Tawakkol Karman Foundation News
Sponsored by TKF, Idraak 3 short film festival concludes with three films awarded top prizes
The Yemeni Students Association in Istanbul concluded its third annual "Idraak" short film festival on Saturday, November 9, 2024, with the support of Tawakkol Karman Foundation through its Jusoor 2024 initiative. The festival celebrated creativity from Arab filmmakers and fostered cultural and artistic exchange within the Arab diaspora.
This year’s festival drew an audience of over 600 Arab community members from across Türkiye, with 59 films advancing to the final rounds from a broad spectrum of Arab countries. The closing ceremony, attended by a vibrant Arab crowd, featured screenings of the top ten finalists and included additional cultural presentations.
The event concluded with awards for the three top films, as well as a special audience-choice award. The Egyptian film "Omen" took first place, the Palestinian film "The Boy with the Fish" placed second, and the Yemeni film "Don’t Forget the Watermelon" came in third.
Through its Jusoor program, Tawakkol Karman Foundation supports initiatives aimed at strengthening cultural ties and encouraging youth engagement in development across Arab communities abroad. The foundation, a non-profit endowment, focuses on advancing peace, civic engagement, education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and women’s leadership, while emphasizing respect for diverse cultural contexts. Democracy, governance, and human rights, the foundation believes, are vital to bringing about meaningful change.
