The 6th Korkut Ata Film Festival of the Turkic World has wrapped up in Istanbul, with its closing and award ceremony held at the Atatürk Cultural Centre. The large-scale forum brought together leading directors, producers, and cultural figures. The festival featured 56 films, 30 productions thereof being in the feature-length fiction, documentary and short film categories.
One of the central events was the official handover of the baton: the honorary title of Tourism Capital of the Turkic World for 2027 passed to the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent. The handover of the symbolic key from Ankara—which held the honorary title of Tourism Capital of the Turkic World in 2026—took place with the participation of the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, and the Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Akkulov.
The ceremony continued with the honoring of the festival’s laureates across various categories:
- Best Feature Film: “Kanto” (directed by Ensar Altay, Türkiye).
- TURKSOY Special Award: “Gürgenç gözeli Törebeg” (directed by Vefa Ishangulyyev, Turkmenistan).
- Best Director: Zaur Gasimli for “Tağıyev: Mektep” (Azerbaijan).
- Best Screenplay: Taalaibek Kulmendeev for “Yusuf” (Kyrgyzstan).
- Best Actress: Amina Salmanova for her role in “Farzana Goes West” (Bashkortostan).
- Best Actor: Matyokub Matçonov for his role in “Farz” (Uzbekistan).
- Jury Special Award (Fiction Film): “38: The Final Point” (directed by Torebek Beisebayev, Kazakhstan).
In the documentary and short film categories, victories were secured by films from Yakutia, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, as well as joint productions by filmmakers from Turkic-speaking countries.
Summarizing the results of the forum, the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, noted the unifying role of art: “Our aim is to ensure that the cinema of the Turkic World achieves a stronger position on the international stage.”
In turn, TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev emphasized the significance of the showcase for future projects: “The Korkut Ata Festival should not merely be a venue to show film productions which have already been finalized, but a festival where new films are born.”
On the sidelines of the 6th Korkut Ata Film Festival of the Turkic World, events included the Cinema Summit of the Turkic World, the first Turkey–Kyrgyzstan project presentation, the International Korkut Ata Cinema Symposium of the Turkic World, an artificial intelligence panel, and free film screenings. ///nCa, 10 November 2026