The 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival launched its week of cinema with a ceremony held at Antalya Sports Hall. At the ceremony, Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to acclaimed artists Tilbe Saran and Menderes Samancılar, while Suzan Kardeş and Abdurrahman Keskiner received Cinema Labor Awards.
The excitement of cinema, which will continue until October 31, has begun. The 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival welcomed cinephiles and the people of Antalya with an exuberant opening ceremony. Throughout the week, the festival will fill every corner of the city with the colors of cinema through a variety of events, while the spirit of Golden Orange will “Always” keep the light of cinema shining.
Turkey’s longest-established film festival once again rekindled the spirit of cinema in Antalya. The 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival kicked off on Saturday, October 24, with its traditional parade. Beloved figures from the worlds of cinema and television were greeted on the streets of Antalya with the enthusiastic affection and admiration of their audiences. Among the artists taking part in the parade were Menderes Samancılar, Şenay Gürler, Mehmet Özgür, Suna Yıldızoğlu, Asuman Dabak, Levent Özdilek, Bilge Şen, Fadik Sevin Atasoy, Meryem Uzerli, Leyla Smyrna Cabas, Pınar Altuğ, Emre Kınay, Büşra Pekin, Ersin Korkut, Tim Seyfi, Mehmet Esen, Yüksel Arıcı, Necmettin Çobanoğlu, Coşkun Göğen, Ümit Okur, Muttalip Müjdeci, İlyas Salman, Oben Kuday, Şennur Nogaylar, Hülya Duyar and Nurcan Eren.
Following the parade, acclaimed actors Pınar Altuğ Atacan and Emre Kınay welcomed cinema enthusiasts as they walked the red carpet at Antalya Sports Hall. Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Büşra Özdemir also greeted the guests. Emphasizing this year’s festival slogan in her speech, Özdemir said: “Our love for cinema is not temporary; Antalya’s bond with art is not temporary; nor is our determination to stand by Golden Orange. Our passion for cinema is always here, our determination is always here, our belief is always here!”
Özdemir also drew attention to this year’s special section, titled “Roots – Camera and Light”: “We receive news of wars from every corner of the world. No war is ordinary, and no child’s death is merely a news headline. This section, which focuses on the stories of filmmakers striving to create in the shadow of war, will screen 13 films from Lebanon, Iran, Palestine and Ukraine. Through these films, we will bear witness to the stories of people who continue to live, create and tell their stories amid this devastation. Our wish is that the light of cinema never goes out in any part of the world.”
Özdemir concluded her remarks: “Together, we will continue writing this story—which connects Antalya to Turkey and Turkey to the world, and carries on with determination despite everything—yesterday, today and tomorrow. Always with art, always with cinema, always with hope: may the light of cinema never fade. Long live art, long live cinema, long live Golden Orange!”
Another speaker who greeted the guests that evening was acclaimed director Derviş Zaim, chair of the National Feature Film Competition jury. Recalling that he received his first award at Golden Orange in 1996 for his debut film “Somersault in a Coffin” (“Tabutta Rövaşata”), Zaim said: “I am proud to be here as jury president after all these years; I thank the festival. Sixty-three years represent a very significant legacy, and our aim is to do justice to it. I would like to say that we are determined to do everything we can, as calmly, humbly and objectively as possible, to meet this challenge and help shape the future. I sincerely hope the festival will continue to develop and grow in the years ahead, and I have every confidence that we can achieve this together, hand in hand.”
The evening was also enlivened by Emre Kınay’s performance of songs from Yeşilçam, and the Young Achievement, Lifetime Achievement, Labor and Contribution to Cinema Awards were presented.
Lifetime Achievement Award Presented To Tilbe Saran
The festival’s first Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to acclaimed actor Tilbe Saran by directors Mehmet Binay and Caner Alper, who have worked with her on four films. Accepting the award from Caner Alper, who joked, “We’re asking her to commit to four more films; otherwise, we’ll keep the award,” Saran said: “First of all, I would like to thank the festival for deeming me worthy of such a precious award and for granting me the honor of being mentioned in the same breath as Menderes ağabey. I especially want to thank the cinema workers who never stop dreaming for this magical lantern.” She continued:
“Van Gogh said, ‘Normality is like a paved road: it is comfortable to walk on, but no flowers grow on it.’ Art is the flower that breaks through concrete and greets us. Like a dervish, the camera travels across time, borders, languages and religions, telling of what no one sees or hears, of what has been forgotten, and building bridges from heart to heart. Cinema becomes the flower that stretches its neck from beneath the stones piled upon us and stands in our way. The poet Ritsos wrote, ‘We did not come into this world only to die / Since the scent of lemons arrives at daybreak.’ May the members of parliament, journalists, lawyers, urban planners, filmmakers, bureaucrats, mayors, academics and human rights activists who are unjustly imprisoned today soon be reunited with the scent of lemon peel and with flowers.”
