Antalya prepares for 47th Golden Orange Film Festival

Though it is still over two months away, preparations for the 47th Golden Orange Film Festival, Turkey’s top movie event, are well underway, organizers told a press conference in Istanbul on Wednesday.

The festival, organized by the Antalya Foundation for Culture and Arts with the support of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, is scheduled to take place from Oct. 9 to 14 this year in the Mediterranean province.

Antalya Mayor Mustafa Akaydın said a comprehensive program had been prepared with the Turkish Cinema Platform for the country’s longest-running culture and art event.

Famous Turkish actor Kadir İnanır will be the chairman of this year’s National Feature Film Competition, Akaydın said, adding that the festival would also host world-renowned directors, including Emir Kusturica.

The acclaimed Serbian director will be a jury member in the International Feature Film Competition, the mayor said. His films, like “Time of the Gypsies” and “Black Cat, White Cat” will also be on screen as part of special screenings of the festival.

“Also, director Megan Mylan, who won the Best Documentary Film Oscar in 2009 for her film ‘Smile Pinke,’ will be among the jury members of the Documentary Competition of the festival,” said Akaydın, adding that Serge Avedikian, who has won a Golden Palm, would be a jury member for the Short Film Competition. Other selected figures from the international arena will also be present at the festival, he added.

Screenings in prisons

As part of social responsibility projects, screens would be set up in the gardens of E- and L-type prisons in Antalya, the mayor said.

“Screenplay workshops will be organized for prisoners. The gardens of prisons will be used as a festival area, and prisoners will be able to create their dream scenarios during scenario workshops,” Akaydın said. “Also, paintings made by prisoners in August and September will be displayed to artists and audiences during the festival time in October.”

He said prisoners and artists would view the films together every night during the festival, adding that there would be film screenings and concerts in 150 spots in the city.

“The festival enthusiasm will also move to Isparta and Burdur. We can define our strategic vision as ‘social responsibility,’” the mayor said. “The efforts of artists, who act as leaders in art education, will be presented with an award starting this year – the Responsibility in Art Award. The first award will be presented to famous theater actress Müjdat Gezen.”

As part of social responsibility and awareness projects, the Tomurcuk Percussion Group, which is made up of children with disabilities, was invited to the festival, Akaydın said, adding that the Handicapped Ballet Group had prepared a special choreography for the festival. “Both groups will perform before film screenings and as part of the festival events.”

Akaydın said their goal was to introduce Antalya to the world in the fields of culture, arts and cinema. “Antalya is the most convenient region to shoot films in all genres. We will promote all cinematographic factors of Antalya, Isparta and Burdur in order to make this area an international film production center.”

He said a special visual program had also been prepared to send the festival program to cell phones and hand-held computers.

“A digital library application will be initiated, and the festival events will be known by wider masses,” he said. “This is the festival of the public, but not a certain section.”

Festival program

Antalya Foundation for Culture and Arts General Director Göksel Kumsal said this year’s festival theme was “Cinema and Social Interaction” and it would include thematic film screenings, panel discussions, exhibitions, talks and workshops under the titled “cinema and socio-political interaction,” “cinema and country interaction” and “cinema and economic interaction.”

Included among the National Feature Film Competition jury, led by İnanır, would be director Tomris Giritlioğlu, actress Meltem Cumbul, screenwriter Meral Okay, poet-writer Murathan Mungan, musician Gökhan Kırdar, cinema critic Atilla Dorsay, producer Zinos Panagiotidis and Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Secretary General Mehmet Aktekin, Kumsal said.

He said a total of 620,000 Turkish Liras would be given to films competing in 14 branches, and the best film would be awarded with 330,000 liras.

Furthermore, a new award would also be given to the best film, he said. “If the producer of this film shoots at least 15 percent of his new film in Antalya in the next two years after receiving the award, he will be given a 70,000-lira Antalya Encouragement Award,” he said.

Kumsal said this year’s “Cinema Labor Award” would be presented to Necmettin Çobanoğlu while famous theater actress Yıldız Kenter would be given the “Yıldırım Önal Memory Award.”

“The Lifetime Achievement Award will go to screenwriter Safa Önal, director and secreenwriter Ertem Göreç, artists Nur Sürer, Gülşen Bubikoğlu, Metin Akpınar and Zeki Alasya,” Kumsal said.

Kumsal also said Turkish films from the 1970s would be screened in the festival, among them the first-ever foreign film to be shot in Istanbul in 1919, by Enis Aldjelis.

“The festival will also be the stage of entertaining records,” said Kumsal, adding that artists would apply the art of marbling on a 47-meter cloth and beat the 26-meter record of Turkey in the Guinness Book of Records. “This work will be displayed in Isparta and Burdur and later put in the Antalya City Museum.”

Maradona invited to the festival

Kumsal said Kusturica’s film, “Maradona by Kusturica,” would be shown at the festival, and they had invited former Argentine coach and football demigod Diego Maradona to Antalya for the special screening.

The festival will also feature a special memoir program for the 10th anniversary of the death of actor Kemal Sunal, said Kumsal, adding that their other plan was to erect a golden orange statue, the symbol of the festival, on nearby Sıçan Island.