Panels, forums, talks and workshops will be held as part of the 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.
Taking place from 24 to 31 October 2026, the International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Türkiye’s longest-running film festival, will address current issues in the film industry, production processes and the transformations shaping its future through a series of panels, forums, talks and workshops. Bringing together directors, producers, actors and industry professionals, these events will take place from 26 to 31 October.
The festival’s panel programme will open on Monday, 26 October, at 13:00 with “KUDA – The Director–Editor Relationship in Filmmaking,” bringing together experienced editors Melike Kasaplar, İsmet Araç and Naim Kanat from the Editors’ Solidarity Association (KUDA). The panel will explore how a film’s narrative takes shape in the editing room and how a director’s vision meets the editor’s perspective. Drawing on the editing process, which determines a film’s rhythm, narrative and emotional impact, the discussion will consider the creative collaboration between directors and editors, the contribution of differing perspectives to a film, and the role of shared decisions and disagreements in the production process.
The panel “The Future of Cinema: Climate-Focused Transformation in the Film Industry,” to be held on Wednesday, 28 October, at 11:00, will examine the effects of the climate crisis on the film industry. Moderated by Yeşim Girgin and featuring Ersin Gök, Dr Aylin Dağsalgüler, Alphan Eröztürk, Mustafa Özgür Berke and Dicle Tuba Kılıç, the session will discuss “green storytelling,” which brings climate issues into narratives, as well as practices aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of film sets. International certifications, the current situation in Türkiye and the role festivals can play in encouraging progress in this area will be assessed through the work of the “Yeşil Setler Mümkün” (Green Sets Are Possible) team.
The panel “Beyond Location: How Talent Attracts International Co-Productions,” taking place on Thursday, 29 October, at 11:00, will focus on Türkiye’s acting talent and potential in international co-productions. Moderated by Cemal Hünal, the session will feature Lucinda Syson, Harika Uygur and David Zitzlsperger, representing Filmmakers Europe. It will examine the role of casts, experienced crews and technical infrastructure in location choices for international productions. Possible steps to help actors based in Türkiye take part in more international projects will also be considered, with a focus on foreign-language skills, casting expertise, logistical opportunities and costs.
At 13:00 on the same day, the panel “We Win Awards, But What Do We Experience? An Industry Meeting with the Actors’ Union” will discuss challenges actors face in their working lives and issues shared across the industry. Featuring Gizem Erman Soysaldı and Demet Koca, the session will address safe sets, the right to organise, child actors, intimacy coordination, green sets and voice-over work. The meeting will also highlight the work of the Actors’ Union, with experiences and proposed solutions shared on making labour visible, protecting professional rights and ensuring secure working conditions.
The panel “Senarist-Bir: The Screenplay of the Future,” scheduled for Friday, 30 October, at 12:00, will discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on screenwriting and the film industry. Moderated by Perihan Taş Öz and featuring Dr Ebru Yarkın and Eylem Canpolat, the session will consider the opportunities AI offers for screenwriting and its potential effects on originality. Copyright, transparency in the use of AI, automation’s impact on emerging screenwriters, changes in producer–screenwriter relationships and AI’s role in greenlighting projects will also be discussed. The panel will explore AI’s limitations in conveying humour, cultural codes and human emotion, as well as how it might be used as a virtual first reader in screenplay evaluation.
Golden Orange to Explore Key Issues Shaping Cinema
The forum “From Local to Global: International Co-Productions Through a Producer’s Lens,” taking place on Monday, 26 October, at 11:00, will examine co-production processes in international cinema from the perspectives of directors and producers. The session will feature Iranian producer Milad Khosravi, known for his independent productions at international festivals and in film circles, and Romanian director and producer Ana Maria Pirvan. They will discuss a project’s journey from its initial idea to the international market. Access to funding, the balance between creative freedom and financial requirements, and the opportunities offered by international collaborations will be explored through the guests’ own project experiences.
The forum “Evaluation Criteria: An Insider’s Perspective,” scheduled for Tuesday, 27 October, at 11:00, will take a closer look at how television channels, digital platforms and production companies select projects. Moderated by Hüma Deniz Çahan, the session will feature Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz, Vice President of Skydance Group, and Erdi Işık, Drama Development Manager at Ay Yapım. They will discuss the story structures and content preferences that stand out when new projects are evaluated, as well as the qualities a pitch deck should have. Factors that influence whether projects are accepted and common mistakes made during applications will be considered in light of the guests’ experience in content selection and project development.
The forum “Short Film Distribution: What Happens After the Festival?” will take place on Tuesday, 27 October, at 12:00 and explore how short films can reach audiences after their festival run. Featuring Esra Güzel of Lands of Cinema and short-film distributor Ramazan Kılıç, the session will examine sales, marketing and distribution through digital platforms. Distribution and funding mechanisms, copyright and licensing processes, and ways directors and producers can sustain the circulation of their films after festivals will also be discussed.
Golden Orange to Address Accessible Cinema and Creative Production Processes
The talk “Can We Watch Films Together? Accessible Cinema,” taking place on Saturday, 31 October, at 14:00, will explore accessibility in cinema and inclusive screening experiences. Emrah Kalan and Kıvanç Yalçıner, co-founders of the Be In! Accessible Festivals Network and the Accessible Films Festival, will join the session moderated by Berk Şenöz. Following the “Accessible Films” screenings, examples of accessible cinema in Türkiye and around the world will be discussed, along with the importance of accessible cinema and practices spanning film production through to screening.
The workshop “The Director–Cinematographer Relationship and New Technologies in Cinema,” to be held on Friday, 30 October, at 11:00, will bring director Uğur İçbak and Gizem İbak together with participants. Exploring how the emotion of a scene informs visual choices and the creative collaboration between director and cinematographer, the workshop will use the production “Eudaimonia” to examine how XR and LED-screen technologies affect the atmosphere of a screenplay, the relationship between actors and space, and collaborative decision-making on set. Behind-the-scenes footage will also inform a discussion of the relationship between the reality created on the shooting stage and the images audiences see on screen.
The workshop “How Did We Get Into This? On-Set Stories from Two Designers,” scheduled for Saturday, 31 October, at 11:00, will explore the place of art direction and production design in the film industry. With Natali Yeres and Osman Özcan, the session will trace how a film’s visual world is created, from visual concept and atmosphere design to location selection. The responsibilities of production designers and art directors, and their creative relationships with other departments on set, will be discussed through examples from the guests’ own projects.
PANEL, FORUM, TALK AND WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Monday, 26 October 2026
11:00 — Forum 1 – From Local to Global: International Co-Productions Through a Producer’s Lens
13:00 — Panel – KUDA: The Director–Editor Relationship in Filmmaking
Tuesday, 27 October 2026
11:00 — Forum 2 – Evaluation Criteria: An Insider’s Perspective
12:00 — Forum 3 – Short Film Distribution: What Happens After the Festival?
Wednesday, 28 October 2026
11:00 — Panel – The Future of Cinema: Climate-Focused Transformation in the Film Industry
Thursday, 29 October 2026
11:00 — Panel – Beyond Location: How Talent Attracts International Co-Productions
13:00 — Panel – We Win Awards, But What Do We Experience? An Industry Meeting with the Actors’ Union
Friday, 30 October 2026
11:00 — Workshop 1 – The Director–Cinematographer Relationship and New Technologies in Cinema
12:00 — Panel – Senarist-Bir: The Screenplay of the Future
Saturday, 31 October 2026
11:00 — Workshop 2 – How Did We Get Into This? On-Set Stories from Two Designers
14:00 — Talk – Can We Watch Films Together? Accessible Cinema
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