21 January 2025
The winners of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year under the slogan “Short Film, Long Impact,” were announced at a ceremony held on January 21, 2026, at Sabancı Center. Organized with the theme “Inequalities in Education,” the competition highlighted creative short films that address educational challenges from a broad perspective. The First Prize was awarded to Emirhan Cangül for his film “Arena.”
In her speech at the ceremony, Güler Sabancı, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Sabancı Foundation, stated:
“As the Sabancı Foundation, we prioritize the fight against inequalities in our strategy. We know that among all forms of inequality, educational inequality has the most lasting impact. Because education is the most fundamental right of every child, and inequality in education determines not only today, but also a child’s tomorrow, a family’s hope, and a society’s future. A sentence from one of the films we watched became a true reflection of our work: ‘Inequality does not limit talents, it only limits opportunities.’”
The winners of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition—organized since 2016 to draw attention to social issues through cinema and celebrating its 10th anniversary this year—have been announced. Held this year with the theme “Inequalities in Education” and the slogan “Do Not Remain Indifferent to Educational Problems,” the winners were revealed at a ceremony hosted by Güler Sabancı, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Sabancı Foundation, at Sabancı Center.
Among the 14 finalist films, the First Prize was awarded to Emirhan Cangül for “Arena.” Cangül received his award from Güler Sabancı, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Sabancı Foundation. The Second Prize and the Social Impact Award were awarded to Berat Yüksel for his film “Picasso Muhammed,” and were presented by Nevgül Bilsel Safkan, General Manager of the Sabancı Foundation.
The Third Prize went to Zehra Asal, director of the film “İkizler (Twins),” and was presented by Zeynep Atakan, Artistic Director of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition. Following the jury’s evaluation, it was decided to grant two Honorable Mention Awards this year: the first Honorable Mention was awarded to Hüseyin Demirtaş for “Yarım (Half),” and the second Honorable Mention went to Havva Sülün for “Siyah Hiçbir Zaman Kirli Değildir Ki (Black Is Never Dirty).”
Prize amounts were awarded as follows: 80,000 TL to the First Prize winner, 60,000 TL to the Second Prize winner, and 30,000 TL each to the Third Prize winner and the recipient of the Social Impact Award.
Emphasizing that the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition has evolved beyond being merely an award platform over the years, Güler Sabancı stated:
“As the Sabancı Foundation, we have long continued our contributions to the field of culture and arts—one of the most important instruments of social development—with determination. Our Short Film Competition has also grown far beyond being just an award platform over the years. We have designed this competition not merely as a structure that selects and rewards films, but as a learning and production ecosystem that stands by young filmmakers, empowers them, and helps expand the field. One of the most distinctive aspects that sets this competition apart is that, as with our other activities, we have designed an educational program that enables filmmakers to develop their capacities.”
“Equality Must Begin with Education”
Stating that the competition—organized each year around a social theme to strengthen cinema’s connection with social issues—has turned into a true story of impact, Güler Sabancı continued:
“In the 10th year of our competition, we determined our social theme as ‘Inequalities in Education,’ one of the most important areas of work of our Foundation. As the Sabancı Foundation, we prioritize the fight against inequalities in our strategy. However, we know that among all inequalities, educational inequality has the most lasting impact. Because education is the most fundamental right of every child, and inequality in education determines not only today, but also a child’s tomorrow, a family’s hope, and a society’s future.”
To Watch the Ceremony Live: https://youtube.com/live/ByQwWgquvBQ?feature=share
To Watch the Winning Films: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJ5tRY32s-AmzfhQ64XZhGKMqQ6pTjGt
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