Programming: The Homeland Comes to you—Films of Turkish Film Festivals in Germany

In this chapter, the films screened at three long-lasting and popular Turkish film festivals held in Germany, the International Frankfurt Turkish Film Festival (FTFF), the Nuremberg Turkey/Germany Film Festival (NTGFF), and the Munich Turkish Film Days (MTFD) are analyzed for the three-year period spanning from 2021 to 2023. If we acknowledge the significant impact of identity-driven immigrant film festivals in molding the cinematic tastes and viewpoints of immigrant viewers, and in shaping their perceptions of their home countries while also setting immigrant-related agendas, this study investigates how these three specific film festivals address these themes through their curated film choices. In order to achieve this aim, the three selected film festivals’ screened programs for the chosen period are analyzed by conducting qualitative content analysis of the films’ short synopses as written in the festivals’ booklets with a particular focus on three key narrative elements: the central theme of the film, the primary character, and the location of the main conflict. The rationale behind choosing these three points is that discussing the film themes provides insights into a festival's agenda, describing the location offers a perspective on how Turkey is portrayed, and character descriptions offer clues to the identity politics conveyed by the selected films. Analyzing all the films together showcased at these three festivals over the course of three years will give insights into the overarching trends in Turkish cinema as it pertains to immigrant audiences. Examining each festival individually over this three-year period will further reveal distinctions and variations between the festivals.