The 45th Istanbul Film Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, will take place between April 9–19, bringing together award-winning films from Turkey and around the world, special screenings, star actors, and master directors. Following sections such as Documentary Time, Young Masters, Heyula, and Classics from Past to Present, the festival has also announced the N Kolay Galas—featuring some of the season’s most anticipated films—and the Devriâlem selection, highlighting standout works from major international festivals.
Opening Film: Three Goodbyes
The festival will open with Three Goodbyes, the latest film by Catalan director Isabel Coixet, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Starring Alba Rohrwacher and Elio Germano, the film is described by Coixet as an emotional drama focusing on “the sweet, human things we leave behind.”
N Kolay Galas
This year’s N Kolay Galas section presents a wide range of films, from political thrillers to comedy-action, documentaries to auteur cinema. In The Wizard of the Kremlin, directed by Olivier Assayas, the cast includes Paul Dano, Jude Law, and Alicia Vikander.
Mother Mary, directed by David Lowery, brings together Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel. Fuze (Fuze: Detonator), directed by David Mackenzie, stands out with a cast featuring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James. Also included in this section is Pompei: Below the Clouds by Gianfranco Rosi—recipient of the Special Jury Prize at Venice and this year’s recipient of the festival’s Cinema Honorary Award.
Other notable films in the selection include Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers and Gore Verbinski’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die.
Devriâlem: Award-Winning Films from World Festivals
The Devriâlem section brings together films that have received awards at major international festivals. Highlights include Feryat, winner of the Special Jury Prize at Karlovy Vary 2025; Divorcing in Wartime, which won Best Director at Sundance 2026; The Cry of the Guards by Claire Denis; At Work, winner of Best Screenplay at Venice 2025; and Nina Roza, awarded in Berlin.
Other standout titles include The Richest Woman in the World, starring Isabelle Huppert; The Last Viking, featuring Mads Mikkelsen; and Late Fame, starring Willem Dafoe.
