You can access the PDF version of the Short Film Competition Regulations via the link.

SABANCI FOUNDATION SHORT FILM COMPETITION REGULATIONS

1.ABOUT

Since its establishment, Sabancı Foundation has carried out its activities with the understanding that social development is possible through unlocking the potential of individuals. In line with this understanding, the Foundation supports numerous projects with the aim of increasing individuals’ awareness of social issues and works to ensure that inspiring stories are shared throughout society. Sabancı Foundation supports numerous cultural and artistic activities in order to encourage and motivate individuals, enable creativity to take center stage, and recognize their achievements.

Based on the idea of supporting the discussion of social issues through art, Sabancı Foundation has decided to organize the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition. The aim of the Competition is to raise consciousness and awareness by benefiting from the creative perspective and power of cinema on social issues, and to trigger changes towards social development.

2.DATES

3.THEME

The theme of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition for 2027 has been determined as “Fast Consumption.”

4.APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

●At least one of the director (“Author”) and/or producer of the works applying to the Competition must be a citizen of the Republic of Türkiye or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

● Legal entities may not apply.

● Only works that have not previously been screened anywhere, selected for another platform, competition/festival, or received an award may be submitted to the Competition. The Authors must not have directed any feature-length film to date.

● An individual may apply with more than one work. In such cases, a separate application form must be completed for each application.

● If the submitted work has more than one director (Author), all of their names must be specified in the Application Form and in the film credits. If the submitted film reaches the finals, only the person or persons whose names appear as “Director” in the application form and credits will be considered the Author(s), and only the Author(s) will be entitled to the rights granted to the Author within the Competition. These names may not subsequently be changed or new names added to the application form or credits.

● Applicants must complete all fields in the online application form in full and complete their applications by 17:30 at the latest on Friday, November 20, 2026 , which is the final application deadline.

● The Author accepts that they shall bear all legal and criminal liability regarding the copyright of the film. The Author is responsible for all copyright-related matters arising from the use of non-original texts, images, music, etc. in the short films submitted to the Competition. Sabancı Foundation cannot be held legally responsible for such matters. If the Author infringes the copyrights of third parties through the work, the Author shall be liable to compensate Sabancı Foundation for all direct and indirect damages incurred by the Foundation.

● The producer and director (Author) are responsible for fulfilling all obligations regarding obtaining explicit consent, in accordance with the Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data and other relevant regulations, from the actors appearing in the work and from persons other than actors whose images, voices, etc. revealing or capable of revealing their identities are included in the work. Upon the request of Sabancı Foundation, the Author shall immediately share with Sabancı Foundation the records demonstrating that the explicit consent of the relevant persons, based on information and expressed through free will, has been obtained within the scope of this article.

● Sabancı Foundation reserves the right, at any stage prior to the announcement of the Competition results, to withdraw from organizing the Competition, cancel the Competition, or decide not to continue the same Competition in the future, without giving any reason. In the event that the Competition is not held or is cancelled, none of the works sent or delivered to Sabancı Foundation by the Authors may be used by the Foundation.

● Employees of Sabancı Foundation may not participate in the Competition.

● Applications may only be submitted through the application section of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition website. Applications are not accepted via social media or official e-mail accounts, and links, information, etc. submitted through these channels shall not be considered applications.

● For any problems encountered during the application process and for all questions, you may only send an e-mail to [email protected].

● Applications may not be made on behalf of deceased persons. However, if a person passes away after submitting their application, their application shall be evaluated.

● Contestants must not share their submitted film or any visual materials related to the film (teaser, poster, photograph, etc.) in a public space or on any social media platform.

● The contestant’s filmography may not contain another work with the same title as the work submitted to the Competition.

● Applications that do not comply with the above conditions shall not be evaluated.

● Participation in the Competition is free of charge.

5.TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

● Films that do not exceed 5 (five) minutes, including credits, may be submitted.

● Works in fiction, documentary, experimental, animation, etc. genres may be submitted, provided that they comply with the theme.

● Applications must only be submitted through the online application form. Physical submissions delivered by courier, mail, etc. shall not be evaluated.

● Film applications may be submitted in two ways: Films may be uploaded to YouTube (.MP(E)G / .AVI / .VOB / .MOV / .MP4 / .M4V, etc.) as unlisted and the URL link must be shared during the application made through www.kisafilmuzunetki.org; or films may be uploaded to Vimeo (.MP(E)G / .AVI / .VOB / .MOV / .MP4 / .M4V, etc.) and submitted through a password-protected link. After the films are uploaded to Vimeo, the “Privacy” tab must be opened and a personal password must be set. The password and URL link must be shared during the application made through www.kisafilmuzunetki.org.

