The Ankara International Wildlife Documentary Film Festival has started entirely as an individual journey rather than an institutional one.

As the founder of the festival, I, Ece Soydam, retired from TRT in 2024, after approximately 20 years of creating wildlife documentaries there. The many wildlife documentary film festivals I have attended have made me realize how useful and entertaining these events can be for both documentary filmmakers and audiences. I began to wonder why a similar festival should not be organized in Türkiye.

At that point, thanks to the partnership of Çiğdem Education, Environment and Solidarity Association and Nature Conservation Center, my goal of organizing a festival turned into an official initiative. Later, with the support of many institutions and individuals, we reached the stage where we could bring the festival to life.

As our supporters grow and our team expands, we will continue to announce updates on this page. Many thanks again to all the institutions and individuals who have contributed to Turkey's first wildlife documentary film festival.