The opening ceremony of the event, hosted by Sinebîr, part of the Culture and Arts Department of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, was attended by representatives of numerous civil society organisations, artists and film enthusiasts.

‘We Want to Make Cinema a Right Accessible to Everyone’

Speaking at the opening, Deputy Chief Executive of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Muhabbet Erdoğmuş said culture and the arts played an important role in helping cities connect with their past and shape their future together.

Highlighting the importance of bringing films from different countries to audiences in Diyarbakır and bringing artists together, Erdoğmuş said the municipality regarded hosting the event as both a responsibility and an honour.

Emphasising that cinema should be accessible to everyone, Erdoğmuş said they aimed to take cinema beyond the confines of ticketed venues and make it a right accessible to the public, sustaining this approach as a practical expression of cultural justice.

‘We Are Bringing New Values to Our Cultural Heritage’

Şeyda Aslantaş, Chair of the Council of the Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DTSO), said the city had a rich cultural heritage and expressed her pleasure at being able to add new values to it. Aslantaş thanked everyone who had contributed to organising the event.

Opening Screenings Feature Films from Spain and Belgium

Following the opening speeches, the Spanish film Last Glimmers and the Belgian film Doomed to Lose were screened for audiences.

European Cinema Days will continue until 25 October, with film screenings at Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre.