# Cinema access and cultural initiatives in Turkey

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/cinema-access-and-cultural-initiatives-in-turkey
> Updated: 2026-09-30T20:42:28.000Z. Sources: 23. Developments: 3.

Cultural initiatives in Turkey have focused on expanding cinema access through both mobile and organized festival formats.

The ‘Traveling Cinema for Children’ project, a long-term initiative by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has successfully reached all 81 provinces. Utilizing specially designed cinema trucks, the project has provided free screenings to over 1.5 million children across 681 districts, specifically targeting areas lacking permanent theaters.

Complementing these mobile efforts, the second annual Turkey Cinema Festival, organized by the Cinema Hall Investors Association (SİSAY) with GNÇ as the main sponsor and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was held on September 26-27. The festival featured 17 domestic and international films across 75 provinces, with approximately 1,500 theaters offering tickets at a fixed price of 90 Turkish Lira to encourage accessibility. The event achieved record attendance, drawing 777,000 viewers over two days. This initiative aimed to revitalize cinema attendance and boost local commercial activity in retail sectors and shopping centers.

Furthering support for the industry, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced an expansion of financial resources. The Ministry is allocating 12.325 million lira to 35 new projects encompassing short films, animation, scriptwriting, and project development. This allocation represents a nearly 49 percent increase in funding for these specific areas compared to the previous year.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-30: Turkey expands cinema funding and celebrates record festival attendance

Turkey is boosting cinema support with 12.3 million lira for 35 new film projects, following a record-breaking national cinema festival that drew 777,000 viewers across 75 cities.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-expands-cinema-funding-and-celebrates-record-festival-attendance

### 2026-09-21: Türkiye Sinema Festivali to offer 90 TL tickets in 75 provinces

The second Türkiye Sinema Festivali will run on September 26-27 across 75 provinces, offering 17 domestic and international films for 90 TL per ticket in approximately 1,500 cinema halls.

17 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-cinema-festival-to-offer-90-tl-tickets-across-75-provinces

### 2026-09-09: Turkey's Traveling Cinema project reaches all 81 provinces

Turkey's ‘Traveling Cinema for Children’ project has reached all 81 provinces, providing free film screenings to over 1.5 million children in 681 districts via specially designed cinema trucks.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkeys-traveling-cinema-project-reaches-all-81-provinces

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Cite as: Cinema access and cultural initiatives in Turkey. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/cinema-access-and-cultural-initiatives-in-turkey