Menderes Samancılar Dedicates His Lifetime Achievement Award To The “Free Press”
The second Lifetime Achievement Award recipient this year was one of the masters of Turkish cinema, Menderes Samancılar. He received his award from actor Berkay Ateş, who is also his nephew. Before presenting the award, Ateş addressed the audience with these moving words:
“I am speaking from inside a leather jacket he once gave me. Years ago, Menderes ağabey came backstage at the premiere of Özcan Alper’s film ‘Dark Night’ (‘Karanlık Gece’) wearing a leather jacket and said: ‘Tuncel Kurtiz wore this jacket for years, a long time ago. Then he gave it to me, and I wore it. Now I’m giving it to you; wear it, my nephew.’ So now I am speaking about Menderes ağabey as someone looking out from inside that very jacket. I speak of Menderes ağabey, who loved the flowers of Adana’s fertile lands, as described by his beloved Orhan Kemal… Of Menderes ağabey, whose bitter chili pepper he carried in his pocket, yet whose words were sweet… Of the child who entered the Seyhan River and chased a poem, and of the poet who now gifts us poetry books… Of Menderes ağabey, who cries out about the plight of miners trapped under collapsed ground, whose voices go unheard, and who has been the voice of cotton workers, laborers and porters… Of Menderes ağabey, whom I have seen drape his jacket over the shoulders of young people fighting for their rights… Of Menderes ağabey, who, in every character he played, showed us who we are, saying in his own words, ‘We have no choice but to love one another’… Of Menderes ağabey, who keeps hope and struggle alive when he says, ‘Perhaps we are retreating now, but we will return, my nephew.’ A Lifetime Achievement Award could not suit a person more.”
The veteran actor dedicated his award to the “free press” and said: “I like to raise each award I receive in honor of something different. This year, I dedicate it to miners, villagers whose olive groves have been cut down, the families of martyrs, veterans, retirees who have not received what they earned, the poor, those sleeping on the streets, and the victims of the earthquake whose homes collapsed on them… We are so wounded—who should I raise this award for? Many groups are fighting hard right now, but this award is for press workers, especially Murat Ağırel! There can be no free country without a free press; long live the free press!”
Suzan Kardeş: “My Daughter Grew Up Without Me, I Grew Old Without Her, But My Love For Cinema Never Ended”
The recipients of the Cinema Labor Awards that evening were makeup artist Suzan Kardeş and producer Abdurrahman Keskiner. Director Ömer Faruk Sorak, who presented Kardeş with her award, noted that they had worked together for 40 years and said: “A great deal has changed over the years; Suzan has not. With the same enthusiasm and talent, she has achieved success in many areas of the industry and continues to make us proud.”
Suzan Kardeş, who described Golden Orange as Turkey’s “Oscar,” said: “I’m so glad I spent a lifetime with cinema, because cinema is unlike anything else in the world; it transports people into another world of dreams.” She dedicated her award to “everyone who has entered my life so far and all my colleagues on set.” Kardeş, who said, “My daughter grew up without me, I grew old without her, but my love for cinema never ended,” also thanked Beşiktaş Culture Center (BKM), which she said has made one of the greatest contributions to Turkish cinema.
Veteran Turkish film producer Abdurrahman Keskiner received his award from acclaimed actor Suna Yıldızoğlu. Saying that he had completed 60 years in production, Keskiner recalled that he received his first Golden Orange in 1970 for the film “Ugly Man” (“Çirkin Adam”). In addition to dozens of films, television series and documentaries, he noted that he had won five Golden Orange awards for “Mr. Muhsin” (“Muhsin Bey”), one of the landmark films of Turkish cinema. He continued: “Almost no one I worked with back then is still around. But a new generation is coming along, and they no longer have to deal with censorship or smuggle their films abroad. I sent the film ‘Hope’ (‘Umut’) abroad and spent three years dealing with the courts. Today, our colleagues are achieving success abroad, and I wholeheartedly congratulate them all. It seems our efforts were not in vain.”
This year’s Young Achievement Awards, presented to encourage emerging talents whose passions are evident at the very beginning of their cinematic journeys, went to Leyla Smyrna Cabas and Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu. Receiving her award from National Jury President Derviş Zaim, Cabas said: “I know the value of the opportunities I have been given, and I will make the best use of them. I feel fortunate to live in a world where girls and women struggle to achieve their dreams—or even to survive. I hope all young girls will have the opportunity to realize their dreams, and I hope that one day, no one will have to be lucky for that to happen.”
Actor and voice artist Şenay Gürler presented the award to Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu, who has drawn attention for his performances in successful recent projects. Gürler recalled that they had worked together on a television series when Üzümoğlu was still in high school, and that his intellectual depth had impressed her. “He had become my best friend. He is not only a good actor but also an exceptionally valuable and socially conscious person. I’m very happy to present an award to such a wonderful person,” she said.
In his acceptance speech, the young actor said, “This award belongs to the people who reached out to me, touched my life and prepared me for the world. I am only a name here,” and continued:
“I would like to thank my family, my life partner, all my fellow actors who have stood by me in everything I have done so far, my ağabeys and abl as, my mentors, and the people who have been role models for me. Along the path they opened for us, we, as young people today, may perhaps open similar opportunities for other young people tomorrow. As we watched those we have recently lost, I saw my teacher Münir Caner from Ankara State Conservatory. He was the last meddah [traditional storyteller]. Seeing him and those we have lost reminded me how important school, education, teachers and passing the torch are. The theater where I prepared for the conservatory was also the theater opened by Emre ağabey.”
This year’s Contribution to Cinema Award went to BKM, an institution that has served as a school for Turkish cinema through the works it has brought to the screen and the talents it has nurtured. Actors Ersin Korkut and Ezgi Mola accepted the award on behalf of BKM from Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Büşra Özdemir. Ezgi Mola, noting that Ersin Korkut had learned a great deal during his 30 years with BKM, said: “It was an institution whose work I had watched since childhood and whose family I dreamed of joining. Becoming part of that family later on has been an honor. We thank you for this award, which we accept on behalf of everyone credited.”
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