From September 22 to 30, 2025, the 3rd International Mythology Film Festival will take place across five cities, from Izmir to Çanakkale. With the theme “Mythology and Women”, the festival will bring together audiences through short film and digital game competitions, concerts in ancient cities, international film screenings, and panels.
The International Mythology Film Festival will meet audiences for the third time from September 22–30, 2025, in Izmir, Aydın, Manisa, Istanbul, and Çanakkale. This year’s theme is “Mythology and Women.” With a program filled with short film and digital game competitions, international film screenings, panels, talks, and concerts, the festival invites audiences to reconsider ancient mythological narratives through the lens of cinema and various fields of contemporary culture.
Five Cities, Ancient Venues, and a Rich Program
Under the slogan “The Common Story of Humanity,” the festival will begin in Izmir, continue in the ancient city of Tralleis in Aydın’s Efeler district, move on to Manisa and Istanbul, and conclude at the ancient city of Troy in Çanakkale. The closing and award ceremony will be held at Troy in collaboration with the Çanakkale Provincial Directorate of Culture. The fact that all screenings and talks are open to the public and free of charge makes the festival’s approach to engaging with its audience all the more inclusive.
One of the festival’s most remarkable stops will be the ancient city of Tralleis. After years of archaeological excavations, the site has been reopened to visitors, and for the first time will host a major cultural event. The Swedish ensemble YoJuliet will perform in Turkey for the first time, presenting their original repertoire that accompanies silent film screenings with live music. The group will bring their mythology- and literature-themed compositions to life within the evocative atmosphere of the ancient city.
Competitions: Short Film and Digital Games
In line with this year’s theme, the short film competition will highlight productions focusing on “Mythology and Women.” Ten narrative short films, each no longer than 20 minutes and produced after 2022, will bring the stories of female heroes and goddesses to the big screen. The jury will be chaired by Prof. Dr. Alev Parsa.
Another new addition is the Digital Game Competition, organized in collaboration with LUGAL Games. This section aims to bring the ancient legends of Anatolian mythology into digital platforms, evaluating projects for mobile and PC games. The winning game will receive not only a cash prize but also professional mentorship and international investment support.
Special Awards: Ülgen and Mergen
The festival will present the Ülgen Award for ethical and aesthetic contributions to cinema, and the Mergen Award for academic work that enriches the study of mythology. Inspired by Turkish mythology, these awards aim to strengthen the festival’s cultural references.
Books, Panels, and Screenings
The festival program is not limited to film screenings. A collective book edited by Yankı Enki bridges mythology with today’s cultural memory across a wide spectrum—from Hittite and Sumerian mythologies to the tales of Dede Korkut, from the cult of Aphrodite to archetypes of women.
With the contributions of the French Cultural Center, Goethe-Institut, Swedish Consulate, and Italian Cultural Center, the special screenings will feature works such as Undine (Christian Petzold), La Montagne (Thomas Salvador), Earwig and the Witch (Gorō Miyazaki), My Life as a Courgette (Claude Barras), Gunnar Hedes Saga (Mauritz Stiller), Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki), and the new Superman film (James Gunn). From Turkish cinema, Önder Şengül’s The Whale’s Wisdom and Ülkü Sönmez’s HisTroy will also be screened at the festival.
An Open Cultural Gathering for Participants
Throughout Izmir, Aydın, Manisa, Istanbul, and Çanakkale, the festival will offer audiences a rich program of concerts, panels, workshops, and film screenings. Reinterpreting the ancient stories of mythology through a women-centered perspective, the festival brings together participants from different generations in both cinema and digital culture.
Festival Schedule
• September 22–23–24: Izmir
• September 25: Aydın
• September 26: Manisa
• September 27–28: Istanbul
• September 29–30: Çanakkale
