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The 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival opened with a ceremony under the theme “DAIMA,” Turkish for “Forever.”
The Antalya Metropolitan Municipality hosted the event at the Antalya Sports Hall.
Pinar Altug Atacan and Emre Kinay presented the evening, which paid tribute to late cinema actors with standing ovations.
The ceremony also remembered Nevzat Dogansoy, a singer, composer and lyricist known by the stage name “Nev,” who died on the same day.
Kinay performed well-known film scores from Yesilcam, the term for the classic era of Turkish cinema.
Busra Ozdemir, Acting Mayor of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality and Festival President, said in her opening speech that those present were reliving a 63-year-old story together that evening.
Ozdemir said they had put great effort into designing the festival. “We worked day and night,” she said. She added that they moved forward with great determination to carry the festival’s spirit, excitement and unifying power into the future.
“Because there are some values that are not only preserved but also grown, kept alive and entrusted to future generations. The Golden Orange is just such a value,” she said.
“We are determined to protect this legacy, to grow it even further, and to carry it from Antalya to all of Türkiye and the world.”
Ozdemir noted that their love for cinema and Antalya’s bond with the arts are not temporary and said their resolve to protect the Golden Orange is not temporary either.
Emphasizing that their passion for cinema is permanent, she said, “Our determination, our faith is forever.” She added, “That is why the slogan of our 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival is DAIMA.”
Ozdemir said they receive news of war from all over the world. “On our screens we see destroyed cities, people torn from their homes, children who have lost their lives. No war is ordinary. No child’s death is merely a news headline.”
She said that, with this understanding, they had added a special section titled “Roots, Light and Camera” to this year’s program. The section focuses on the stories of filmmakers trying to create in the shadow of war, and 13 films from Lebanon, Iran, Palestine and Ukraine will be screened.
She said that through these films, they will bear witness to the stories of people who continue to live, create and tell their stories amid destruction.
“Our wish is very clear: may guns not speak anywhere in the world; may art, culture and the common language of humanity speak, and may the light of cinema never go out in any part of the world,” she said. “Our goal is to uphold this tradition."
National Feature Film Jury President Dervis Zaim said he had the chance to show his first film in 1996 and that the first film award of his life was also won in Antalya.
Noting that the festival is completing its 63rd year, Zaim said, “After so many years, being here as jury president is a source of pride.” He added, “I hope that our festival will continue to grow in the years ahead.”
At the ceremony, actors Menderes Samancilar and Tilbe Saran were given the “Honorary Award,” while producer Abdurrahman Keskiner and artist Suzan Kardes received the “Labor Award.”
Samancilar said he was happy to be deemed worthy of the award, adding that he received his first award in Antalya in 1979 for the film “Sis.”
Saran thanked cinema workers and said cinema builds bridges from heart to heart.
Kardes said she had received “Türkiye’s Oscar.” She added, “My daughter grew up without me, I grew old without her, but our love of cinema never ended.”
Keskiner said this is his 61st year in cinema and that he received his first award from the Antalya Film Festival in 1970.
Noting that he won five awards in 1987 with the film “Muhsin Bey,” he said, “I have made nearly 70 films, six TV series, and many documentaries.”
The “Young Achievement Awards” went to actors Cem Yigit Uzumoglu and Leyla Smyrna Cabas. Cabas said she was excited and that she knows well the value of the opportunities given to her.
Uzumoglu thanked the selection committee, his family, his spouse, and the leading figures of cinema who have been role models for him.
The “Special Award for Contribution to Cinema” was presented to the Besiktas Cultural Center (BKM), a film and theater production company in Istanbul. Actors Ersin Korkut and Ezgi Mola received the award from Acting Mayor Ozdemir.
The festival will conclude on Oct. 31.
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