The ‘award’ hunters of cinema

The success of young talents from Izmir University of Economics (IUE) dominated the Kadir Has University (KHAS) Short Film Competition, which was held for the second time this year. Tuğba Yaşar, a graduate of the IUE Department of Cinema and Digital Media this year, won first place with her documentary film titled ‘Taşın Rengi’ (The Color of Stone), while students Yağmur Türkmenoğlu and Bilge Olcay Yılmaz secured third place with their film called 'Thrifted'. Yaşar, who claimed the top prize again in the KHAS Short Film Competition after the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, has now started a winning streak with her awards.

OVER 200 SUBMISSIONS

Organized by the Kadir Has University Department of Radio, Television, and Cinema, and receiving over 200 film submissions, the competition saw fierce competition among 10 highly ambitious films that made it to the final. The jury, consisting of Nezaket Erden, Onur Saylak, Melis Behlil, Esin Paça Cengiz, and Defne Tüzün, meticulously examined all the films. As a result of the evaluations, Tuğba Yaşar, a graduate of the IUE Faculty of Communication, Department of Cinema and Digital Media, and third-year students Yağmur Türkmenoğlu and Bilge Olcay Yılmaz, experienced great pride upon receiving their awards.

“SHE TOLD HER MOTHER'S MEMORIES”

Providing information about her first-prize-winning film, ‘Taşın Rengi / Renge Kevir’, Yaşar said, “I graduated this year with first place from the Department of Cinema and Digital Media. The film I received an award for was actually a project I made in my third year. We were asked to prepare a media art project in the ‘Digital Media Arts Studio’ course. I created a media work that brings together collage, archive photographs, videos, and animation. The subject of the film is my mother's childhood memories in Mardin. I set up a table by the window at home and fixed the camera on a tripod. I prepared collages with the photos and videos I cut. I shot the entire film in a home setting”.

“CINEMA WAS MY CHILDHOOD PASSION”

Stating that achieving first place in the KHAS Short Film Competition with the same film after winning the ‘Best Documentary’ award in the student category at the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival was very special for her, Yaşar said, “Cinema is my childhood passion. The films I watched with my father increased this interest even more. This passion, which has been with me since childhood, plays a big part in the success I have achieved today. Now, I want to finish the projects I started at school but couldn't complete, and pursue a master's degree in cinema in the winter semester of 2026.”

“A STORY THAT EMERGED FROM THE FLEA MARKET”

Bilge Olcay Yılmaz and Yağmur Türkmenoğlu, who won third place in the competition with their film ‘Thrifted’, described the story of their archive documentary as follows: “We bought an old camera from the flea market in Izmir. When we opened the camera to examine it, we found videos shot approximately 20 years ago inside. We wanted to reach the people in the videos and give them the footage. We reached these people through social media and gave them the videos. They were very happy. At that moment, the idea of making an archive documentary that narrates this process came to mind. Thus, a meaningful story emerged, both for those people and for us.” Stating that they had a feeling they would win an award in the competition, Yılmaz and Türkmenoğlu said, “We were very happy when we received the news of the award. After this, we aim to participate in festivals and continue our careers in the cinema industry after graduation.”