Editor

Organised within the scope of the Istanbul Film Festival and as part of the Common Cultural Heritage: Preservation and Dialogue Between Turkey and the EU–II (CCH-II) Grant Scheme financially supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the European Union, Meetings on the Bridge announced the award winners.

Supported by Anadolu Efes, Meetings on the Bridge had its first hybrid edition. The selection included one documentary and nineteen feature film projects, as well as six series projects. Throughout the programme, the projects had their debut presentations. Five feature films and one documentary film in post-production had closed the programme of screenings between 14 and 16 April, which took place both on-site and online.

Creative teams in the Series on the Bridge Workshop, sponsored by OGM Pictures, received training sessions from sector professionals. Film Development Workshop teams worked on script, pitching, production, distribution and social media management.

In collaboration with the Innovation supporter Wideangle of Meetings on the Bridge, the awards were presented to a selection of projects. The awards will support the teams in completing their films.

Work in Progress Awards

Work in Progress awards were presented by the jury members Elma Tataragic (Sarajevo Film Festival), Yorgos Krassakopoulos (Thessaloniki Film Festival) and Antione Simkine (Les Films D’antoine).

ANADOLU EFES AWARD: THE EMPIRE OF THE RABBITS

JURY’S DELIBERATION: For a film that pushes the audience into the rabbit hole of the childhood melancholy the Anadolu EFES award goes to The Empire Of The Rabbits.

CINE-CHROMATIX POST-PRODUCTION AWARD: ROAD TO TOKYO

JURY’S DELIBERATION: For a visual contemplation on competitiveness and beauty of the world of sports the Cine chromatix post production award goes to the Road to Tokyo

BAŞKA SİNEMA DISTRIBUTION AND PROMOTION AWARD: SUDDENLY

JURY’S DELIBERATION: We would like to be of help to the film to meet the audience with its strong story.

mute.istanbul FOLEY AWARD:  THE EMPIRE OF THE RABBITS

JURY’S DELIBERATION: For a poetic portrayal of childhood traumas the mute.Istanbul Foley Award goes to The Empire Of The Rabbits.

FRAGMANHOUSE AWARD: ALMOST ENTIRELY A SLIGHT DISASTER

JURY’S DELIBERATION: For a film that explores the energy and the anxieties of the younger generation the Fragmanhouse award goes to Almost Entirely A Slight Disaster.

DAİRE CREATIVE KEY ART DESIGN AWARD: TULLIANA

JURY’S DELIBERATION: For a film immersed in mystery and metaphor the Daire Creative Award goes to TULLIANA.

Film Development Awards

The jury members of the Film Development Workshop, Esther Bannenberg (Abc-Cinemien), Faruk Güven (TRT Cinema), Indiana Perrier (Pulsar Content), Pamela Bienzobas (Locarno Film Festival) and Oana Giurgiu (Libra Film) selected the award winners after the pitching sessions that took place between 14 and 16 April.

CNC AWARD: MY MOTHERS’ TALE

JURY’S DELIBERATION: The personal family story of Mizgin Müjde Arslan shows us the different generations of mothers. Their dilemmas set against the historical and political backdrop in parts of Europe and beyond, which are even nowadays unsettling for families.

Impressive on the level of the personal search but also fascinating in terms of the journey within colourful cultures surrounding.

TRT SPECIAL AWARD: LO-FI

JURY’S DELIBERATION: Due to the ability to establish a distinctive audio-visual language between narrative and experimental while reflecting the simple but powerful moments of daily life, the feeling of home, the traces of a relationship, the memories connected to time and space, and the smooth passage of time as in life itself, TRT Special Award goes to “Lo-Fi”, debut film by Alican Durbaş.

MEETINGS ON THE BRIDGE AWARD: FROM A SLIGHT MOCKERY

JURY’S DELIBERATION: With the MOB award, the jury wishes to encourage the further development of a promising project still at an early stage. We were seduced by the original proposal and approach of this inspiring creative team, and are eager to see FROM A SLIGHT MOCKERY thrive and reach the screens.

MATTEPOST POST-PRODUCTION ONLINE AWARD: AS SHADOWS FADE

JURY’S DELIBERATION: A delicate complex love story that is taking also the protagonist by surprise, was chosen by the director for her debut feature film. We were convinced by the visual approach and we decided to offer the Mattepost Post-Production Online Award to “As Shadows Fade”.

MELODİKA SOUND AWARD: DJ AHMET

JURY’S DELIBERATION: A beautiful story about a young man’s emancipation through music. The coproduction highlights the way cultural heritage transcends borders.

POSTBIYIK SOUND POST-PRODUCTION AWARD: NUKRI

JURY’S DELIBERATION: Strong and distinctive new voice with a visually promising project. Salomeya Bauer is someone to watch!

MEDITERRENEAN FILM INSTITUTE (MFI) SCRIPT WORKSHOP AWARD: HETEROTOPIA

JURY’S DELIBERATION: First of all we would like to congratulate all the projects taking part in MoB this year - and note that it has been an excellent year in terms of quality of the projects. Sadly we can only award one scholarship per year and we reached the decision to give it to the project HETEROTOPIA by Veysel Çelik. We also singled out the project AS SHADOWS FADE which will be our substitute scholarship for the year.

SEYAP AWARD: LO-FI

JURY’S DELIBERATION: The SEYAP Production Consultancy award goes to the project LO-FI and its producer İpek Erden, for her approach, courage and professionalism in film producing, with a project that seeks a fresh voice in Turkish cinema.

TRANSYLVANIA PITCH STOP AWARD: AS SHADOWS FADE

JURY’S DELIBERATION: A mature project, with strong international potential will get the chance to meet european co-producers at Transilvania Pitch Stop.

Series on the Bridge Awards

The jury members Martina Bleis (Berlinale Coproduction Market), Murat Uyurkulak and Zeynep Güney Tan of the Series on the Bridge Workshop, sponsored by OGM Pictures, presented the awards to:

OGM PICTURES SPECIAL AWARD: SHORE

JURY’S DELIBERATION: The award winner is Shore with its creative story, innovative approach and strong characters.

OGM PICTURES MENTION AWARD: KRETA THE TIME TRAVELLER

JURY’S DELIBERATION: The award winning project is Kreta The Time Traveller with its pedagogical and huminitarian approach to climate crisis.