Organized by our University's Faculty of Communication to support our students' first steps into the cinema sector, encourage young filmmakers, and make creative productions visible, the "1st Short Film Festival" was held with great enthusiasm.

The award ceremony held at the Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar Conference Hall was attended by our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Boz, our Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Ebru Kaya Mutlu and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Erçakar, our Dean of the Faculty of Communication Prof. Dr. Hatice Aydın, our Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Prof. Dr. Abdullah Yeşil, our Director of Bandırma Vocational School Prof. Dr. Selçuk Baş, our Vice Deans of the Faculty of Communication Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sinan Tam and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Güven, jury members, academic and administrative staff, members of the press, and our students.

A total of 190 films from different provinces and various universities across Turkey applied to the festival, which was held for the first time this year. Held under the academic advisorship of our Dean of the Faculty of Communication Prof. Dr. Hatice Aydın, the festival's jury was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Güven. The festival was coordinated by Asst. Prof. Dr. Yakup Toktay and Res. Asst. İrfan Yalçın, while the jury coordination was carried out by Lect. Ömür Yıldırım and Asst. Prof. Dr. İsmail Doru. The winning entries were determined as a result of the evaluations made by the jury consisting of experts in their fields.

The program began following a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem. The opening speech of the festival was delivered by our Vice Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Jury President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Güven. In his speech, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güven stated that the festival is an important platform where young filmmakers can showcase their creativity, and he drew attention to the importance of supporting artistic production and making students' work in the field of cinema visible.

Taking the floor next, our Dean of the Faculty of Communication Prof. Dr. Hatice Aydın stated that cinema is a powerful form of expression that leaves deep marks wherever it touches. Emphasizing that the short film is the purest and simplest form of cinema, Prof. Dr. Aydın noted that firsts are always difficult but equally valuable and exciting. Expressing that the festival was prepared with great dedication in a short time frame, Aydın thanked the academics who contributed to the organization and the young filmmakers who participated in the festival with their works.

Following the speeches, the award ceremony commenced. In the Incentive Category awards given by the festival committee to encourage young filmmakers; Ayşen Birgil won third place with the film "Kimlik", Eren Pamukoğlu and Aybüke Sena Öcal won second place with the film "Sessizlik", and Kevser Çarşı, Hilal Şimşek, and Shadem Taha were deemed worthy of the first prize with the film "Manisa Tarzanı". The certificates of achievement were presented to the winning team by our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Boz, and their plaques were presented by our Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ebru Kaya Mutlu.

Speaking later in the program, our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Boz touched upon the importance of the art of cinema in the formation of social memory and stated that supporting young talents is one of the important responsibilities of universities.

The festival continued with the presentation of the Documentary Category awards. In this category, the award was presented to Hünkar Ertaş, who came in third with the film "Kavut", by Lect. Ömür Yıldırım; to Baturay Tunçat, who came in second with the film "Buharlaşır Tüm Katı Olanlar", by our Vice Dean of the Faculty of Communication Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sinan Tam; and the first prize winners Abdulsamed Mavi, Ege Düngel, and Muhammed Eğer were presented with their awards for the film "Ahraz" by Asst. Prof. Dr. İsmail Doru.

Finally, the Fiction Category awards found their owners. In this category, the award was presented to Muhammed Sıddık Aktaş, who came in third with the film "Limon Zamanı", by Asst. Prof. Dr. Yakup Toktay; to Emre Cef Kamhi, who came in second with the film "Aslında Herkes", by our Vice Dean of the Faculty of Communication Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Güven; and the first prize winner Yağmur Ilgın Öztekin was presented with her award for the film "Kordon" by our Head of the Public Relations and Advertising Department Asst. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Çağatay Tok.

The festival, which witnessed moments full of excitement, concluded with a group souvenir photo taken to commemorate the day following the closing speech delivered by Faculty of Communication Research Assistant İrfan Yalçın.