Antalya at the heart of cinema! Happy 63rd edition!..
The country’s distinguished film festival, the International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, greets cinema lovers for the 63rd time with great excitement. We always yearn for—and need—cinema, films, original stories, culture, and the unifying power of art. We need them when we laugh and when things go well, just as we need them when facing life’s challenges or grappling with problems.
With the film selections and screenings we have prepared this year, we aimed to evoke the spirit of those intriguing film lineups characteristic of festivals past. Throughout its 62-year history, the Golden Orange has always held a pioneering position through the domestic and international films included in its program. This year, we sought to realize the primary goal of any film festival: curating a selection of films and stories that spark curiosity.
Without compromising the long-standing requirement that selected films must have their Turkish premieres at the festival, we curated ninety percent of this year’s program from films making their debut at the Golden Orange—ensuring that even non-competition films begin their local theatrical journey in Antalya.
In this edition, where we provide financial support to filmmakers through a total prize fund of 11 million, screenings will take place at six different locations, and 29 cinematic events will be held across four event venues. At the festival, where a total of 52 jury members will serve, 113 films with a combined runtime of 7,968 minutes will be presented to cinema lovers across 244 screenings.
The traditional Film Forum event will also take place during the eight-day International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, which hosts guests comprising both domestic and international cinema professionals.
We hope that this festival—centered around exceptional short and feature-length films—will once again serve as a source of inspiration for the people of Antalya and the visiting cinema professionals alike; that it will leave a warm, radiant glow and bring smiles to faces; and that it will be an experience that opens up new and unique paths in our minds, sparked by the films themselves.
We need cinema, films, and the shared experience of watching movies—specifically in the theater, on the big screen, with undivided attention. For the past three years, the Golden Orange has strived to present a unique and innovative program to film lovers in pursuit of this very goal.
I extend my gratitude to all the department coordinators and their teams, the technical screening crew, and the experienced, patient staff at Anset, all of whom worked tirelessly to ensure that the Golden Orange—this international gem and pride of our country—features an exceptional film program again this year. I offer my deepest appreciation and thanks to the Deputy Mayor of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, Ms. Büşra Özdemir; she mobilized every resource, remained mindful of the Golden Orange’s vital importance to national cinema, championed the event, and rallied everyone to ensure it was realized with the gravity and determination it deserves.
Long live the Golden Orange!
