urkey’s longest-running film festival, the Antalya International Golden Orange Film Festival, will take place from October 24 to 31, 2026. This year’s Honorary Awards will be presented to Menderes Samancılar and Tilbe Saran.

Actor Menderes Samancılar, who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, has appeared in over 100 feature films, television series, and digital platform productions throughout his artistic career spanning more than 50 years—from Yeşilçam to contemporary cinema. Menderes Samancılar is recognized as one of the most respected artists in Turkish cinema for his powerful character performances, creative collaborations with directors from different generations, his work in international cinema, and a career that has spanned various eras of Turkish cinema.

Samancılar took his first step into the arts in 1974 after being named Character King in the Photo Novel King Contest organized by Kelebek Newspaper. A year later, he began his film career with İnce Memed Vuruldu, directed by Yılmaz Duru. He subsequently appeared in numerous films, including Kara Çarşaflı Gelin, Güneşli Bataklık, Fırat’ın Cinleri, Kanal, Ward No. 72 (72. Koğuş), The Junk Dealer and His Sons (Eskici ve Oğulları), Whistle If You Return (Dönersen Islık Çal), Mist (Sis), Zıkkımın Kökü, On Fertile Lands (Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde), I Saw the Sun (Güneşi Gördüm), My Father's Wings (Babamın Kanatları) and The Door (Kapı).

Having built a distinguished career in Türkiye, Menderes Samancılar also established a strong presence in international cinema. He worked with Academy Award-winning French director Claude Lelouch, internationally acclaimed Iranian-Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, renowned Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Kurdish-French director Hiner Saleem, and Italian director Alberto Rondalli, successfully representing Turkish acting in international co-productions.

Throughout his career, Samancılar has received numerous prestigious awards. In 1989, he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival for Sis (The Fog). He later received the Best Actor Award at the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, the Best Supporting Actor Award from the Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD), and the Best Actor Award from the Contemporary Cinema Actors Association (ÇASOD) for Zıkkımın Kökü. For Gözetleme Kulesi (Watchtower), he earned another Best Supporting Actor Award at the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival. His performance in Babamın Kanatları (My Father's Wings) marked one of the most significant achievements of his career, winning him the Best Actor Award at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, the Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD), and the Frankfurt Turkish Film Festival. In 2016, Samancılar was honored with the Honorary Award by the Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD). His enduring contributions to the arts and Turkish cinema have also been recognized with the Orhon Murat Arıburnu Best Actor Award, the Aziz Nesin Labor Award at the Ankara International Film Festival, and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Frankfurt Turkish Film Festival.

In addition to his acting career, Menderes Samancılar has made significant contributions to the development of film culture in Türkiye. He continues to support the growth of the International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival as the Chairman of its Executive Board, while also serving as the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Şile Children's Directors Film Festival, a festival in whose establishment he played a pioneering role, helping introduce children and young filmmakers to the world of cinema. Extending his artistic practice through theater and published poetry collections, Samancılar continues to create as a multifaceted cultural figure who has devoted his life to cinema and the arts.

Actress and voice artist Tilbe Saran, who received the Honorary Award at the 63rd Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, has performed in more than thirty stage productions with numerous theater companies, including Kenter Theatre, Dormen Theatre, Istanbul City Theatres (1989–1995), Aksanat Production Theatre (1995–2005), of which she was a founding member, Aysa Production Theatre, Semaver Kumpanya, Tiyatro Pera, and Pürtelaş Theatre. She also appeared in the special production Nâzım'a Armağan (A Tribute to Nâzım) with Dostlar Theatre under the direction of Genco Erkal.

 Throughout her film career, Tilbe Saran has appeared in landmark productions representing different periods of Turkish cinema, including Kırlangıç Fırtınası (The Storm of Swallows, 1985), Bir Erkeğin Anatomisi (Anatomy of a Man, 1996), Kaç Para Kaç (Money for Nothing, 1998), Korkuyorum Anne (Mommy, I'm Scared!, 2004), Beş Vakit (Times and Winds, 2006), Turquaze and Ezber (Memorization, 2009), Zenne (2012), Çekmeceler (Drawers, 2015), Yol Ayrımı (Intersection, 2017), Seni Buldum Ya (I've Found You, 2021), and Bergen (2022). Saran received her first film award in 2011, winning the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 48th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival for her performance in Zenne.

Saran has also received numerous theater awards for her performances in productions such as King Lear, Uncle Vanya, One-Person City (Tek Kişilik Şehir), Creditors, Mother Courage, and Abelard and Heloise. She studied under some of Türkiye’s most distinguished theater masters, including Yıldız Kenter, Haldun Dormen, Engin Uludağ, and Müjdat Gezen.

 Since its establishment, Tilbe Saran has been actively involved in the Actors' Union, serving a second term as its Secretary General. Alongside her acting career, she has continued her work as an educator and currently teaches in the Department of Theatre at Kadir Has University, contributing to the training of new generations of actors.

Since 2016, Saran has also been running a workshop in Portakallık Village, Muğla, converted from a former barn, where she brings together people of different ages and professions around a shared table, creating opportunities for learning, dialogue, and the exchange of experiences.

Last year, the festival's Honorary Awards were presented to Serap Aksoy and Settar Tanrıöğen. This year, the awards will be presented to their recipients during the festival's opening ceremony on Saturday, October 24, 2026.