Istanbul Indie Film Awards (IIFA) is a new festival bringing independent producers, directors and audiences together. The first edition runs entirely online from 5 to 10 January 2027, organised from Istanbul. Selected films are screened to our audience during the festival dates and judged by an independent jury.
Who can apply. Feature films (40 minutes and over), short films (under 40 minutes) and documentaries of any length, in any genre and language, from any country, completed after 1 January 2023. Student and professional filmmakers compete in the same categories. No premiere requirement. Entry fees are kept low.
What we look for. A distinct voice, honest storytelling and craft that serves the story — not budget. First and second films are especially welcome.
Screening. Films are streamed online in a protected player during the festival dates; no downloads. Every film must be submitted with its English subtitles as a separate .srt file, including films in English; burned-in subtitles are not accepted. Turkish subtitles are prepared by the festival at our own cost.
Awards. No award is paid in cash. Awards include the IIFA trophy, professional software licences (DaVinci Resolve Studio, Final Draft), remote colour grading, sound mixing and DCP mastering. Every winner receives the laurel pack, a signed digital certificate and a one-year Plooy membership.
After the festival. Every finalist film is guaranteed screening and distribution on Plooy (plooy.tv), our partner streaming platform, under a non-exclusive agreement with a revenue share based on viewing, and its director is interviewed in Plooy Journal. If the filmmaker prefers not to, the film is not published; this has no effect on the award, and apart from the entry fee no fee is ever requested from filmmakers.
Rights. Submitting a film grants IIFA only the right to review it and, if selected, to screen it online during the festival dates and use its trailer, stills and extracts of up to 60 seconds for promotion. All other rights remain with the filmmaker.
Jury. The jury will be announced on 20 December 2026, the day submissions close. We do this deliberately: choosing the jury after submissions close ensures that no film gains an advantage through access to or acquaintance with a juror, or is ever suspected of it. A juror with a personal or professional connection to a film does not vote on that film, and the festival organisers do not sit on the jury. Every film is judged on its own merits.
Key dates. Submissions open 3 October 2026 · Earlybird 31 October · Regular 30 November · Final deadline 20 December 2026 · Notification 28 December 2026 · Festival 5–10 January 2027.
