, borderless communities, and modern nomads. Beyond geography, the journey becomes a moral and existential trial. Shot on 16mm with extended takes, Sirât invites viewers to cross an invisible bridge into their own inner world — much like the metaphoric Sırat Bridge references. The film’s visceral impact is heightened by a techno-ambient score by Kangding Ray —winner of the Cannes Soundtrack Award— which immerses the audience in a physical and emotional atmosphere.

Set on a windswept, isolated farm in northern Germany, Sound of Falling traces the lives of four young women across four different eras, weaving them into an echo that transcends time. Mascha Schilinski’s second feature explores intergenerational trauma, the silent screams within unspoken spaces, and the fragile layers of memory with poetic elegance. Moving beyond conventional narrative, the film creates an audiovisual tapestry of sound, image, and light, where glances and silences replace dialogue. Sharing the Cannes Jury Prize with Sirât, this striking film invites audiences not just to watch, but to feel and remember.

One of the strongest voices in American independent cinema, Kelly Reichardt competed for the Palme d’Or with The Mastermind, a 1970s period drama centered around an “art heist”. Rather than a typical crime film, Reichardt transforms it into a character-driven exploration of fragility and connection. Featuring a stellar cast (Josh O’Connor, Alana Haim, Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffmann, and John Magaro), the film delicately examines the bonds individuals form with their world, their past, and themselves.

Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, which competed for the Golden Bear at the Berlinale, captures a single night of inner reckoning set during Broadway’s golden era, focusing on the most vulnerable moment in lyricist Lorenz Hart’s life. On March 31, 1943, after parting ways with his longtime partner Richard Rodgers, Hart faces his past, loneliness, and missed opportunities in a New York bar. Featuring outstanding performances from Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott, and Margaret Qualley, the film reflects on the thin line between creativity and solitude, success and fragility — marking one of Linklater’s most personal works to date.

This year, the Ayvalık International Film Festival once again promises not only films but also a rich program of post-screening discussions and panels on diverse themes. Further details of the festival line-up will be announced in the coming days.