12 Punto 2026 to host cinema professionals from 30 countries in Istanbul

Organized by TRT, 12 Punto 2026 will bring together nearly 60 filmmakers from 30 countries in Istanbul. The program includes the Palestine Cinema Special Section and July 15's 10.

Scraper SystemJuly 03, 2026, 08:16 PM

12 Punto 2026 to host cinema professionals from 30 countries in Istanbul

The 12 Punto 2026 event, organized by TRT this year, is set to bring together nearly 60 directors, producers and cinema professionals from 30 different countries in Istanbul. Spanning a wide geography from the US to China, France to Iran, Palestine to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the event will gather key players of the cinema world under one roof.

TRT Director General Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zahid Sobacı said in a statement about the program, "The countdown for 12 Punto 2026 has begun. A packed 12 Punto week awaits cinephiles, featuring screenings of short films we commissioned for the 10th anniversary of the July 15 Epic and the Palestine Cinema special section."

Palestine Cinema Special Section held for the third time

Bringing together the actors of the global film industry in Istanbul, 12 Punto continues to create a space of solidarity against the human tragedy unfolding in Palestine and to raise global awareness. This year's third edition of the "Palestine Cinema Special Section" will host remarkable guests.

Nadim Cheikhrouha, producer of the 2026 Oscar-nominated film "The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Kaouther Ben Hania, will be in Istanbul as part of the program. The TRT co-production "Palestine 36", which made the shortlist in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars, will meet audiences on July 16 at Feriye. The screening will also be attended by the film's producer Ossama Bawardi and lead actor Karim Daoud Anaya.

Short films for the 10th anniversary of July 15

12 Punto will also screen films this year in the "July 15 Short Film Project Competition" category, opened for the 10th anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt. Three short films will be presented on July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day.

Directed by Mehmet Parmaksız and produced by Muhammed Savaş Pat, "All the Dawns of the World"; directed and produced by Ömer Miraç Tunç, "Ten More Times"; and directed by Feyzi Baran and produced by Baran Mayda and Ceyda Aksoy, "Thirty-Two Minutes" will be the films in this category.

12 finalists to compete for the grand prize

At 12 Punto, which received a total of 113 feature film applications, 12 finalist projects selected from 90 scripts that passed the preliminaries will compete for the grand prize. In the competition, where the preliminary jury consisted of Yüksel Aksu, Fadik Sevin Atasoy, Ümit Köreken, Faysal Soysal and Nuriye Bilici, the finalists will re-present their projects to the international jury after script, marketing and production workshops.

As a result of the competition, three projects will receive the TRT Co-Production Award, three projects the TRT Pre-Purchase Award, and six projects the TRT Project Development Award. The award ceremony, to be broadcast live on TRT 2 on the evening of July 19, will also announce the winners of the "TRT International Co-Production Award". Throughout the week, the "12 Punto Special" program, aired every evening on TRT 2, will feature interviews and talks with the owners of the finalist projects, visionary producers and leading figures of the film industry.

12 Punto 2026 to host cinema professionals from 30 countries in Istanbul

Organized by TRT, 12 Punto 2026 will bring together nearly 60 filmmakers from 30 countries in Istanbul. The program includes the Palestine Cinema Special Section and July 15's 10.