Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival opens with parade, red carpet

ANTALYA

DHA Photo

Celebrating decades of cinematic heritage under the banner “DAİMA,” the 63rd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival kicks off in the southern coastal city with a traditional parade and red carpet gala featuring top figures from Turkish cinema and television.

Hosted by Antalya Municipality, the parade brought together well-known actors including Meryem Uzerli, Menderes Samancılar, İlyas Salman, Coşkun Göğen, Emre Kınay, Pınar Altuğ Atacan, Fadik Sevin Atasoy, Büşra Pekin, Leyla Smyrna Cabas, Levent Özdilek, Muttalip Müjdeci and Ersin Korkut.

The artists greeted residents from open-top cars, took photographs with fans and threw carnations to the crowds. Antalya Municipality Deputy Mayor Büşra Özdemir also joined the procession.

Starting in front of the Atatürk Cultural Center, the parade followed a route along Sakıp Sabancı Boulevard, 100th Year Avenue, Güllük Street, Cumhuriyet Square, the area in front of the governor’s office, Atatürk Street and Işıklar Street before ending at Karaalioğlu Park. Crowds gathered along streets and avenues to watch the procession.

The festival’s opening ceremony began with a red carpet event outside Antalya Sports Hall, where cinema and television personalities posed for the press. Held this year under the theme “DAİMA” (Always), the festival attracted a large number of cinema enthusiasts.
Derviş Zaim, head of the National Feature Film Competition jury, said the festival’s 63rd edition marked an important milestone.

“This is a well-established festival that has been held for 63 years. Its continuation is important for our cultural development and growth,” Zaim said. “As a jury, we will do our best to be as fair as possible.”

Actress Hülya Duyar described the festival as a special occasion, saying she was excited to meet cinema lovers and planned to watch films throughout the week. Veteran actor İlyas Salman also expressed his happiness at attending, stressing the importance of people coming together for cinema.

Menderes Samancılar, one of the actors set to receive an Honorary Award, thanked those who had contributed to organizing the event and described it as one of Türkiye’s major film festivals.

“We will always continue to stand by the festival,” Samancılar said.

Tilbe Saran underlined the festival’s importance for Turkish cinema, while Muttalip Müjdeci said he was pleased to see the strong public interest. Şenay Gürler also emphasized the value of the festival’s annual tradition, adding that she wanted to watch all the films.
The festival will run until Oct. 31.

The program will feature films from Iran, Palestine, Ukraine and Lebanon. Ticket prices for the festival are symbolic, with children’s films screened free of charge. Discounted tickets will cost 20 Turkish Liras, while full-price tickets will be sold for 50 liras.