Ashgabat Hosts Turkic Writers’ Forum

On October 18-19, leading cultural and literary figures gathered in Ashgabat, to attend a forum of Turkic writers organized within the program “Anau—Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2024". With a focus on the importance of preserving and developing common cultural heritage, the event attracted representatives of the writers' unions of Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, as well as prominent cultural figures of Turkmenistan. Honored guests included Ulugbek Esdevlet, president of the TURKSOY Writers' Union, and Sultan Raev, secretary general of the organization, who in his address, emphasized: “This forum is a unique platform for demonstrating the rich literary heritage of the Turkic world and passing on our common cultural heritage to future generations.” During the forum, the Union of TURKSOY Writers held a meeting to discuss promising projects for developing the literature of Turkic-speaking peoples, including programs to support young authors, the expansion of translation activities, and the organization of international literary contests. In addition to complementary activities such as poetry readings, the forum afforded students from the Turkmen State Institute of Culture, a unique opportunity to engage with prominent writers.

Turkmenistan to take part in Turkic World Documentary Film Festival

Turkmenistan has been announced as a participant in the 9th Turkic World Documentary Film Festival, which will be held in Ankara in October this year. The festival received 300 applications from nine countries, including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Hungary, and Northern Macedonia. The festival is organized by the Federation of Journalists of the Turkic World with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, the International Turkic Culture Organization (TURKSOY), and other partners. Out of 300 submitted works, 147 films passed preliminary consideration by the jury. The festival’s grand opening is scheduled for October 11 at TURKSOY's headquarters. The competition will include works in the “feature-length documentary,” “short documentary,” and “student documentary” categories. A jury consisting of documentary filmmakers and scholars of the Turkic world will choose the winners. The festival will end on November 15 with a closing ceremony and announcement of the final results.