The 57th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival has come to an end following the Closing and Awards Ceremony. The Golden Orange’s Best Film in the National Competition was Ghosts (Hayaletler), directed by Azra Deniz Okyay and Best Film in the International Competition was Quo Vadis, Aida?, directed by Jasmila Žbanić.
Hosted by the Municipality of Antalya with the support of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the 57th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival has ended with a ceremony held at the Under the Stars 1 open-air cinema. Following a week of full-on cinema for the people of Antalya that began on October 3, the Festival’s closing ceremony saw the presentation of the Golden Orange awards.
Quo Vadis, Aida? named Best Film in International Competition
A jury made up of the Turkish screenwriter and director, Emin Alper, the Romanian producer, Ada Solomon, the Artistic Director of Les Arcs and Tribeca Film Festivals, Frederic Boyer, the Iranian actor and director, Niki Karimi, and Brazilian video artist, director and screenwriter, Sandra Kogut, judged the 10 films screening in the International Feature Film Competition. And their votes went to Jasmila Žbanić’s Quo Vadis, Aida? for Best Film.
Unable to be at the Festival due to the pandemic, Jasmila Žbanić sent a video message in which she said: ‘This film came about through the collaboration of nine different countries. I emphasize this because I think now more than ever we need to show that we’re trying to understand each other better by telling our different stories together. This award will help the film to be watched by more people, as well as bringing us together through our love of cinema and for each other.’
Best Director: Massoud Bakhshi
The jury gave the Best Director Award to Iranian director, Massoud Bakhshi, for his film, Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness.
In a message, which he began by thanking the Festival team, Massoud Bakhshi said: ‘I am really happy and proud to have won Best Director at the Antalya International Film Festival. I hope that my film gives everyone who watches it a better understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness.’
Natasa Stork, who picked up Best Actress Award for her performance in the film, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, began her message with a few words of thanks and went on: ‘This award is a huge honor for me. It was my first time playing the lead role in a feature film. And for me, it was an incredible journey into the world of a soul full of love. My guide on this journey was the film’s director, Lili Horvát. By following her sensitive and brilliant guidance, I was really able to appreciate playing the character of Màrta.’
The Best Actor Award was shared by Ali Suliman for his performance in 200 Meters and Salim Daw for his role in Gaza Mon Amour.
Ali Suliman thanked everyone and added: ‘Tonight of all nights when I’m celebrating my birthday, winning this award is a great honor for me and a massive birthday present. I’m sad not to be with you all tonight because of the pandemic. I hope that all the walls around Palestine will one day come down. With peace and love...’
In his message, Salim Daw started by thanking the directors, Tarzan and Arab Nasser, as well as the Festival and jury, and said: ‘I’m really excited to receive this award. I would love to have been there with you and to have thanked you in person, but I send all of you my love and very best wishes from my home in Haifa.’
This year, 12 films screened in the National Feature Film Competition for awards in 16categories worth a total of TL770 thousand. Chaired by the screenwriter, actor, director and author, Ercan Kesal, the jury comprised screenwriter, journalist, author and actor, Gülse Birsel, screenwriter and director, Kıvanç Sezer, actor and voice-over artist, Taner Birsel, and the journalist, author and theater critic Zeynep Oral. Collectively, the jury named Azra Deniz Okyay’s film Ghosts (Hayaletler) Best Film. Announcing the award, Zeynep Oral explained the reasoning behind the jury’s decision: ‘This is a powerful film that has soberly captured the zeitgeist in its bold portrayal of the darkness in which we live; it breaks the mold, shocks and surprise us, and will serve as an inspiration for similar work in Turkish cinema.’
Five awards to Ghosts
Ghosts (Hayaletler) came away from the ceremony with five awards, including Best Film. While Azra Deniz Okyay took Best Director for the film, nods also went to Ayris Alptekin for Best Editing and to Emrah Özdemir for Best Supporting Actor. The Best Supporting Actress Award was shared by Nalan Kuruçim for her performance in Ghosts and Nezaket Erden for her role in Two Types of People (İnsanlar İkiye Ayrılır).
Elsewhere, the Dr. Avni Tolunay Special Jury Prize was awarded to Fractured (Çatlak), a film directed by Fikret Reyhan, and the Behlül Dal Best First Film Award to Ferit Karol’s Penny Bank (Kumbara).
The winner of the Best Screenplay Award was Tunç Şahin for his film, Two Types of People (İnsanlar İkiye Ayrılır).
Best Actor Award to Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan
Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan picked up the Best Actor Award for his role in the film, Weasel (Gelincik), while Best Actress was awarded to the co-leads in Fractured (Çatlak), Tuğçe Yolcu, Süreyya Kilimci, Elif Ürse, Gülçin Kültür Şahin and Canan Atalay.
