Postcard: Istanbul

Stretching along both sides of the Bosphorus, the cosmopolitan Turkish city of Istanbul is a mesmerising metropolis. A bridge between Europe and Asia, a melting pot of cultures and peoples, it is steeped in tradition but also ever growing - with both historic monuments and construction sites shaping its skyline.

Amid this vitality and diversity, the 32nd edition of the Istanbul Film Festival (IFF) took place between March 30 and April 14, treating its attendees to 500 screenings of 226 films from around the world.

With a reputation for having an open-minded, intellectually curious, thought-provoking and engaged approach to cinema, the festival has a distinctive character and profile.

Azize Tan, the festival's director for the past seven years, is clear about the Istanbul Film Festival's identity. "IFF is not a red-carpet festival but a feast for the public; a platform with an open, friendly atmosphere where people can talk about the films and celebrate them together with our guest directors, who are accessible and close to the audience," she says.

With 15 thematic sections, the festival continued to promote emerging talents and new ideas, and showcase both cinematic history and cinema's strong link to the arts.

Among this year's highlights were a retrospective programme of the works of Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas along with a memorable master class that he conducted. There were also stimulating talks from Australian auteur Peter Weir - who presided over the Golden Tulip International Competition's jury - and the Greek-born, naturalised French filmmaker, Costa Gavras.

The Turkish cinema 2012-2013 section comprised 30 new works (features, documentaries and shorts) and was very much the core of the event. Human relationships, family bonds, and the quest for happiness were threads running through most of the films.