Bonds, Roots and Passions             
Friday November 21, 6:00pm

Sunay Terzioglu | 2025 | 92 min

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Winner of Cahide Sonku award for Best Actress and Best Art Direction (Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival)

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Hazel, a young Syrian woman living in Turkey after migrating there, finds herself trapped between cultural expectations and family obligations. Hamza, recently released from prison, struggles to confront his past while trying to build a new identity and life for himself. Meanwhile, Khaled, an Afghan migrant working as a shepherd in a small village, tries to survive quietly until his love for the village headman’s daughter collides with the rigid traditions that govern their world.

Barselo                                                       
Friday November 21, 8:00pm

Erdem Yener | 2025 | 96 min

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Special Guests: Actors Ahmet Varlı and Dolunay Soysert in attendance.

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Two veteran bus drivers guide a young attendant through his “first experience” — taking him to a clandestine brothel tucked away in the terminal’s underground levels. Run by a former police officer who exploits migrant women, this shadowy place welcomes guests whose morals are as ambiguous as the dim corridors they pass through. As hidden motives collide, the night escalates with a snowballing intensity — leading all involved toward an unpredictable and unsettling end.

Curtain                                                   
Saturday November 22, 4:00pm

Özkan Çelik | 2024 | 84 mi

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Winner of Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor (Adana Altın Koza Film Festival)

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Samet invites his close friends to celebrate his promotion. Just before entering, while feeding the cats as usual, he notices the woman on the ground floor undressing. The woman sees him too, and Samet flees in panic. However, the incident leads to the apartment's doorman being blamed. Samet's wife, Zeynep, when she learns that Samet is the real culprit, she faces a grave dilemma. Will Zeynep defend her beliefs or protect her own life?

Grace for Sale (Gala Film)               
Saturday November 22, 6:00pm

Emre Sert, Gözde Yetiskin | 2025 | 100 min

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Winner of Best Screenplay, Best First Movie (Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival).

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One night, meteor fragments rain down from the sky on a village in the heart of Anatolia. Irfan, a man with no possessions, finds them and becomes the center of attention. He hopes to sell the stone for the highest price. But amidst the villagers' pressure and expectations, as he yearns for more, he begins to lose what he has, one by one.

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​Film will be followed by a Gala Party at KEXP featuring catering by Outsider BBQ, a cash bar, and music by DJ Dance Dance.

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Special Guests: Gala Party will be attended by Ahmet Varlı, Funda Eryigit, Yakup TekinTangac and Naz Buhsem

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The Playroom                                         
Sunday November 23, 1:15pm

Ümit Ünal | 2024 | 100 min

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​Winner of Best Actor, Best Screenplay (Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival)

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A quiet, very sweet small hotel near Assos in the Northern Aegean: Evcilik. Fırat and Filiz are a couple in their 30s, married for seven years. They come to Evcilik for a holiday. Their marriage has entered a stagnant phase, and there’s not much excitement between them. They disturb the owner of the hotel and his wife by imitating their accents and their love for each other.​

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Unfruitful Times                               
Sunday November 23, 3:30pm

Dogus Algün | 2024 | 120 min

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Special Guests: Actress Funda Eryigit will be in attendance.

Winner of Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay (Adana Altın Koza Film Festival), and Best Director (Istanbul Film Festival).

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After a tragic miscarriage, Nimet -a middle aged woman- gets stuck in the conservative society in Istanbul while her beloved younger sister Öznur carries a burden of her own in the family, trying to struggle with her own demons.

One of Those Days When Hemme Dies
Sunday November 23, 6:30pm

Murat Fıratoglu | 2024 | 83 min

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Official Oscar Submission for Turkey
Winner of Viennale, Special Jury Prize (Venice Film Festival), Best Film (Adana Altın Koza Film Festival, Ankara Film Festival), Best Director (Ankara Film Festival).

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Eyüp works relentlessly under the blazing sun during a tomato harvest in southeastern Turkey, driven by the urgent need to settle an impending debt. After a clash with his supervisor, he roams the city in search of a radical solution.

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