2025 Short Film Competition

BÜTÜN ÇOCUKLAR BİZİM ASSOCIATION

CÜNEYT CEBENOYAN CHILDREN AND CINEMA MEETINGS

2025 SHORT FILM COMPETITION

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  We celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Bütün Çocuklar Bizim Association with films; we document childhood experiences, gift films to our children, and invite young filmmakers aged over 18 to participate in our competition with their documentary or fiction films by March 31, 2026.

Short Documentary Film Competition on Childhood

Ten years ago, we set out with the motto “All Children Are Ours” to touch the lives of children. Along the way, we met thousands of children and witnessed countless bitter and sweet stories. We wished for such stories to be documented and for an archive of films depicting childhood in Turkey to be created. For this purpose, the competition welcomes films portraying what it means to be a child in Turkey today, or films that tell life, dreams, and experiences through the eyes of children.

Short Fiction Film Competition for Children

Throughout the years we brought children together with cinema, we faced two major challenges: finding artistic films that considered children’s shorter attention spans compared to adults, and finding films produced in Turkey specifically for children. We dreamed of establishing a film archive to stand alongside our valuable children’s library. An archive from which we can watch and discuss films with children of different age groups. For this purpose, the competition welcomes short fiction films made for children.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

1. Short films may be either documentary or fiction. Documentaries must focus on childhood, children’s perspectives on life, or their dreams. Fiction films must be intended for child audiences.

2. Films must not exceed 20 minutes.

3. The director must be over 18 years old at the time of submission.

4. Films, regardless of their original format, must be submitted in MP4, Full HD (1920 x 1080 px) via a watchable and downloadable link.

5. Participants may submit a maximum of 2 short films.

6. Films must be in Turkish or subtitled in Turkish.

7. All films will be archived by Bütün Çocuklar Bizim Association. 01

8. By submitting, candidates agree that their films may be screened at non-commercial events, provided that they are informed in advance. 01

9. Films must have been produced after January 1, 2023.

10. Any legal issues concerning copyright, the Law on the Protection of Personal Data, or third-party rights during screenings are the sole responsibility of the filmmaker. 02

11. Jury decisions are final.*

12. Submission implies acceptance of all conditions in this regulation.

13. The committee reserves the right to disqualify films not meeting the requirements.03

14. The Association reserves the right to modify the schedule, jury, or awards for valid reasons, or to postpone/cancel the competition due to force majeure or circumstances beyond its control.04

15. Applicants must submit the completed application form (including the link where their films can be watched and downloaded), together with the required additional materials, no later than March 31, 2026, either through the Application Page or by email to ccbyarisma@butuncocuklarbizim.org05

       Required Documents:

       a. Completed Application Form 06

       b. Completed and signed Participant Declaration Form 07

       c. Two visual materials (such as set photos) from the film

       d. A still image representing the film (poster if available)

       e. Director’s photo

Application form Participant declaration form

* JURIES

All films will first be evaluated by the pre-selection jury of their respective category. The main jury will then select the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from the 8 finalists chosen by the pre-selection jury.

Documentary Category Pre-Selection Jury:

  • Ayşegül Cebenoyan; Board Member, Bütün Çocuklar Bizim Association
  • Ertuğrul Karabulut; Founding Member, Cüneyt Cebenoyan Children and Cinema Meetings
  • Ozan Turgut; Director

Documentary Category Main Jury:

  • Emel Çelebi; Director, Documentarist Documentary Film Festival; Documentary Filmmaker

  • Bahriye Kabadayı; Documentary Filmmaker, President of the Board of the Documentary Filmmakers Association

  • Esin Küçüktepepınar; Film Critic; President of SIYAD (Turkish Film Critics Association)

Fiction Category Pre-Selection Jury:

  • Elif Cebenoyan; Founding Member, Cüneyt Cebenoyan Children and Cinema Meetings

  • Selda Özen; Advisory Board Member, Bütün Çocuklar Bizim Association; Specialist Counselor

  • Ece Tekbulut;  One of the founders of Bütün Çocuklar Bizim Association

Fiction Category Main Jury:

  • Ali Erdemci; Director

  • Azize Tan; Director, Ayvalık International Film Festival

  • Alin Taşçıyan; Film Critic; Vice President of FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics)

** EVALUATION CALENDAR

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

The deadline for applicants to send the application form (including the link where their films can be watched and downloaded) together with the required additional materials to ccbyarisma@butuncocuklarbizim.org is March 31, 2026.

PRE-SELECTION JURY EVALUATION:

By April 30, 2026, 8 finalists will be selected.

FINAL JURY EVALUATION:

By May 22, 2026, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes will be announced.

AWARD CEREMONY:

Date, time, and venue will be announced on the Association’s website and notified to participants.

*** AWARDS

  • First Prize: 8,000 TL + Plaque + Screenings at Ayvalık and Adana Film Festivals

  • Second Prize: 6,000 TL + Plaque + Screenings at Ayvalık and Adana Film Festivals

  • Third Prize: 4,000 TL + Plaque + Screenings at Ayvalık and Adana Film Festivals

     

 

01.By submitting, participants grant the Association the right to use their films worldwide and indefinitely for the purposes of managing the competition, evaluation, jury screenings, award ceremonies, press/media and social media announcements, catalogues, archives, and institutional promotional materials.
02. a-The Participant declares and undertakes that, with respect to the Work and all elements contained therein, they hold the necessary economic    rights under Law No. 5846 on Intellectual and Artistic Works (“FSEK”) and related legislation (adaptation – Art. 21, reproduction – Art. 22, distribution – Art. 23, performance – Art. 24, communication to the public – Art. 25), or that they have obtained written authorization for these rights from the relevant Right Holders; and that the Work does not infringe upon any rights of third parties, including trademarks, designs, and other industrial property rights under Law No. 6769 on Industrial Property, as well as personal rights.
    b- The Participant acknowledges and undertakes that they have obtained the necessary written permissions for: (i) the script, dialogues, story, and other texts contained in the Work; (ii) the performances/acting; (iii) the synchronization rights of musical works (composer/lyricist/publisher) and the master/phonogram rights (record producer); (iv) stock images, sounds, and footage; (v) filming in private property, architectural works, and location permits; and (vi) the use of visible brands/logos.
    c- The Participant undertakes that, with respect to all Personal Data contained in the Work, the relevant individuals have been informed, their explicit consent has been duly obtained where necessary, and that the legal requirements for sharing such data with the Association and for the Association’s processing of such data within the scope of the Competition have been fulfilled.
    d- If video editing software or artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been used, such use does not infringe upon the rights of third parties, that they bear sole responsibility against any claims, including those arising from training data, and that they will disclose information/documents regarding the tools used and the production process upon request.
03.The Association reserves the right to disqualify works, remove them from online platforms, cancel or withdraw awards, and request reimbursement in cases of non-compliance, fraud, misleading information, rights violations, interference with the competition, or breaches of law/morality.
04.04. Changes to the competition (schedule, jury, or awards) will be announced via the Association’s official communication channels. The Association may also postpone, move online, or cancel the competition in cases of force majeure.
05.Official notifications will be sent to the email address stated in the application form. Unless notified otherwise, emails sent to this address will be considered legally binding.
06.Applicants should download the Application Form (KFY Başvuru Formu) from the competition announcement page on the Association’s website, fill it out on a computer, and send it with other required materials to ccbyarisma@butuncocuklarbizim.org
07.Applicants should also download the Participant Declaration Form (KFY Katılımcı Taahhütnamesi), fill it out by hand, sign it, and submit a scanned copy or photo of the document with the other required materials.

 

Please click for apllication page