This time, justice is sought not in court but on the silver screen.

Culture and Arts Service

The 15th International Crime and Punishment Film Festival is once again presenting 40 films from around the world, under the guise of "Justice for All." The screenings will be accompanied by panels organized as part of VisionIST and an Academic Programme, bringing together legal experts from Turkey and around the world, under the theme "Right to Life."

The International Crime and Punishment Film Festival, which will open from November 27th to December 2nd, once again presents a program centered on justice, conscience, and human rights. It reminds us once again that justice is sought not only in the courtroom but also at the heart of cinema; each section reveals cinema's power as a social witness from different perspectives.

The Golden Scale Feature Film Competition explores global injustices, the enduring effects of war and exploitation, female solidarity, and human resilience through personal stories. Films from diverse backgrounds explore the balance between individual self-reflection and social responsibility, while also illuminating the most vulnerable aspects of humanity.

The Golden Scale Short Film Competition revolves around themes of war, memory, and the struggle for freedom. The directors in the competition bring to light stories, silenced voices, suppressed histories, and personal forms of resistance, reminding us of the ethical and political power of cinema.

The Scales of Justice section examines the search for justice through the lens of guilt, conscience, loneliness, and social inequality. The films transcend the confines of a courtroom or a conscience, focusing on the individual's struggle to find their own inner justice. The Traces of Time section explores fundamental issues in today's world, such as war, women's liberation, environmental disasters, the right to education, and freedom of expression, transforming individual testimonies into a universal call. These films bridge the gap between the past and the present, questioning the evolving meanings of justice throughout history.

This year, Solidarity with Palestine , one of the festival's thematic sections, features From Ground Zero +: Unfinished Stories of Gaza, a selection produced by Rashid Masharawi. Seven short films and one feature-length film by Gazan filmmakers bring to the world the voices of a people who resist, create, and hope even in the midst of war.

The special screening, "The Earth Belongs to All of Us," features a moving documentary that invites us to rethink humanity's relationship with nature in a world teetering on the brink of environmental disaster.