● The resolution of uploaded films must not be lower than 1920x1080.

● Films must be uploaded with both Turkish and English subtitles.

● Turkish subtitles must be white, while English subtitles must be yellow (the required yellow color code is #F9d658).

● Subtitles applied to the image must use Arial font, 48 pt; the band applied beneath the subtitles must have 75% transparency. Each line may contain a maximum of 40 characters, excluding spaces, and subtitles must consist of no more than two lines: one line in Turkish and one line in English.

● Applications that do not comply with the above conditions shall not be evaluated.

6. EVALUATION

Artistic Director: The person who establishes the format of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition, manages the Competition, determines the artistic criteria, and proposes names for the Preliminary Jury, Jury, and Advisory Board.

Advisory Board: The Advisory Board, determined by Sabancı Foundation, consists of 5 people who are recognized nationally or internationally and who are experts in cinema or in the “theme” of the Competition. The Advisory Board contributes ideas and recommendations to the events to be held within the scope of the Competition.

Preliminary Jury: The Preliminary Jury consists of 3 people who are experts in the field of cinema or in the “theme” of the Competition, including the Artistic Director, and is determined by Sabancı Foundation. The Preliminary Jury evaluates all submitted works and determines the works that reach the finals. A minimum of 10 and a maximum of 15 works are selected to be evaluated by the Jury in the final stage.

Main Jury: The jury members who will evaluate the finalist works are determined by Sabancı Foundation. The Jury consists of five people who are recognized nationally and internationally and who are experts in cinema or in the “theme” of the Competition. Sabancı Foundation executives or employees do not serve on the Jury. The Jury evaluates the finalist works and determines the works entitled to the First, Second, and Third Prizes. Upon the recommendation of the Jury, Sabancı Foundation may also grant special awards other than these prizes.

Social Impact Jury: The Social Impact Jury, which will evaluate the finalist works, is determined by Sabancı Foundation. This Jury consists of 3 people selected from experts on the theme of the Competition and representatives of NGOs. Sabancı Foundation executives or employees do not serve on the Jury. The purpose of the Social Impact Jury is to independently watch all finalist works and award the Social Impact Award to the film they believe best reflects the theme in the field of civil society.

7. FINALIST WORKS

● The finalist works will be announced on December 22, 2026 on the website www.kisafilmuzunetki.org.

● The following documents must be submitted for finalist works in the specified formats by 17:30 on Friday, December 25, 2026.

● Material List:

To be submitted via online file transfer programs (WeTransfer, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.):

○ The screening copies of the work to be submitted must be in Full HD quality, with Turkish and English subtitles (with Turkish subtitles in white and English subtitles in yellow), in .mov or .mp4 format. Technical details regarding subtitles are specified under Technical Requirements.

○ A 30-second trailer for the work must be submitted.

○ If there is dialogue, copies of the films must also be submitted together with dialogue lists, including timecodes, either as a Word document or in SRT format.

○ The music used in the film must be submitted with a cue sheet. (What is a music cue sheet? Click here. For an example of a music cue sheet, click here.)

○ An unsubtitled screening copy of the work must also be submitted. It must be in Full HD quality and in .mov or .mp4 format.

○ 2 high-resolution images of the work must be submitted (these must be frames from the film, not behind-the-scenes images).

○ A vertical poster in A3 size must be prepared and submitted.

○ A photograph of the director with a minimum resolution of 500x500 to be used in the catalogue must be submitted.

● For the catalogue:

○ 2 high-resolution images of the work (these must be frames from the film, not behind-the-scenes images).

○ A poster of the film prepared in A3 size and vertical format.

○ A photograph of the director with a minimum resolution of 500x500 (for the photograph brief, please click here), which must be sent via online file transfer programs (WeTransfer, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) to the e-mail address to be specified.

● The signatories undertake that the information contained in the aforementioned documents is accurate. The signatories shall bear all legal liability arising from inaccurate information. If incorrect and/or incomplete information is identified, even if the person has received an award, the award shall be cancelled and reclaimed.

● The director and/or producer of finalist works permits Sabancı Foundation to screen the film, without any commercial purpose, by identifying the names of the Authors, on the internet, social media, domestic/international events, and any other medium without limitation, for an unlimited period of time.

