The Festival

An inaugural U.S. season of Turkic-language cinema — opening in New York and closing in Washington, DC.

One language family. Many cinemas. This section holds the festival overview, the season at a glance, the full calendar, and the national team behind it.

About TLFF

Cinema that begins with a language family and reaches the cultures, histories and communities around it — a program of the ATAA Art Committee.

2026–2027 Season

A 19-week inaugural U.S. season: opening in New York (Dec 4–5, 2026) and closing in Washington, DC (Apr 9–11, 2027).

Festival Calendar

Every screening and event across the ten host cities, kept current through the season.

Full calendar coming soon

The People Behind the Festival

The National Team

TLFF is led by the ATAA Art Committee and a national team of organizers, programmers and city directors.

Pelin Hoşkan San

TLFF Founder & Artistic Director

ATAA Art Committee Chair

Berna Gürdal

TLFF New York City Director

Founding Host City

Alya Rana

TLFF Student Films & Animation Programmer

ATAA UN Youth

Ebru Cetin Milci, Ph.D.

TLFF Turkic Languages Advisor

Turkolog

Alev Wieland

ATAA President

Marketing & Social Media Committee Chair

Erkan Demirağcı

ATAA Elected President

Art Committee Member

Dr. Nilüfer Esen-Bilgin

ATAA Past President

Advocacy & Outreach Committee Chair

İbrahim Onaral

ATAA BOT Member

Art Committee Member

Yücel Burdurlu

ATAA Secretary

Membership Committee Chair