Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival
Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival, with the official name the Flying Broom International Women Films Festival, has been organized by Flying Broom annually since 1998.
Flying Broom was established officially on November 1996, with the aim of bringing together women’s organizations and individuals who are sensitive to women’s movement. It aimed at increasing the communication, cooperation and solidarity amongst them, transferring their experiences to the next generation, and establishing a national and international communication network. It has implemented a number of projects to increase sensitivity on gender equality since the day it was established and continues to do so.
The festival is an international organization where feature-length, short, documentary and animation films by women directors from Turkey and around the world are presented to the audiences in a framework of specific themes, panels, discussions and exhibitions. In addition to the film screenings, local and international directors, press members and film critiques are hosted in Ankara as a part of the festival.
The festival aims to appeal to wide audiences with the activities it organizes every year. It has been further enriched by the addition of an International Feature-Length Film Section in its 6th year (2003) which is evaluated by the International Federation of Film Critiques (FIPRESCI). The competition section made Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival the first women’s film festival in the world with a FIPRESCI jury.
In addition to this, from its 6th year onward the festival established the Honor Award and Bilge Olgaç Merit Awards to remember the women who have made great efforts for cinema.