● The director and/or producer of finalist works is obliged to inform Sabancı Foundation of the festivals to which the film has been submitted and their results after the conclusion of the Competition. If a finalist requests that their film be closed to public viewing within the specified period because the film is publicly available on the official channels of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform and this conflicts with the conditions of a festival to which the film has been accepted, the film may be made unavailable for viewing for the period specified by the finalist.

● The Authors submitting an application accept and undertake to grant Sabancı Foundation, by way of a simple license, the rights of reproduction, distribution, representation, and public communication of the work through means capable of transmitting signs, sounds and/or images, provided that the work receives an award, is not used for commercial purposes, and the names of the Authors are indicated.

● The owners of finalist works permit Sabancı Foundation to create audio descriptions of their films.

● The directors of finalist works are required to participate in the camp specifically organized for finalists, events, and the award ceremony to be held by the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform between January 17-20, 2027.

● After the results of the Competition are announced, finalist works may not be converted by their director(s) into another format in the form of a short film (under 70 minutes), under the same or a different title, and may not be screened in this format.

● The owners of finalist works are required to keep the information that they have reached the finals confidential until the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform announces this information on social media and other channels.

● If finalist work owners have been selected for another festival or competition during the period between being informed that they have reached the finals and the announcement of the Competition results, and if such competition/festival takes place before the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition in terms of date, they are required to share this information. In such a case, their finalist status shall be cancelled. If the competition/festival they have applied to takes place after the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition, their status as a finalist shall remain valid.

● Until the results of the Competition are announced, owners of finalist works may not share any visuals related to their films other than visuals published on the official channels of the Competition. Visuals to be used from the official channels of the Competition must be shared through the “repost” method.

● The Finalist Camp specifically designed for finalist work owners is open only to the directors of the finalist films individually. They may not attend with their team members.

● If the owner of a finalist work participates from outside Istanbul, Sabancı Foundation shall cover only the accommodation and travel expenses of that person. For travel expenses, Sabancı Foundation shall cover the airport-hotel and hotel-airport transportation expenses of finalist work owners. Sabancı Foundation shall not cover any expenses of additional team members coming from outside Istanbul who wish to attend the Short Film Platform meetings and the award ceremony.

● Finalist work owners participating from outside Istanbul may determine their travel dates to Istanbul themselves. If they stay at a hotel outside the event dates, accommodation expenses must be covered by the directors themselves.

● Additional persons staying with directors participating from outside the city may stay at the hotel only if they cover their own expenses; they may not attend events specifically organized for finalists.

● If the owner of a finalist work is under 18 years of age, they must have their parent sign a consent form stating that the person accompanying them may participate in the events. Those coming from outside the city must, if travelling alone or with someone other than their parent and staying at a hotel with that person, submit to Sabancı Foundation a signed document stating that their parents consent to this. Sabancı Foundation shall also cover the accommodation and transportation expenses of one person accompanying finalists under the age of 18.

● Attendance at the award ceremony is limited to +9 people in addition to the director for finalist directors.

● During or after the Competition, Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform shall not make any special applications to any festival for finalist films or on behalf of finalist films and shall not pay festival application fees. During the post-Competition period, applications to festivals to which they will submit their films must officially be made by the directors themselves.

● Owners of finalist works are required to include a statement indicating that they are finalists, together with the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform logo, in the opening and closing credits of their films, press releases they publish, newspaper advertisements, and all promotional media related to the film. Official logos will be shared with finalists at the end of the Competition.

8. AWARDS

● Among the works participating in the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition, a First, Second, and Third Prize will be awarded to a total of three works selected by the Jury.

● Candidates determined for an award may not be announced to the public by the Jury or Sabancı Foundation before the award ceremony.

● The awards are announced at the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition Award Ceremony to be held by Sabancı Foundation.

● The announced results are final and cannot be appealed.

● The directors of the selected works shall receive:

○ First Prize: 100,000 TL (One Hundred Thousand Turkish Liras)

○ Second Prize: 75,000 TL (Seventy-Five Thousand Turkish Liras)

○ Third Prize: 50,000 TL (Fifty Thousand Turkish Liras)

○ Social Impact Award: 50,000 TL (Fifty Thousand Turkish Liras)

● The awards shall be presented at the award ceremony to be held by Sabancı Foundation to the directors of the selected works by issuing a cheque in the amount of the award they have won.

