The 14th International Crime and Punishment Film Festival, running from November 22-28, is set to bring world cinema’s emerging talents to film enthusiasts. Featuring films showcased and awarded at prestigious festivals like Cannes, Venice, New York’s Tribeca, Thessaloniki, Göteborg, Zurich, and Sarajevo, the festival promises a rich lineup of global storytelling centered around themes of justice and social issues.
A Focus on Justice
Operating under the guiding principle of “Justice for All,” the festival’s International Competition Jury includes directors Rusudan Glurjidze and Assel Aushakimova, who will also attend Turkish premieres of their out-of-competition films at Cinewam. Post-screening Q&A sessions with directors, producers, and actors aim to provide audiences with deeper insights into the issues of injustice, oppression, and manipulation that these films explore.
Highlights from the International Competition
The festival’s International Golden Scale Feature Film Competition showcases several noteworthy films. Among them is When Walnut Leaves Yellow, which had its world premiere at the Göteborg Film Festival. Directed by Mehmet Ali Konar, the film will be screened on November 23 at CineWAM Nişantaşı City’s and on November 24 at Kadıköy Cinema. Director Konar and actor Korkmaz Arslan will participate in a Q&A session following the screenings.
Another Turkish entry, At the Edge of Night, directed by Türker Süer, made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori section and will be shown on November 24 and 25. Other highlights include Ghost Trail by Jonathan Millet, which premiered at Cannes and will have screenings on November 25 and 26, and Red Path by Lotfi Achour, focusing on terrorism and its repercussions, scheduled for November 26 and 27.
Special Screenings and Documentaries
The hybrid documentary Stray Bodies, which has won awards at Thessaloniki, Prizren, and Copenhagen, will be presented by producer Ivan Madeo after its screenings on November 27 and 28. He will also be involved in the Turkish premiere of The Traitor, directed by Michael Krummenacher, set to screen on November 27 and 28.
The festival’s Justice Scale section includes Dwelling Among the Gods by Vuk Ršumović, which premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The film explores complex social themes and will be shown on November 25 and 26, followed by a discussion with the director.
Rusudan Glurjidze will also attend the screening of her second feature, The Antique, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. This screening is scheduled for November 25 at CineWAM Nişantaşı City’s. The 4th Power Resists section features Bikechess by Kazakh director Assel Aushakimova, with a Q&A following the November 24 screening.
Short Film Competition and Solidarity with Palestine
The Golden Scale International Short Film Competition presents a series of compelling short films, including Morî by Yakup Tekintangaç, Hello Mom, It’s Me by Atakan Yılmaz, and Almost Certainly Wrong by Cansu Baydar, the latter of which won Best Short Film at the Antalya Film Festival. Screenings will take place on November 26 and 27 at IBB Beyoğlu Cinema.
Under the theme “Solidarity with Palestine,” the festival will feature Gaza from Ground Zero – Untold Stories of Gaza, a collection of 22 short films by acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi. Crew member Ala Abou Ghoush will engage in a post-screening discussion. These screenings will be held on November 25 and 27, with
