Editor

A total of 280 films that we have received from 58 countries this year all indicate the existence of vast knowledge regarding the ecological realities of the planet that we live in. The selection process with regard to the documentaries that you have produced with extraordinary efforts posed quite a challenge for us.

Some of the major themes of #BIFED 2016 include ‘coal mines and plants’, ‘return to village’, ‘global warming’, ‘disappearance of indigenous people’, and particularly the issue of ‘garbage.’ Migrations that are triggered by ecological problems, wars, and human rights violations also constitute one of the significant issues for our festival.
 

We are happy to announce the finalists of #BIFED 2016 International Competition and the candidates of Gaia Student Award. The programme regarding the special screenings has not been finalized yet; we will provide further information once this process is completed. You can follow our festival and us from our social media account and website, www.bifed.org. We hope that the film makers that we were not able to include in our programme this year will see this as a result of the limitation that our resources enforce on us in terms of time and space. The selection process that we have had to go through among all these documentaries has really proven to be highly challenging due to the quality of the films that we have received.

International Competition
 

1. Sigh - Soluk, Metin Kaya, Türkiye, 2015,47’                      
2. Dark Atlas - Kara Atlas, Umut Vedat, Türkiye, 2016, 70’
3. Rendala, the Mikea - Rendalalı Mikea, Alain Rakotoarisoa, Madagaskar/ Fransa, 2016, 62’
4. Doughter of the Lake - Gölün Kızı, Ernesto Cabellos, Peru, 2015, 88’
5. No Word for Worry - Endişe için Kelime Yok, Runar Jarle Wiik, Norveç/Myanmar/Tayland, 2015, 89’
6. All of Me - Herşeyim, Arturo Gonzalez Villasenor, Meksika, 2014, 86’
7. The Day Sun Fell - Güneşin Düştüğü Gün, Aya Domenig, İsviçre/Finlandiya, 2015, 78’
8. The Good Life - Güzel Hayat, Jens Schanze, İsviçre/Almanya/Kolombiya, 2015, 97’
9. Waste Mandala - Çöp Mandala, Alessandro Bernard, İtalya, 2015, 52’
10. Sugar Blues - Şeker Blues, Andrea Culkova, Çek Cumhuriyet, 2014, 78’
11. Lampedusa in Winter - Kışın Lampedusa, Jakob Brossmann, Avusturya/İtalya/İsviçre, 2015, 93’
12. Coal Sea - Kömür Denizi, Gian Luca Rossi, İtalya, 2015, 78’
13. If This Village Wasn't Mine - Eğer Bu Kasaba Benim Değilse, Felipe Pena, Brezilya, 2014, 52’
14. Good Thing Await - İyi Şeyler Bekler, Phie Ambo, Danimarka, 2014, 95’ 
15. Dreaming of Life - Hayatı Düşlemek, Morteza Jafari, Yunanistan, 2016, 66’
    Racing to Zero - Sıfıra Doğru, Christopher Beaver, ABD, 2014, 57’

Gaia Student Awards
 

1. Fidelity - Vefa, Baran Vardar, Türkiye, 2016, 13’16’’
2. Up and Down Galata - Aşağı Yukarı Galata, Çağan Duran, Ali Uluç Kutal, 2015, Türkiye, 2015, 80’
3. Qillit - Kıllıt, Zeynep Altay, Türkiye, 2016, 18’
4. Katık, Yahya Ercan, Türkiye, 2015, 17’
5. The Burden 'Lives Made of Paper' - YÜK 'Kağıttan Yaşamlar', Eren Akman, Türkiye, 2016, 18’
6. When the Boat Comes In - Tekneler Dönerken, Khin Maung Kyaw, Myanmar/Almanya, 2014, 30’
7. Motel Hasankeyf, Valeria Mazzucchi, Türkiye/İsviçre, 2015, 28’
8. Djado Ivan, Silke Meya, Almanya, 2015, 20’
9. Arlette. Courage is a Muscle - Arlette. Cesaret bir Kasdır, Florian Hoffmann, İsviçre/Almanya, 2015, 84’
10. Women of Imetsen - Imetsen’in Kadınları, Kawtar Hilali, İsviçre, 2015, 31’
    The Tree - Ağac, Roya Eshraghi, Küba/İran/Kosta Rika, 2015, 13’