4th International Digital Film Festival Istanbul Brings Its Academic Partner Programme to Özyeğin University

The 4th International Digital Film Festival Istanbul, organized by Digital Film Academy, takes place from 16 to 20 October 2026. The Department of Communication Design at Özyeğin University’s Faculty of Architecture and Design is the festival’s academic partner. The festival’s Academic Partner Program will be held on 19 October 2026 in the Prof. Dr. Orhan Hacıhasanoğlu Hall (AB4-G25) at Özyeğin University. The program includes talks and international film screenings.

The day opens at 11:00 with the talk “From Celluloid to Digital: The Transformation of the Film and TV Industry”. Screenwriter and lecturer Hüseyin Kuzu is the speaker, and Dr. İnci Asal, Research Assistant at Özyeğin University, will moderate.

At 12:45, the International Film Screenings present six short films from the United States, the United Kingdom, Iran, and Türkiye. The films span animation, fiction, documentary, experimental, and AI-powered work:

Hell (Animation, USA, 5') Something Pointless (Fiction, UK, 14') Make A Wish (AI Powered, Türkiye, 5') Sound: İstanbul (Documentary, Türkiye, 11') Like Friend, Like Deer (Animation, Iran, 13') Balerin (Experimental, Türkiye, 15')

The program closes at 14:00 with the talk “Who Are We Telling Stories For? Audience, Story and Creative Decision in the Age of Digital Platforms”. Director Erdem Tepegöz is the speaker, and Assistant Prof. Dr. Metin Çavuş of Özyeğin University will moderate. Please note that the talks will be held in Turkish. The films will be screened in their original languages with English subtitles.