Turkmen directors shone at the Turan International Film Festival, which took place in Izmir from May 3–8, 2026. They competed with colleagues from across the Turkic world and took home three major awards, according to the country’s International Film Information Center.
The forum was organized by Aegean University with the support of the General Directorate of Cinematography of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The screening of Turkmen films took place at Aegean University’s Faculty of Communications. Directors from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey also participated in the festival. The program also included international screenings and a thematic section dedicated to humanitarian issues.
The awards ceremony took place on May 7 at the Professor Yusuf Vardar Cultural Center, where Turkmen filmmakers received prizes in three categories.
Rovshen Velmiev’s animated film “Meniň oýnum” received a special jury prize. Batyr Batyrov’s feature-length film “Ýeňişli ädimler” won the Best Feature Film award in its respective category. Mekan Gurbanaliev’s “Mahir terbiýesi” won the prize for Best Short Film.
