A group of teachers working in Şanlıurfa decided to use the universal language of cinema as a tool to touch students' extracurricular lives.
Under the title “Young People of Our Future,” one-minute documentaries were made about the lives of students who, after graduating from school, worked as tailors, bakers, bagel sellers and salespeople.
The team then focused on the observed social vulnerabilities and trauma of children with temporary protection status and received awards for their short film “Heny” both at the EBA Short Film Competition and internationally.
After these successes, Süleyman Çoban, Mehmet Nişancı, Ömer İzci, Sami Epbaygün and Vedat Smart, who founded the cultural, art and cinema community Vefa Yokuşu, investigated the hidden stories in the old streets of Şanlıurfa. Films such as “Bereket,” “Şuayb” and “Soğmatar,” which combine universal themes of morality, justice and mercy with local stories, have been deemed worthy of new awards at home and abroad.
The work took on a new dimension when Vefa Hill's path crossed with the Young STEM Association, whose aim is to bring technology to the most remote villages of Şanlıurfa.
Vefa Yokuşu and Young STEM teams came together and participated in the TEKNOFEST 2025 Artificial Intelligence Short Film Competition. The artificial intelligence film “Our Sky Kubbemiz”, which brings together El-Cezeri, Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi, Piri Reis and Ibn-i Sina with the language of the digital age, won second place in Türkiye.
At TEKNOFEST, the team crossed paths with HAVELSAN, which has developed artificial intelligence-based solutions for the Turkish defense industry.
It was decided to make short films for HAVELSAN in order to bring artificial intelligence technology to a large audience and raise awareness of this field. The first study was carried out on the 102nd anniversary of the Republic.
In this context, in line with the spirit of the centuries-old Republic of Türkiye, a short film entitled “Heritage” was launched, which describes the horizon of the Turkish nation on the stage of history.
The Vefa Yokuşu team, which works in Şanlıurfa, Istanbul, Kahramanmaraş and Düzce, continues its work in Şanlıurfa.
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