Official Selection Announcement: Exam on the Edge of Time by İlkay Nişancı Joins the Connecting Cultures Program

The Bigger Screen is proud to announce that Exam on the Edge of Time (Zamanın Kıyısında Sınav) by Turkish filmmaker İlkay Nişancı has been officially selected for the prestigious Connecting Cultures Program. As part of this selection, the film has been awarded The Tarkovski Grant, granting it submission fee waivers to more than 20 partner festivals worldwide and a six-month streaming on Whush.com, the platform for socially relevant independent cinema.

Set in the earthquake-stricken region of Hatay, Exam on the Edge of Time explores the psychological aftermath of disaster through the eyes of students preparing for university entrance exams. As they attempt to memorize formulas and facts, each exam question becomes a trigger—summoning memories of rubble, displacement, and the painful silence of a city in mourning. In this tense atmosphere of civil inattention, the film reflects on the paradox of moving forward while carrying the unbearable weight of recent loss.

“This film is a masterclass in emotional restraint and layered storytelling,” says Kris De Meester, curator of the Connecting Cultures Program. “It speaks quietly, but with immense power. Nişancı's camera observes with tenderness and precision, allowing us to witness the struggle for normalcy in the face of collective trauma. The university exam becomes a metaphor for survival, for memory, for the haunting question of what kind of future can rise from ruins.”

İlkay Nişancı, a seasoned academic and filmmaker, has long explored the relationship between documentary form and lived experience. His work not only dissects reality but also reconstructs it with poetic sensibility. As a professor of film directing, cinematography, and editing at Istanbul University, he has helped shape a new generation of Turkish filmmakers—many of whose works have garnered international recognition.

“In Exam on the Edge of Time, I wanted to show how time doesn't always move forward,” says Nişancı. “For those living in post-disaster zones, time becomes circular, fractured. The exam is both a literal event and a symbol of navigating memory, grief, and hope. It’s not just about what they’re tested on—it’s about what they remember in spite of trying to forget.”

With its inclusion in the Connecting Cultures Program, Exam on the Edge of Time is now part of a global network that uplifts underrepresented voices and connects filmmakers from some of the world’s most challenging regions. The film will be available to stream globally via Whush.com for a limited period of six months, bringing its urgent message to a broader international audience.

For more information about the Connecting Cultures Program and to explore other selected works, visit connectingculturesprogram.com.