Applications Open for Sabancı Foundation's Fourth Short Film Competition

Sabancı Foundation has launched applications for its Short Film Competition for 2019, an initiative it has organized since 2016 to draw attention to social issues through art. The Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition, running under the slogan "Short Film, Long Impact," has selected "Digital Loneliness" as this year's theme. Applications for the fourth edition of the Short Film Competition will be accepted until 22 November. Nevgül Bilsel Safkan, General Director of Sabancı Foundation, stated that technology, an indispensable part of daily life in today's fast-paced world, is a necessity that facilitates life and opens the way for progress when used purposefully. She noted: "When we transform technology from a tool to serve our needs into an end in itself, the risk of 'digital addiction,' which particularly threatens young people, emerges.

'Digital addiction' pushes individuals toward social and psychological loneliness, leading to serious problems. A 'Loneliness Study' conducted by the University of Manchester with 55,000 people reveals that young people aged 16-24 experience feelings of loneliness tied to digital addiction," she said.Highlighting that the goal of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition is to draw attention to social issues and raise awareness in society, Nevgül Bilsel Safkan stated: "We are witnessing an increasing prevalence of digital addiction and related loneliness among young people in our country.

The way to eliminate this risk is not through restricting young people or banning technology use, but through raising awareness about proper technology use. For this reason, we have chosen 'Digital Loneliness' as the theme of this year's short film competition. Through striking works created by our talented and creative young filmmakers on this subject, we aim to encourage young people to use technology according to their needs and to engage more with art and sports in their increasing free time," she said. Zeynep Atakan, Art Director of the Short Film Competition, stressed the importance of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition for the development of short film in Turkey. "The fourth edition of the Sabancı Foundation Short Film Competition, which is being held this year, fulfills an important mission as a platform full of opportunities for filmmakers to share their works that address social issues in different and creative ways. Every year, the films of award winners and finalists are screened at major international festivals, generating significant impact on a universal scale. By developing communication networks both domestically and internationally, they gain important contributions for their new projects. I believe this year's 'digital loneliness' theme will bring very important works to the competition," she said.