AI Film Festivals in Türkiye 2026: Istanbul's T-AIFF Closes November 1, Ankara's Turquoise December 10

The Türkiye International AI Film Festival (T-AIFF) in Istanbul accepts films until November 1 and screens its selection December 7 to 9 at the Yeşilçam Cinema inside the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM). The Turquoise International AI Film Festival, a first edition in Ankara, closes December 10 and runs January 15 to 16, 2027. Both cap films at 20 minutes, both run separate national and international competitions, and neither pays a cash prize. We read both festivals' FilmFreeway rules on October 23. Two other Turkish calls from 2026 have already closed: the WAIFF Turkey chapter, which was open only to Turkish citizens and residents, and the TEKNOFEST AI film competition for Turkish university students.

Why Türkiye is on the AI film map

The clearest signal came from television. In August 2026, AI Yapım, a subsidiary of the Istanbul drama producer Ay Yapım, released Castle Walls (Surlar) on Amazon Prime Video. Per Señal News, it is a two-episode historical drama with episodes of about 15 minutes, made with Midjourney, Runway, Veo, Kling, ComfyUI, Topaz and an in-house video model called AYDNA that the company says was trained only on its licensed library. The acting performances were not AI-generated, and human voice actors dubbed it. The same company hosts the Turkish chapter of the World AI Film Festival.

T-AIFF has been running since 2024. Türkiye Today reported in August that it has drawn more than 2,000 submissions from over 100 countries. Its FilmFreeway page estimates 4,000 submissions this year, 40 projects selected and 20 awards presented. If those estimates hold, about one film in a hundred gets selected, so this is a real competition and not a laurel mill.

T-AIFF Istanbul: closes November 1

This is the third edition. The festival was founded by Ferhat Zengin, its president, and Bahadır Kapır, its director. The second edition ran December 9 to 11, 2025 at Marmara University's Faculty of Communication; this year it moves to the AKM's Yeşilçam Cinema in Beyoğlu. Applications opened June 25 and close November 1, and FilmFreeway is the only way in. Selected films are notified November 29.

FilmFreeway lists six entry categories: international short, animated short and documentary, plus the same three for national (Turkish) films. The awards list is longer. Eleven awards are given in both a national and an international version: Best AI Film (the Grand Prize), Best AI Director, Best AI Animation and Design, Best AI Documentary, Best AI Actor, Best Visual Effects, Best AI Editing, Best AI Cinematography, Best AI Sound Design, Best AI Music and a Jury Special Prize. Each winner gets a statuette. Türkiye Today reported that this year the jury judges separate stages of production, from script to post, instead of only the finished film.

On fees, the rules say the festival charges a "symbolic submission fee" in the international category to keep out films made without AI, and that the money goes back to international filmmakers as awards. FilmFreeway did not show the amount to a signed-out visitor on October 23, so you will see it at checkout. Our directory listed T-AIFF as free until today; we corrected that.

The T-AIFF rules that knock films out

Subtitles are the rule international entrants are most likely to miss. A film in Turkish needs English subtitles. A film in any other language, English included, needs both Turkish and English subtitles, and the rules ask you to upload a Turkish subtitle file or an .srt during submission. If you don't speak Turkish, get a machine translation checked by a native speaker before November 1, not after.

Prior release is the second trap. Films already shown on TV or published on digital media platforms cannot compete. A public upload on your own YouTube or Vimeo channel may count, so unlist it or ask the festival first. Festival selections and awards elsewhere are fine.

The completion date is ambiguous. The English rules accept films completed after January 1, 2025; the Turkish rules say January 1, 2026. If your film was finished in 2025, email the festival before you pay.

The rest is housekeeping. Films can run up to 20 minutes, and you can enter up to five. The rules ask for generative AI across the whole filmmaking process, full credits, and a poster, trailer and stills uploaded to FilmFreeway. The festival can ask for your prompts and production details, so keep a log as you work. The competition only goes ahead if at least 20 films pass pre-selection, which at T-AIFF's volume is not a real risk.

