The special anniversary highlights include the section "30 Years in Film" featuring films of 19 directors whose work appeared in the festival over the past three decades. Accompanying it will be the publication of a book, "30: 30 Years from 20 Directors" and a festival blog that ties this year's event with festivals from previous years. A special event is a cine-concert featuring "Claire Denis Film Music 1996-2009" featuring French auteur Claire Denis and British band Tindersticks.
Twelve films will compete in the Golden Tulip international competition, and 14 films will compete in the national competition with a jury headed by Turkish director Reha Erdem. Altogether 43 fiction and documentary films will be screened in the Turkish Cinema component of the festival.
The festival will continue a tradition begun five years ago, the Film Award of the Council of Europe, the only such partnership in Europe, with the FACE award going to a film screening in the Human Rights in Cinema section.
In coordination with the festival, the 4th "Meetings on the Bridge" will take place 13-14 April, with the Feature Film Project Development Workshop. Representatives of international institutions such as Rotterdam Film Festival, Eurimages, Arte, Cinelink, Torino Film Lab, Fortissimo, and Binger Lab are expected to attend.
After the meetings, two chosen projects will receive $10,000 support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Republic of Turkey, 25,000 TL Post-Production Support award from Melodika, and 10,000 Euro Support award from CNC. For the first time this year, Dutch film institution Binger Lab will award a project with a 2,500 Euros Script Development prize.
For the first time Meetings on the Bridge offers a Turkish-German Co-Production Film Development Fund with a budget of 150,000, with contribution of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism to support Turkish-German co-productions. In addition, for the first time, Turkish-French Co-production Meetings and meetings with Italian Filmmakers Meetings will take place.
