happiness
18 min., The Netherlands/Turkey, 2025
Director
Fırat Yücel
Written and produced by
Fırat Yücel, Aylin Kuryel
Editing
Fırat Yücel
Cinematography
Fırat Yücel
Sound mix
Metin Bozkurt
DCP
Soner Daştan
International Distribution
Kino Rebelde
The film chronicles the sleepless nights of a group of activists, eyes fixed on screens as they follow the news from Palestine and the region. In Amsterdam, far from their home countries, police violence and the threat of deportation glue them to digital interfaces night after night.
Engaging with anti-colonial resistance across screens and streets, “happiness” is a desktop diary reflecting on the tensions between blue light and the daylight.
Screenings and awards
- WORLD PREMIERE and AWARDS
- Visions du Réel International Documentary Film Festival, Medium Length & Short Film Competition Nyon, April 2025 World Premiere
- NeMaf Seoul International ALT Cinema & Media Arts Festival, Seoul, August 2025 Best Glocal Film Award
- Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, Adana, September 2025 Best International Short Film Award
- Terraviva Film Festival, Bologna, Aralık 2025 Best Short Film Award
- OTHER SCREENINGS
- IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Opening Film (Best of Fests), Netherlands, Amsterdam, November 2025 Netherlands Premiere
- Ayvalık International Film Festival, Turkey, Ayvalık, 2025
- BIEFF Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival, Romania, Bucharest, 2025
- INTERSECCIÓN International Film Festival, Spain, A Coruña, 2025
- Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada, Vancouver, 2025
- DokumentArt Films & Future, Germany, Neubrandenburg, 2025
- Middle East Now Festival, Italy, Florence, 2025
- Kaohsiung Film Festival, Taiwan, Kaohsiung, 2025
- BFI London Film Festival, UK, London, 2025
- DOXS RUHR, Germany, Duisburg, 2025
- Uppsala International Short Film Festival, Sweden, Uppsala, 2025
- Izmir International Short Film Festival, Turkey, Izmir, 2025
- PARISCIENCE International Science Film Festival, France, Paris, 2025
- INTERFILM International Short Film Festival, Germany, Berlin, 2025
- BISFF Beijing International Short Film Festival, China, Beijing, 2025
- Kasseler Dokfest, Germany, Kassel, 2025
- Doha Film Festival, Qatar, Doha, 2025
- Which Human Rights? Film Festival, Turkey, 2025
- Vilnius International Short Film Festival, Lithuania, Vilnius, 2026
- Internationale Kurzfilmwoche Regensburg, Germany, Regensburg, 2026
- Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece, Thessaloniki, 2026
- Movies that Matter Festival + MTM On Tour Program, Netherlands, 2026
- Istanbul Experimental Film Festival, Turkey, Istanbul, 2026
- Eye on Art Series | Eye Filmmuseum, Netherlands, Amsterdam, 2026
- "Future is Short" Program | Istanbul Modern, Turkey, Istanbul, 2026
- Go Short International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, Netherlands, Nijmegen, 2026
- ZAGREBDOX International Documentary Film Festival, Croatia, Zagreb, 2026