The 63rd Antalya International Golden Orange Film Festival continues to honor the legacy of veteran film critic Sungu Çapan through the “Sungu Çapan Film Critics Jury.”
The members of the Sungu Çapan Film Critics Jury have been announced for the International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival—Turkey’s longest-running film festival—which will take place from October 24–31, 2026. Two separate three-member juries, comprising film critics and reviewers from both Turkey and around the world, will evaluate the films in the national and international competitions.
This year’s Sungu Çapan Film Critics National Jury includes Ayşe Toy Par, Aydın Çam, and Erke Dzhumakmatova. The jury for the international competition consists of Başak Bıçak, Haktan Kaan İçel, and Aleksandra Markovic.
Sungu Çapan National Jury of Film Critics:
Ayşe Toy Par, an associate professor at Galatasaray University’s Faculty of Communication, has published nationally and internationally on early cinema, identity in cinema, and the film industry. A member of the boards of directors of MEDIAR and SIAMER, Par has been a member of the organizing committee of the Galatasaray University Sinepark Short Film Festival since 2007.
Prof. Dr. Aydın Çam, a faculty member at the Faculty of Communication at Çukurova University, focuses his research on the cinematic history of the Çukurova Region—particularly Adana—as well as viewing experiences, the informal cinema economy, and cultural heritage. Conducting academic research on topics such as traveling cinema in the Toros highland villages, local films, and the mapping of Adana’s cinematic history, Çam has published numerous articles both nationally and internationally. Çam served as a researcher on projects supported by TÜBİTAK, including “A Data-Driven, Digital, and Open Approach to Turkish Cinema History: An Analysis of the Stylistic Characteristics of Yeşilçam Films” and “Film Festivals in Turkey: Structure, Economy, Operation, and Audience Profile (Antalya, Adana, Istanbul, and Ankara Film Festivals).”
Erke Dzhumakmatova, a Kyrgyz producer, screenwriter, and director, serves as an expert and consultant on creative industries, regional and international film co-productions, and collaboration. As the founder and director of Oymo Studio LLC, Erke Dzhumakmatova has participated in prestigious international film programs and workshops such as Berlinale Talents, B’EST, EAVE, Produire au Sud, Asian Project Market, and Series Mania Forum, held in Germany, Estonia, France, South Korea, and other countries. Dzhumakmatova, who is also a member of the National Cinematography Council of the Kyrgyz Republic, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Kyrgyz Republic Filmmakers’ Union, and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Kyrgyz Film Producers Association (ALE), has prepared analytical studies, reports, and strategy documents for UNESCO, the Department of Cinematography of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Kinokultura platform.
Awarded the honorary title of “Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Culture of the Kyrgyz Republic,” Dzhumakmatova serves as Head of Development and International Relations at the Bishkek International Film Festival; and also chairs the festival’s industry programs—CAF PITCH (Central Asian Film Projects Pitching Event) and the Industry Section of Bars In Progress—which aim to support and promote film projects from Central Asian countries at various stages of production.
Her latest film, *Kurak* (2025), for which she served as screenwriter, producer, and director, is the largest international co-production in Central Asia, involving Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland, France, Serbia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Italy. The world premiere of *Kurak* took place at the Busan International Film Festival (South Korea), one of Asia’s most prestigious film festivals, where the film won two awards.
Sungu Çapan International Jury of Film Critics:
Film critic and film historian Başak Bıçak graduated from the Department of History at Dokuz Eylül University, where she also specialized in French Studies. Her master’s thesis was published as a book in 2020 under the title Modernization from Monarchy to Republic: The Impact of French Republicanism on Ottoman-Turkish Modernization. She translated Irène Mélikoff’s work *We Were Asleep, They Warned Us: On the Traces of Turkish Sufism, Studies on Anatolian Popular Islam* from French into Turkish. Bıçak, who is continuing his research on cinema in the French Studies doctoral program at Complutense University of Madrid, has had articles published in various outlets since 2012, including *Öteki Sinema*, *Filmarası Dergisi*, *Beyazperde*, and *Akşam Gazetesi*; since 2021, he has been writing film reviews for *Cumhuriyet Gazetesi*.
Haktan Kaan İçel, a graduate of the Radio, Film, and TV Department at Maltepe University’s Faculty of Communication, began his work in the field of cinema by directing short films. İçel has also worked as a screenwriter on television series. Over the years, his film writings have appeared in Cinedergi, Pera Sinema, Bakınız, and various other film publications. İçel continues to publish his film writings in Arakat Mag and Medium, and hosts programs on cinema on the Sinefil Kafası YouTube channel. As an author of children’s and young adult literature, İçel has 15 books published under the Timaş Çocuk imprint.
Aleksandra Markovic, a film producer, editor, and film educator with over 15 years of experience in the fields of film, television, and higher education, has a special interest in cinematic narrative, auteur cinema (the auteur approach), editing, and socially conscious cinema. Markovic’s professional work encompasses directing, editing, film criticism and analysis, serving on festival juries, and teaching.
Aleksandra Markovic’s films have been screened at international festivals, and her work as a jury member involves evaluating films from diverse cultural and cinematic traditions. In addition to her film production work, Aleksandra Markovic teaches film courses at SAE Institute London, where she aims to contribute to film production, post-production, film analysis, and the development of the next generation of filmmakers.
