6th annual Humanitarian Film Festival in Istanbul shines light on global crises

​​​​​​​By Ozlem Limon

ISTANBUL (AA) - The sixth annual Humanitarian Film Festival, organized by TRT World Citizen, concluded Saturday with an awards ceremony at the Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul.

Key figures from the cinema and arts community, including Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, attended the ceremony.

"Israel is a genocidal state, Israel is a murderer, and we will work with all our strength to put an end to Israel's oppression, to stop this cruelty, and to showcase all of Israel's atrocities to the world using all means of communication and art at our disposal," Altun said during the ceremony.

He emphasized the festival's focus on human rights, social justice and the importance of raising awareness about the effect of environmental issues on human life.

"This festival reminds us of the central truth of human life. Humanity today, unfortunately, is at the center of a great massacre," he said.

-Humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Altun highlighted the severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and beyond, noting the staggering numbers of casualties since Oct. 7, 2023:

"Since that day, 786 infants, who had not even reached 1 year of age, have died, and a total of 42,885 people in Gaza no longer breathe. They are not just numbers; they are human beings -- each one a mother, father, child, sibling," said Altun.

He pointed out the global repercussions of the violence in Gaza. "The massacre that began in Gaza has today expanded to Türkiye’s near geography, growing with a butterfly effect," he said. "All of these are clear and blatant crimes against humanity. Those who try to conceal these crimes are accomplices. The guilty party is Israel, supported by the Western establishment that strives to make Israel's crimes invisible.”

-TRT's message

TRT Director-General Mehmet Zahid Sobaci emphasized the festival's role in highlighting stories of those affected by global crises.

"The world is experiencing perhaps one of the most critical times in need of cinema's profound narratives," he said.

Sobaci noted that the festival broadens perspectives often constrained by mainstream media, focusing on real human issues such as war, conflict and forced migration.

"The Humanitarian Film Festival ... offers us the opportunity to engage with people we may never meet and share burdens we might never encounter," he said.

He specifically called attention to the situation in Gaza.

"Gaza stands beside us, embodying all its real pains and sufferings. Israel has severed the lives of over 42,000 Gazans through a genocide that has lasted more than a year,” he said. “These people share the same sky as us, trying to lead ordinary lives with the same hopes and dreams. They are not numbers; they are real people."

Sobaci reiterated the importance of cinema as a tool for social change. "We must place the stories of the overlooked at the center of our frames."

-Award winners, performances

The festival awarded "Best Film" to Ecuador's Roberto Valencia for "The Strange Case of the Human Cannonball."

Other winners included Ali Sohail Jaura from Pakistan for "Murder Tongue" and Jimmy Ming Shum from Japan for "Talk to Me."

The ceremony featured a performance by British musician Billy Rowan, who performed, "We Are Not Numbers," a piece dedicated to Palestine.

More than 300 films were submitted to the festival, which aimed to shed light on various humanitarian issues, including the migrant crisis, climate change and poverty.

The event concluded with a group photo of the winners and participants, celebrating the power of storytelling to illuminate critical global issues.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul