Hey, Documentary! Amaze Us!

With the advent of television, we were introduced to documentaries. We saw the strange animals of the savannas, the poles, beneath the seas, and in the skies. And plants. And people. People with different languages, different homes, different jobs, so many different kinds of people. Then came the universe, galaxies, star systems. Art, science, technology. Perhaps people didn’t know where the end of the street they walked every day would lead, but they were crossing oceans, setting foot on the moon. And they were in awe.

As we watched in wonder at these animals, plants, and human communities, biodiversity was already beginning to dwindle. Air, water, and soil were becoming polluted; the climate was changing; dangerous and plastic waste was rising uncontrollably… The environment, whose rights were being violated, became “problematic.” People from these problematic environments started migrating to safer ones. The issues grew, expanded, and diversified.

But as always, there were those who took these problems to heart. People who looked back with curiosity, observed the present, documented it, and carried it into the future. These individuals focused on the problems right in front of them, delving into the underlying truths, and created documentaries to tell these stories. These were not the popular documentaries shown on TV, backed by big corporations with deep pockets, but perhaps that’s what made them so incredibly authentic.

Eleven years ago, BIFED initiated “the movement” of the “local, small and slow” ecological documentary film festival in Bozcaada. Their mission was to bring together the authentic documentaries produced by genuine people from all over the world with those who care about the world and are driven by curiosity. Now, these films are coming to meet the people of Gökçeada. They are here to tell the truth, seek knowledge, inspire hope, spark inspiration, and most importantly, to amaze with their authenticity!

Hello, Gökçeada/Imroz!