The jury members for the National Short Film Competition, part of the 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival—which will take place this year from October 24 to 31, 2026—have been announced. Submissions for the competition will be accepted until Monday, August 31, 2026. The Best Short Film will be awarded 250,000 TL, while the recipient of the Short Film Jury Special Award will be presented with a statuette.
Prominent Figures from the World of Cinema on the Jury
Hakkı Kurtuluş, a jury member of the National Short Film Competition and a director, screenwriter, author, producer, and cultural historian who has directed six feature films and numerous short films to date, was born in Istanbul in 1980. He studied film, communication, and German studies at the universities of Galatasaray, Lyon, Tübingen, Paris, Berlin, and Weimar, where he also conducted academic research. Kurtuluş, who is also the author of two books, holds a Ph.D. from EPHE-Sorbonne at Paris 8 University and currently serves as a lecturer at various universities in Berlin.
Melike Kasaplar, a jury member of the National Short Film Competition, graduated from the Cinema and Television Department at Bahçeşehir University. Kasaplar began her career as an editor in 2018; throughout her career, she has edited projects featuring diverse narrative styles, including feature-length and short fiction films, as well as documentaries, experimental films, and music videos. The films she has edited have made their world premieres at prestigious national and international film festivals and have been honored with numerous awards. Kasaplar, a member of the Editors’ Solidarity (KUDA), won the Best Editing Award at the 61st Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (2024) for her work on the film Fidan and continues her work in Istanbul.
Belkıs Bayrak, a jury member of the National Short Film Competition, completed her master’s degree in the Department of Film and Television at Istanbul Bilgi University. The short films she wrote and directed, Apartman (2018) and Cemile (2021), have been screened internationally and have won various awards. Her first feature film, Gülizar (2024), had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, its European premiere at the San Sebastián Film Festival, and its Turkish premiere at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. The film, the first official co-production between Turkey and Kosovo, was selected for over 50 international festivals, including Tallinn Black Nights, IFFI Goa, Göteborg, Cleveland, Jeonju, and Arras. Gülizar has been honored with over 20 awards, including the Special Jury Prize, Best Art Director, and the Cahide Sonku Award from the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. Bayrak, a graduate of the Torino Film Lab and a member of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA), continues her productions under the umbrella of Saba Film, the company she founded; she is currently working on her second feature-length project.
Last year, the Best Short Film Award at the National Short Film Competition went to Until Death Do Us Part, directed by Deniz Koloş, while the Short Film Jury Special Award was presented to Bimba, directed by Sandra Peso. The awards for the 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival will be announced at the awards ceremony to be held on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
