Country Focus Türkiye: Ortaklaşa Edition

At a time when international cultural collaboration is more vital than ever, fostering mutual understanding and artistic freedom in an increasingly connected yet divided world, what does it mean to collaborate with Türkiye?

Join us at Domo to explore cultural cooperation between the Netherlands and Türkiye, learn about funding opportunities, and hear about best practices from the field. We are pleased to welcome the team behind Ortaklaşa: Culture, Dialogue and Support Programme from Istanbul as part of our International Visitors Programme. Our guests from the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), Culture Action Europe, and the Union of Marmara Municipalities will introduce the Dutch cultural sector to their recently launched EU–Türkiye Cultural Partnership Call for Proposals. We will also zoom into best practices in cultural collaboration between the two countries: Minem Sezgin, an award-winning creative producer, writer, and performing artist based in the Netherlands, will present her recent film Pembe & Eflatun, a co-production between the Netherlands and Türkiye. We will conclude the evening with a networking reception with drinks and bites.

Full programme to be published soon

Started by İKSV in 2023, the Ortaklaşa*: Culture, Dialogue and Support Programme has entered this year its second phase with the support of the European Union. In this new phase, which will span the years 2026-2029, İKSV joins forces with one of Europe’s strongest advocacy networks Culture Action Europe (CAE) as their partner and the Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU) as their associate.

*In Turkish, ortaklaşa means collectively, in cooperation, in collaboration.

During the first three years of the programme, Ortaklaşa brought together civil society organisations and municipalities in different cities of Türkiye: 13 projects have been realised with a grant support of 1.3 million euros, comprehensive field research, and roadmaps devised for the local cultural ecosystem. Along with the sub-grant support, the programme focused on contributing to a trust-based, fair, and sustainable culture of cooperation on the local level.

In the new phase launched as of January 2026, Ortaklaşa is carrying the legacy of the first phase even further with new priorities, such as establishing permanent channels of communication between municipalities and the civil society for a sustainable dialogue, practicing participatory governance by shaping cultural policies through a rights-based and inclusive approach, strengthening the cultural cooperations between Türkiye and Europe through international cultural networks, and offering tailored support on structural basis by reinforcing the sub-grant support with mentorship and community-building activities.

Alongside exploring the broader landscape of international cultural collaboration, we will hear from the makers themselves about what these collaborations look like in practice. In the second part of the programme, we will welcome Minem Sezgin and screen her recent film, Pembe & Eflatun, for our audience.

Minem Sezgin is an award-winning creative producer, writer and performing artist. As a writer, she builds worlds and crafts stories that invite audiences to feel first, think second, and reflect always, by blending humor, poetic imagery, and radical honesty in various media. On stage, she performs storytelling and stand-up, moderates Q&As and hosts at various festivals. Minem holds an MSc in Political Communication (University of Amsterdam) and a BA in Political Science & Public Administration (Ankara University). Her works were granted by Creative Industries Fund NL, NPO, Amarte Fonds, Machinerie Utrecht, Stichting Stokroos, Fentener van Vlissingen Fonds, Corendon Foundation, Fonds Kwadraat, Nederlands Instituut in Turkije Istanbul, and RAUM Utrecht.

Pembe & Eflatun (7’) is a sand animated short film, exploring the aftermath of war in a world plagued by severe drought and limited food resources, directed by Alix Bortoli and Dal Park. It follows the innkeeper couple, Pembe and Eflatun, opening their doors to a group of stranded refugee women and children. As the refugees settle in, a series of secrets begins to surface about how the couple has been managing this former prison, now inn.

The film is an adaptation of Hande Ortaç’s short story “Pembe ve Eflatun”.* With this story, Hande was awarded first prize in the Woman to Woman Story Competition by KAOS GL’s (Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association), one of the oldest and largest LGBTQ+ rights organizations in Turkey. The film was selected for competitions at different international festivals and won the Student Jury Award at the 16th StopTrik Film Festival, where it also had its Slovenian premiere.

*Hande Ortaç is the rightful owner of all copyrights of the short story called Pembe & Eflatun.

DutchCulture is one of the organisations that has the mandate to implement the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ international cultural policy, which is a joint responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. There are 24 focal countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ International Cultural Policy 2025–2028, which Turkiye is one.

DutchCulture works closely with local Dutch embassies and cultural partners to bring together relevant insights for artists, cultural organisations and creative professionals.The policy focuses on a strong position for the Dutch cultural sector abroad through visibility, exchanges and long-term partnerships. Moreover, Dutch cultural activities can support bilateral relationships with other countries, for example promoting partnerships and contributing to exchanges and dialogue.

Another aim is to harness the power of the cultural sector and creative industries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, from Sustainable Cities and Communities to Gender Equality.