Jury
Hayri Çölaşan
Born on July 17, 1964, in Ankara. He was first introduced to cinema while his father worked as a projectionist at the Seyran Cinema in Yenimahalle. In college, he studied fine arts, including photography, basic art education, ceramics, and plastic arts. In 1987, he began working in the Lighting Department at TRT Ankara Television. After working as a lighting supervisor for 10 years, he transferred to the News Camera Department following a competitive exam. As a cameraman and director of photography, he worked on TRT’s most significant projects. He served as lighting director on approximately 20 documentary productions, as a camera assistant on 8 documentaries, and as a cameraman and director of photography on 77 documentaries. Due to his experience in cinema, he served as a preliminary jury member and jury member at numerous festivals.
As a film researcher, he began compiling a database of film festivals, jury members, short films, and documentaries in 1995. He strives to share the education he has received in the field of cinema, along with his theoretical and practical experience, through the kameraarkasi.org website.
Fiction Category
Yavuz Torunoğulları – Dr. Pelin Oduncu – Cana Göksu Özer – Barış Arslan
Yavuz Torunoğulları
From my childhood to the present day, I have always been interested in and connected to cinema.
Following and watching national and international films, as well as reading and listening to film critics’ reviews, has gradually become a passion for me.
Reading books about cinema and film scripts has become a special hobby of mine.
Looking back over the years, I realized I’ve watched an incredible number of films.
To use a modern term, I’m a true “cinephile.”
In 2019, I joined FEFSAD (Fethiye Photography and Cinema Arts Association), and as part of this, I have served as a jury member in the Fiction Film category at the Fethiye Film Festival for two consecutive terms.
Dr. Pelin Oduncu
Dr. Pelin Oduncu Yılmaz, a communication scholar and film writer, completed her master’s and doctoral research on class critique in science fiction cinema and changing viewing practices in the digital age. Yılmaz, who has published academic analyses focusing on gender, the culture industry, and new media, continues to work as a film critic for independent film magazines and digital platforms.
Cana Göksu Özer
I am a passionate film enthusiast and a member of the film selection committee with professional experience in the areas of business strategy, partnerships, marketing, and audience-focused product development. I am a dedicated film lover interested in discovering films with distinctive voices, original storytelling, and those that create a powerful emotional, cultural, or social impact. I have served on the Film Selection Committee of the Fethiye International Film Festival since 2025, where I watch and evaluate submitted films as part of the selection process for the festival’s screenings. I am particularly drawn to the intersections of cinema, culture, people, and place, and I place great importance on thoughtful programming that brings films to diverse audiences.
Barış Arslan
From my childhood to the present day, I have always been interested in and connected to cinema.
Barış Arslan’s relationship with cinema is the story of a curiosity that began with the films he watched at the İzmit Star Cinema during the 1995 semester and has never waned over the years. His work in cinema, which began in 2005 with the Mülkiye Cinema Club, evolved through his experience as a festival attendee. Over the years, he has written about cinema, screened films, met with film crews, and been part of production processes in various areas of independent cinema.
A graduate of Ankara University’s Faculty of Political Sciences (Mülkiye), Arslan regularly contributes articles to the FikriSinema and Klemens Art platforms. Since 2018, he has served as the coordinator of the Mülkiyeliler Birliği Open-Air Film Screenings. Arslan, who has served as a producer and co-producer on various short films, also serves on juries at international festivals. He is a member of the organizing committee for the 3rd International Philosophical Film Festival, which will take place September 23–27, 2026.
For Arslan, who does not view cinema as merely films watched on the big screen, watching films, discussing them, sharing them, and creating space for new encounters are all part of the cinematic experience. Closely following Ankara’s independent film scene, Arslan regularly attends the Artales Short Film Screenings—a key gathering point for the short film ecosystem supported by Kamera Arkası.
In the Documentary Category
Sibel Göloğlu – Nilgün Yanık Emiroğlu – Erhan Köken
Sibel Göloğlu
From my childhood to the present day, I have always been interested in and involved with cinema.
Sibel Göloğlu graduated from the Department of Radio and Television Broadcasting at Istanbul University in 1990.
She completed a 6-month internship at TRT Istanbul TV.
She began her professional career at TRT Istanbul TV as an Assistant Director of Voice-Over. She then served as an assistant producer and director on music and entertainment programs, as well as educational, cultural, and drama programs (1990–1992).
He worked as an editing technician at the newly established Interstar TV (1992–1993), and at atv as an editing technician and later as a promotional director (1993–2003). He served as editing director on the projects *Haberci*, produced by Coşkun Aral, and *A Takımı*, produced by Savaş Ay.
(2005–2021) He worked as a director at Bein İztv, Turkey’s first documentary channel. Throughout his career in documentary filmmaking, he produced political, nature, historical, biographical, and underwater documentaries. The documentary series *Yakın Tarih* and *Sudaki İzler* are among his works.
He produced independent films with the support of the European Union, the Ministry of Culture, Şişe Cam, İş Bankası, Denizbank, Toros Tarım, INA, the Koç Foundation, and İnci Akü.
He also holds a PADI Advanced Open Water diving certification.
Throughout his professional career, he has participated in and served as a jury member at numerous festivals, both domestic and international, and has received awards from these festivals.
Nilgün Yanık Emiroğlu
Born in Izmir in 1977. He graduated from the Journalism Department of the Faculty of Communication at Marmara University.
From 1997 to 2011, he worked as a producer in the Promotions Department at NTV, and from 2011 to 2013, he served as the director of the Promotions Department at NTV and STAR TV.
He voluntarily ended his 16-year corporate career and settled in Izmir.
Since 2013, he has been producing promotional films and independent documentaries in Izmir.
He is the screenwriter and producer of the documentary films *We Lost the Goats*, *Immortal Z*, *My Name Is Grape*, *Messogis / The Story of the Fig*, *What Did You Do, Payam?*, *On Pasta or Happiness*, and *The Golden Water of the Rainy City: Tea*.
He is the director of the documentaries *The Izmir Cooperative Movement* and *Gödence and Balance: On Its 50th Anniversary*.
Erhan Köken
Born in Antalya in 1966, Erhan KÖKEN is a medical doctor. He began his journey in photography during his college years as a member of his school’s photography club and continued his training through courses offered by IFSAK. He has also maintained his passion for cinema, which began during those same years, and has been a cinephile for many years.
In the Field of Artificial Intelligence
Burak Şenbak – Ozan Sihay
Burak Şenbak
Photography Instructor / Curator / Visual Architect
ESFIAP, EFIAP\b, GPU Hermes
senbak.burak@gmail.com | 0532-203 52 20 | Istanbul
Combining the analytical perspective gained from his master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Istanbul Technical University (ITU) and Business Administration from Istanbul University (IU) with the aesthetics of the visual arts, Burak Şenbak brings his deep expertise in light, composition, framing, and storytelling to the world of photography. With his senior management experience at prestigious institutions such as IFSAK, BÜFOD, and TFSF, he demonstrates strong leadership in managing large-scale national and international visual projects.
Curatorship: With extensive experience as a curator and jury member for numerous national and international exhibitions and projects, he brings his expertise to selection committee processes with a focus on aesthetic and artistic considerations.
Digital Post-Production: With advanced expertise in Photoshop and YouTube (@burak_senbak) video production, he professionally manages editing, color grading, and digital workflows, and conducts seminars on the use of Artificial Intelligence.
Şenbak provides consulting services to various associations and institutions on national and international platforms and, as a cinephile, serves as a jury member at short film festivals.
Ozan Sihay
Ozan Sihay is a director, cinematographer, photographer, instructor, and AI-focused creative producer. Born in Adana in 1982, Sihay began working in the fields of graphic design, photography, and film after graduating from the Department of Geological Engineering at Çukurova University. Throughout his career, he has served as a director and cinematographer on projects including short films, documentaries, commercials, promotional videos, and music videos.
The short films he directed—including “Yırtık,” “Etki,” “Kayıt Dışı,” “I II III IV,” and “Leke”—have won awards at national and international festivals and have been selected for numerous festival lineups. “Yırtık” was honored at the Altın Kepenk Short Film Competition; “Etki” at the Manisa Altın Üzüm Short Film Festival; and “I II III IV” at the Boston Turkish Film Festival. “Leke,” for which he served as screenwriter, director, and cinematographer, won the Best Director award at the Morocco Fotfi Film Festival in Morocco, took first place at the İnegöl and Yed-i Velayet short film competitions, and was a finalist at numerous festivals, including the Nuremberg Turkey-Germany Film Festival and the Adana Golden Pomegranate Film Festival.
Sihay served as an assistant director on the Turkish shoots of “Skyfall,” directed by Sam Mendes, and “Charlie’s Angels,” directed by Elizabeth Banks. He worked as a director and cinematographer on the documentaries “Mevsimlik Yaşamlar” and “Aslı Gibidir,” which aired on BluTV. He also served as director and cinematographer on the feature-length film “Ceylin.” His cinematography for the film earned him a spot among the finalists for Best Cinematographer at the Kocaeli Film Festival.
Bringing his expertise in cinema to educational initiatives over the course of nearly 15 years, Sihay has conducted numerous short film and film workshops both independently and through various institutions and organizations. In these workshops, he provided hands-on training on different stages of film production, including idea development, screenwriting, visual storytelling, shooting techniques, cinematography, sound, and editing.
Today, under the umbrella of OzWorks.ai—of which he is a co-founder—he produces advertising, short film, and experimental narrative projects that blend traditional cinematic language with generative AI technologies. The films he directed, “Kaplan Dayı” and “Integration: A Story of Harmony,” are among the latest short films showcasing AI-powered next-generation filmmaking. Sihay continues to provide training and consulting on film production with AI, digital storytelling, and creative technologies. He has served as a jury member and pre-jury member at various short film festivals and served as Jury Chair of the AI Category at the TAYF Short Film Festival.
In the Animation Category
Can Paçacıoğlu – Gülnur Başar
Can Paçacıoğlu
He began taking photographs in 1994. He has written travel articles for various travel magazines. His work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions and prestigious photography books. As a result of the awards he received in 2015, he was honored by FIAP with the title of AFIAP (International Photographic Artist).