In the Shadows collects five awards
In the Shadows (Gölgeler İçinde), directed by Erdem Tepegöz, left the evening with five awards, including Best Cinematography for Hayk Kirakosyan, Best Music for Greg Dombrowski and Best Art Director for Armen Ghazaryan.
The Film-Yön Best Director Award, given by the Turkish Film Directors’ Association jury which comprised Çiğdem Vitrinel, Faysal Soysal and Tunç Davut, also went to Erdem Tepegöz’s In the Shadows, as did the Turkish Film Critics’ Association (SİYAD) Award, which was given by a jury made up of film critics Coşkun Çokyiğit, Gül Yaşartürk and Murat Tırpan.
Cahide Sonku Award goes to Asiye Dinçsoy, Betül Esener and Dudu Yetik
The TL50 thousand Cahide Sonku Award was inaugurated last year in memory of the Turkish actress, Cahide Sonku, to raise the profile and visibility of women working in the Turkish film industry. This year the winners of the award were actors Asiye Dinçsoy, Betül Esener and Dudu Yetik, the lead cast of Nesimi Yetik’s It’s All About Peace and Harmony (Dirlik Düzenlik).
Phases of Matter wins Best Documentary
The 10 films selected for the National Documentary Film Competition were reviewed by a jury comprising the director, Bingöl Elmas, director and video artist, Köken Ergun, and the director, producer and academic, Kurtuluş Özgen. The Best Documentary Film was awarded to Deniz Tortum’s Phases of Matter (Maddenin Halleri) for “its original narrative, powerful and innovative visual style, and making the invisible visible”. The Special Jury Prize was won by Serdar Kökçeoğlu’s Mimaroglu: the Robinson of Manhattan Island (Mimaroğlu) for “its intimate portrayal of an artist’s life and its masterful use of visual and audio archive material”.
Mamaville is Best Short Film
The 12 films selected to screen in the National Short Film Competition were considered by a jury composed of the actress, Cemre Ebuzziya, film curator and critic, Müge Turan, and the director, Ömür Atay. While Irmak Karasu’s Mamaville was awarded Best Short Film, Mahmut Taşkın’s The Thousand and One Nights (Binbir Gece) won the Special Jury Prize.
57TH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
COMPETITION AWARDS
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
Best Film: Quo Vadis, Aida? dir. Jasmila Žbanić
Best Director: Massoud Bakhshi (Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness)
Best Actor: Ali Suliman (200 Meters), Salim Daw (Gaza Mon Amour)
Best Actress: Natasa Stork (Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time)
NATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
Best Film: Ghosts / Hayaletler, dir. Azra Deniz Okyay
Dr. Avni Tolunay Special Jury Prize: Fractured / Çatlak, dir. Fikret Reyhan
Behlül Dal Best First Film Award: Ferit Karol (Penny Bank / Kumbara)
Best Director: Azra Deniz Okyay (Ghosts / Hayaletler)
Cahide Sonku Award: Asiye Dinçsoy, Betül Esener, Dudu Yetik (It’s All About Peace and Harmony / Dirlik Düzenlik)
Best Screenplay: Tunç Şahin (Two Types of People / İnsanlar İkiye Ayrılır)
Best Actress: Tuğçe Yolcu, Süreyya Kilimci, Elif Ürse, Gülçin Kültür Şahin, Canan Atalay (Fractured / Çatlak)
Best Actor: Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan (Weasel / Gelincik)
Best Cinematography: Hayk Kirakosyan (In the Shadows / Gölgeler İçinde)
Best Music: Greg Dombrowski (In the Shadows / Gölgeler İçinde)
Best Editing: Ayris Alptekin (Ghosts / Hayaletler)
Best Art Director: Armen Ghazaryan (In the Shadows / Gölgeler İçinde)
Best Supporting Actress: Nalan Kuruçim (Ghosts / Hayaletler), Nezaket Erden (Two Types of People / İnsanlar İkiye Ayrılır)
Best Supporting Actor: Emrah Özdemir (Ghosts / Hayaletler)
Turkish Film Critics’ Association (SİYAD) Award: In the Shadows / Gölgeler İçinde, dir. Erdem Tepegöz
Film Directors’ Association (Film-Yön) Best Director Award: In the Shadows / Gölgeler İçinde, dir. Erdem Tepegöz
NATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM COMPETITION
Best Film: Phases of Matter / Maddenin Halleri, dir. Deniz Tortum
Special Jury Prize: Mimaroglu: The Robinson of Manhattan Island / Mimaroğlu, dir. Serdar Kökçeoğlu
NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Best Film: Mamaville, dir. Irmak Karasu
Special Jury Prize: The Thousand and One Nights / Binbir Gece Masalları, dir. Mahsum Taşkın