● If the Authors entitled to receive an award refrain from completing the necessary procedures for granting the simple license, the Authors accept that they have waived the awards to which they are entitled. In such a case, the relevant award shall be cancelled and shall not be granted to another person.

● The award is given to the director of the film. If the director of the awarded film is not a citizen of the Republic of Türkiye, the award shall be given to the Turkish citizen producer. If the film has more than one director, the award amount shall be divided equally among the number of directors and paid accordingly. If only one of the directors is a citizen of the Republic of Türkiye, the entire award shall be given to the Turkish citizen director.

● If the director is unable to attend the award ceremony, the award shall be given to a representative designated in advance by the director and notified to Sabancı Foundation in writing.

● Upon the recommendation of the Jury, Sabancı Foundation may also grant special awards other than these awards.

● If a person who becomes entitled to receive an award dies after becoming entitled to the award, the award won by that person shall be given to their legal heirs.

● Owners of awarded works are required to state, together with the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform logo, that they have received the First/Second/Third/Jury Special/Honorable Mention Award in the opening and closing credits of their films, press releases they publish, newspaper advertisements, and all promotional media related to the film. Official logos will be shared with the award recipients after the Competition ends.

● Owners of awarded works are required to deliver the registration and certification documents of their works filed with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye within fifteen days following the announcement of the awards, to the address to be specified. The type of registration and certification expected from award recipients is Optional Registration and Certification. Sabancı Foundation reserves the right to reclaim awards from award recipients who fail to deliver the registration and certification document on time.

9. MARKET SELECTION

● The Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition organization has, since 2021, brought together a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12 films that remained on the shortlist among the films submitted, had not been published anywhere previously, but were deemed artistically adequate yet could not qualify for the finals for various reasons, under the name “Market Selection,” with the aim of facilitating their early-stage introduction to important cinema professionals and festival representatives in Türkiye and around the world. This is the section of the organization that works to facilitate this process.

● The films to be included in the Market Selection shall be determined by the selection committee and the Artistic Director who select the finalist works.

● Films to be included in this selection will be announced on December 29, 2026 on the website www.kisafilmuzunetki.org.

● The owners of films entitled to be included in the Market Selection have the right not to participate in this selection.

● No “award” shall be given to films included in this selection. A certificate of participation indicating that the film has been selected for the Market Selection shall be provided.

● Directors of films included in this section shall be entitled to directly participate in the events deemed appropriate by the Artistic Director within the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform between January 17-20, 2027.

● If the owner of a work included in the Market Selection participates from outside Istanbul, Sabancı Foundation shall cover only the accommodation and travel expenses of that person. Sabancı Foundation shall not cover any expenses of additional team members coming from outside Istanbul who wish to attend the Short Film Platform meetings and the award ceremony.

● Directors included in the Market Selection are required to participate in the events determined by the Artistic Director and the award ceremony.

● Directors included in the Market Selection must attend director-specific events alone.

● Market Selection directors participating from outside Istanbul may determine their travel dates to Istanbul themselves. If they stay at a hotel outside the event dates, accommodation expenses must be covered by the directors themselves.

● Additional persons staying with directors participating from outside the city may stay at the hotel only if they cover their own expenses.

● If the owner of a work included in the Market Selection is under 18 years of age, they must have their parent sign a consent form stating that the person accompanying them may participate in the events. Those coming from outside the city must, if travelling alone or with someone other than their parent and staying at a hotel with that person, submit to Sabancı Foundation a signed document stating that their parents consent to this. Sabancı Foundation shall cover the accommodation and transportation expenses of one person accompanying the work owner under the age of 18.

● Attendance at the award ceremony is limited to +6 people from their team for Market Selection directors.

● Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform shall not make any special applications to any festival for films included in the Market Selection or on behalf of such films and shall not pay festival application fees. Applications to festivals to which they will submit their films must officially be made by the directors themselves.

● Owners of works included in the Market Selection are required to state that they have been selected for the Market Selection, together with the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform logo, in the opening and closing credits of their films, press releases they publish, newspaper advertisements, and all promotional media related to the film. Official logos will be shared with the directors at the end of the Competition.

● Until the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Platform officially announces the films included in the Market Selection, the directors are required to keep this information confidential.

● Films and directors included in the Market Selection shall be included in the catalogue prepared.

● Films included in the Market Selection must meet the requirements specified in the material list in Article 7.

● The director and/or producer of works included in the Market Selection is required to inform Sabancı Foundation of the festivals to which the film has been submitted and their results after the conclusion of the Competition.