He began his career as a cinematographer in 2018 with the short film “Entropy,” which won the Best Cinematography award at the Global India International Film Festival. He has since served as cinematographer and editor on numerous award-winning short films and continues to do so.
In 2019, he directed his first short film, *Dragon*. He subsequently directed two short documentaries and one experimental short film.
In 2024, he served as an instructor for a four-month film school project titled “High School Students Make Films.” This program resulted in the production of one short film and one documentary film chronicling the project.
Gülnur Başar
He graduated from Ege University School of Medicine in 1987.
In 1992, he completed his residency in Family Medicine and earned his Ph.D. in Genetics in Cologne, Germany. He worked as a physician and researcher.
He received training in psychodrama, art therapy, and family constellation therapy, as well as various courses abroad on homeopathy and alternative medicine. He volunteered with cancer patients. His articles and writings have been published in various journals. He served on various committees at the Ministry of Health.
From 2008 to 2013, he taught “Art Therapy” courses in the Psychology Department at Kültür University. From 2013 to 2020, he taught homeopathy courses at Medipol University.
In 2017, she published a book titled *A Healing Journey with Homeopathy*, which explains alternative treatment approaches; in 2019, a short story collection titled *Those Outside Us, Those Inside Us*; and in 2021, an essay collection titled *Corona Diary*.
Since 2013, she has been telling stories to communities and has also been engaged in the art of weaving. Her exhibition titled “Who Weaves the Story: The Story of the Garment, the Garment of the Story” has been held five times throughout the country.
In the Experimental Category
Dr. Bekir Aşçı – Mithat Erdoğan
Dr. Bekir Aşçı
Bekir Aşçı, who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy, has developed his connection to cinema through acting. Since his student days, he has appeared as an actor in both short and feature-length films.
He primarily contributes to artistic production as a theater director, dramaturg, and actor, while also teaching courses on philosophy, art, and education.
He currently lives in Fethiye, where he serves as the director and dramaturg of the Fethiye Municipality City Theater; he also works as one of the directors of the Fethiye Book Museum—Turkey’s first book museum, in whose establishment he played an active role.
As a translator, editor, and writer, he also contributes to the development and dissemination of literary, scientific, and cultural values.
Mithat Erdoğan
Mithat Erdoğan was born on September 3, 1984, in Adana. He has maintained his connection to cinema for many years through film viewing, photography, and a critical curiosity. He feels a kinship with Ken Loach’s class-based realism, Woody Allen’s neurotic humor, Quentin Tarantino’s cinematic appetite, and Greta Gerwig’s character-driven world. In cinema, he particularly enjoys works that explore everyday life, class dynamics, relationships, and human behavior through small details.
Yerel Bakış Dalında
Blm. Uzm. Gülşen Yeğen (Jüri Başkanı) – Volkan Kara – Şerife Şenel – Gülnur Başar
Blm. Uzm. Gülşen Yeğen (Jüri Başkanı)
In 1987, he completed his bachelor’s degree in the Department of Technology Education at the Faculty of Vocational Education, Gazi University. From 1987 to 2001, he worked as a teacher at the Ministry of National Education. From 1999 to 2001, he completed his master’s degree in Creative Drama at the Institute of Educational Sciences, Ankara University. In 2001, he began working as an instructor at the Faculty of Education at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University. During the 2009–2010 academic year, he worked as a visiting instructor at both Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University and Konya Selçuk University. Between 2003 and 2005, she earned her second Master’s degree in Educational Program Development at the Institute of Social Sciences at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University. She retired in 2012.
In 2019–2020, he completed the SARAT project, conducted in collaboration between Koç University and the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, as well as the associate degree program in Cultural Heritage and Tourism at Anadolu University’s Open Education Faculty. In 2022, she completed AKMED’s certificate program on the History, Culture, and Archaeology of Antalya; and in the same year, she completed the Museum Education program organized in collaboration between the Pera Museum and İnnomed.
Volkan Kara
He was born in Sinop in 1980. While completing his bachelor’s degree in Classical Archaeology in Eskişehir, he participated in numerous archaeological excavations and research projects and worked as an underwater archaeologist on underwater excavations. He channeled his passion for photography—a hobby he developed during his college years—into work in the field of archaeological imaging and documentation during both underwater and land-based excavations.
He has an amateur interest in the arts of cinema and videography; he has volunteered at film festivals held as part of the Sinop Biennial and has been an avid follower of every film festival he has had the opportunity to attend.
Currently, he works as a manager and sailing instructor at a yacht charter company in Fethiye.
Şerife Şenel
A graduate of Gazi University, he began his journey in photography with the aim of helping his students develop their skills in seeing, perceiving, and expressing themselves, and to contribute to their growth.
He provides basic photography instruction to students at his own school under the Ministry of National Education (M.E.B.) and has exhibited his students’ photographs at the school.
He is a member of FEFSAD and the Association of Women Photographers and Film Directors, and has participated in various group exhibitions.
He has directed a short documentary titled *Ramazan Söğüt: A Village Institute Teacher*.
He continues to take photographs as an amateur.
