Istanbul CineCollective provides accommodation and travel expenses (including breakfast and dinner), workshop training, and passes to ticketed events. Accommodation for the Meeting on the Bridge is not provided. 

Istanbul CineCollective aims to create a safe, sustainable, and inclusive environment of mutually acknowledging debate, dialogue, and exchange in which everyone is treated equally.

We, at this moment, declare that the selection process of the participants and the workshops will not include any form of favouritism, hurtful language, discrimination, abuse, marginalisation, insulting behaviour on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, religion, background, skin colour, religious belief, sexuality, gender identity, socio-economic class, caste, disability, or age.

Clémence Lavigne is a French film professional specialising in international sales, acquisitions, and production. She studied political science and media management at Sciences Po Rennes, later completing training in distribution at La Fémis. She began her career working in international sales at major French companies such as Celluloid Dreams and Doc & Film International. Her pitch for the film Jumpman earned her the Cinando Award in Cannes, marking her as a rising figure in the global arthouse market. She currently works as Co-Head of International Sales & Acquisitions at The Party Film Sales and collaborates on feature-film production with the company Temps Noir.

Florent Signifredi is a French audiovisual professional working across cinema, media, digital platforms and video games. He currently serves as a regional audiovisual attaché with a focus on international co-productions and festival partnerships. With experience in distribution and festival liaison, Signifredi has been involved in fostering collaborations between French producers and international film festivals.

Clémence Werner is a French cultural attaché and production coordinator who has worked at the Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris, overseeing cultural programming and production coordination between 2020 and 2023. Her background lies in cultural management and institutional coordination, with a focus on facilitating cultural projects and events.

Selcen Ergun is a director, screenwriter and producer. A Berlinale Talents and Medienboard Nipkow Artist-in-Residency alumna, she is also a member of the European Film Academy. She holds an honors degree in Industrial Design / Visual Culture and a master’s degree in Directing and Screenwriting. She has written and directed award-winning short films and has worked across various formats, including webseries, interactive films and commercials for renowned brands. She has also taught courses on visual culture, photography, screenwriting and directing. In 2018, she founded her own production company, Albino Zebra Film. Her debut feature, ‘Snow and the Bear’ – a Turkish, German, Serbian co-production supported by Eurimages – premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2022 in the Discovery Section. The film earned nomination at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and won over 15 international awards, including the New Directors Award for Best Film at the 66th San Francisco International Film Festival, as well as Best First Film and Best Actress at the 59th Antalya International Film Festival. In addition to a strong festival run around the world – including Palm Springs, Seattle, Hamburg, Marrakesh, Shanghai, Goa, and Sydney – the film secured distribution across Europe and the US, while HBO Max acquired the streaming rights. Beyond her filmmaking, Ergun has mentored, consulted, and served on juries for various script labs and development platforms, including Meetings on the Bridge, Munich Film Up, CinéCollective and M2 Film Lab.

Florent Signifredi is a French audiovisual professional working across cinema, media, digital platforms and video games. He currently serves as a regional audiovisual attaché with a focus on international co-productions and festival partnerships. With experience in distribution and festival liaison, Signifredi has been involved in fostering collaborations between French producers and international film festivals.

We only accept online applications. Please read the requirements carefully before completing the application.

Applicants must be citizens of Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, or Armenia.

Applicants must be under 45 years old.

Participants must be proficient in English and have advanced upper-intermediate or advanced-level knowledge (all the training will be in English).

Applicants are also required to have already directed a film that was selected by an A-list film festival (short or feature).

Participants must attend the entire program; successful applicants will be required to sign a memorandum of agreement. 

The participant’s identity will be disclosed in accordance with the participant’s agreement.  

We highly encourage applications from women and from directors residing in the countries of their citizenship.

Children are not accepted. 

Co-writers and co-directors can apply to the same project, but only one person from the same project can participate in CineCollective. 

The application form is expected to be filled out collectively. The project owners must decide who the participants will be.

We expect you to have at least one documentary, fiction, or hybrid film that has participated in a program at an international film festival.

No, there is no participant fee.

CineCollective provides accommodation and transportation (including breakfast and dinner), workshop training, and passes to ticketed events.

CineCollective participant announcements will be on 24th February on Beykoz Kundura’s website and social media accounts. The participants will be contacted before the official announcement.

Yes, you may reapply for the next edition.

You must participate in all programs except optional events/activities. 

Yes, you just need to be a citizen of one of the following countries: Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, or Armenia.

No. you must be a citizen of one of the following countries: Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, or Armenia.

No. You must be a citizen of one of the following countries:  Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, or Armenia. I’m a citizen of one of the countries on the list, but I live in Turkey. Do I have to apply from Turkey when I submit my application?

No, you must submit your application from the country of your citizenship.