The importance of film festivals in city branding: the case study of Malatya International Film Festival

There is a significant increase in the number of film festivals held in Turkey in recent years. Through the film festivals organized by the city administrations, it is aimed to contribute to the art of cinema and to promote tourism-oriented cities in national and international arena. At this stage, the visitors coming to the city during the film festivals are introduced to the historical and cultural riches of the city and it is planned to have a pleasant time with guided tours. Thus, it is aimed to increase the awareness of the province where the film festival is organized for local and foreign visitors coming to the city with in the scope of film festivals. In this process, it is important to reveal the opinions of local people regarding the contribution of the film festivals to the promotion of the city to continue the support of the local people for the festivals and to contribute voluntarily to the activities carried out during the festival. For this purpose, the aim of this study is to reveal the opinions regarding the contribution of the film festivals to the promotion of the city of local people in the region where Malatya International Film Festival (MIFF) is held, which has been held since 2011. Keywords: Film Festival, City Branding, Film, Branding, Festival