Turquoise Ankara: closes December 10

The Turquoise International AI Film Festival (Turkuaz in Turkish) is in its first year. It runs January 15 to 16, 2027 at the Musa Göçmen Salonu in Ankara's Çankaya district, with festival director Emre Yalgın and coordinator Selin Üner. Submissions opened August 11, the regular deadline is December 10, and notifications go out January 1, 2027.

It has six competitions: AI Film, AI Commercial and AI Music Video, each in an international and a national version. There is also a non-competition official selection. Films can run up to 20 minutes including credits, with no minimum, and must be completed on or after January 1, 2025. There is no premiere requirement, so a film that is already on YouTube is eligible here even if it is not at T-AIFF.

Turquoise is specific about what counts as AI. It must be used in the visual creation process, and it must be "a significant and clearly recognizable element" of what is on screen. Using AI only for ideas, scripting, translation, audio enhancement or color correction does not qualify. A live-action short with an ElevenLabs voice track and an AI grade will be rejected; a film built from Kling or Runway shots will not. Films not in English need English subtitles, and Turkish films entering the international categories need them too.

Winners get official laurels and the Turquoise AI Film Festival Trophy. There is no cash. The rules say entry fees are non-refundable, and the amount is shown on FilmFreeway.

Closed for 2026: WAIFF Turkey and TEKNOFEST

The WAIFF Turkey chapter holds its awards ceremony in Istanbul on November 4, 2026. Per Chip Online, entries closed October 1 at 23:59, and only Turkish citizens and legal residents could enter. It accepted fully AI-generated films and hybrids with live action, banned unauthorized deepfakes, and required embedded English subtitles. Its eight categories are Best Short Film, Best Micro-Series, Best Animated Short Film, Best Young Talent, Best Series, Best Commercial, Best Soundtrack and Best Delight. The top five Turkish entries go straight to the WAIFF Cannes 2027 selection, screening April 6 to 7, 2027. This is a different event from T-AIFF, even though both are in Istanbul. If you live in Türkiye and missed it, WAIFF Cannes runs its own international call until February 15, 2027.

TEKNOFEST's AI film competition was run by the T3 Foundation and Anadolu Agency with Google's Gemini. It took 2 to 5 minute films on the theme "The Human Factor in the Age of AI" from Turkish citizens who are university students or graduates, in teams of up to four. Synopses were due July 25 and final films August 25, 2026. Finalists got credits for Gemini and Veo 3 and an online training program with Google. Watch for a 2027 call alongside the next TEKNOFEST.

Which Turkish festival fits your film

A short under 20 minutes finished in 2026 and never published: enter T-AIFF before November 1, then Turquoise before December 10. That is two entries from one film, with selections announced November 29 and January 1.

A film finished in 2025, or one already on YouTube: Turquoise is the safe choice. Check with T-AIFF before paying its fee.

A spec ad or a music video: Turquoise has dedicated commercial and music video competitions. T-AIFF's FilmFreeway categories cover short fiction, animation and documentary only, so a music video has no obvious home there.

A Turkish filmmaker: both festivals run national competitions, so you compete against Turkish entries, not the whole world.

Tools and what to prepare

Neither festival restricts tools. Films made with Runway, Kling, Veo, Sora, Luma, Hailuo, Midjourney or Higgsfield all qualify, and so do voices from ElevenLabs and music from Suno, as long as Turquoise's rule about visible AI is met. Before you submit to T-AIFF, have four things ready: a Turkish subtitle file, an English subtitle file if your film is not in English, a poster, trailer and stills, and a prompt log you can send on request.

The contest cards below link to both open Turkish festivals and to WAIFF Cannes. For other countries, see our guides to AI film festivals in Europe and in Africa and the Middle East, and the November deadline roundup. Subscribe at the bottom of this page and we will email you when the 2027 Turkish calls open.