THE JURY MEMBERS FOR THE “NATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION” AT THE GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED

The jury members for the National Feature Film Competition, part of Turkey's most established film festival, the Antalya International Golden Orange Film Festival, have been announced. The jury members for the competition, chaired by Ömer Vargı, are: Aydın Sarıoğlu, Beren Saat, Engin Alkan, Mircan Kaya, Sevin Okyay, and Zeynep Koloğlu.”

The jury members for the National Feature Film Competition at the 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, to be held between October 24 and November 2, 2025, have been announced.

The preliminary selection committee consists of Prof. Dr Nazlı Eda Noyan, founding chair of the Animation and Cartoon Department at Bahçeşehir University's Faculty of Communication; screenwriter, author, and academic Hüseyin Kuzu; and Assoc. Prof. Dr Suncem Koçer, a faculty member at Koç University's Department of Media and Visual Arts, formed the preliminary selection committee for the National Feature Film Competition. The films selected are: ‘Aldığımız Nefes’, ‘Bağlar, Kökler ve Tutkular’, ‘Barselo’, ‘Doğudan Fragmanlar’, ‘En Güzel Cenaze Şarkıları’, ‘Erken Kış’, ‘Kanto’, ‘Noir, ‘Kesilmiş Bir Ağaç Gibi’, ‘Parçalı Yıllar’, ‘Sahibinden Rahmet’ and ‘Tavşan İmparatorluğu’.

Experienced Names to Judge National Feature Films at Golden Orange

Ömer Vargı, who will serve as President of the National Feature Film Jury at the 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, has directed over 1,500 commercials throughout his career. Vargı began his film career in 1974, working on Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören's film “Endişe” he then served as Şerif Gören's assistant on the movies “Deprem,” “Taksi Şoförü,” and “Nehir.” Vargı drew attention in the film world by producing the 1983 Turkish film Güneşin Tutulduğu Günü and the 1993 Amerikalı film. The 1996 film Eşkıya, which he made, reached over 3 million viewers, marking a turning point in Turkish cinema history and sparking a major revival in the industry. The film was also nominated for an Oscar. Vargı, who reached a wide audience as a producer and director with the 1998 film Her Şey Çok Güzel Olacak, continued his success in 2003 with the film İnşaat. In 2005, he was the producer of Yavuz Turgul's Oscar-nominated film Gönül Yarası. In 2007, he served as both producer and director for the film KabadayıIn. In 2009, Vargı served as producer for the series Cam Kırıkları. In 2011, he directed the film Anadolu Kartalları. In 2014, he returned as both producer and director for the film On Yılda Bir İnşaat. Ömer Vargı was also honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th International Antalya Film Festival in 2018.

In his book titled “‘Bu Filmde Ben de Varım’,” published in 2024, Vargı shared his journey in Turkish cinema, his experiences behind the camera, and his unforgettable memories in the industry with readers.

Aydın Sarıoğlu, a member of the jury for the National Feature Film Competition, graduated from the Department of Cinema, Television, and Photography at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dokuz Eylül University in İzmir in 1989, and then moved to Istanbul. He worked as a camera assistant and camera operator in cinema, advertising, and documentary shoots. He has been working as a cinematographer since 1992. He also produced photography projects with artists from various disciplines under the name “Bağımsız Sanat İnisiyatifi” and participated in several film productions as a co-producer.

Aydın Sarıoğlu served as director of photography on Ömer Evre's The Secret on the Tuvaldeki Sır (2024), directed by Ümit Ünal; Evcilik (2024), Takıntılar (2024), directed by Yunus Nihat Özcan; Kasa da Parti (2024), directed by Murat Aslan; and Başkan (2023), directed by Ulaş Bahadır. He worked on the documentary Bir Hekimin Anıları / Besim Ömer Akalın Paşa (2022), directed by Biket İlhan.

He has worked on productions such as Aşkın Saati (2021), directed by Hasan Gümet; Muallim (2021), directed by Müslim Şahin; and Omar and Us / Ömer ve Biz (2018), directed by Maryna Er Gorbach and Mehmet Bahadır Er. In television projects, he appeared in Payitaht-Abdülhamit (2017, 11 episodes), directed by Serdar Akar, and in TV films such as Mahrumlar, Aşkın 5 Hali, Bize Ne Oldu? and Adam ve Çocuk, directed by Özer Kızıltan. He worked on the series Bir Çocuk Sevdim (2012, 39 episodes), directed by Cevdet Mercan and Muhteşem Yüzyıl (2011, 21 episodes), directed by Yağmur Taylan and Durul Taylan.

His filmography includes Denizden Gelen (2009), directed by Nesli Çölgeçen; Kavşak (2010), directed by Selim Demirdelen; 9 ( Dokuz) (2001); and 10 Yönetmen 2 Film (1996), directed by Ömer Kavur and Orhan Oğuz.

Some of Aydın Sarıoğlu's films have participated in national and international festivals and won awards. 9 ( Dokuz) participated in the 21st Istanbul Film Festival National Competition and won the “Best Film” and “Best Actress” awards. The 14th Ankara Film Festival awarded it the Special Jury Prize, along with awards for Best Screenplay, Best Music, and Best Actor. He also attended the Seoul SeNef Film Festival and received the Jury Special Award. Denizden Gelen (2009) participated in the 29th Istanbul Film Festival National Competition, the Human Rights in International Cinema Competition, and the Moscow Film Festival. Kavşak (2010) participated in the 47th Antalya Golden Orange International Film Festival and the 17th Adana Golden Pomegranate Film Festival, winning the “Best Director” and “Best Audience” awards. Aydın Sarıoğlu has made significant contributions to the field of cinema and television through his work on all these projects.

Beren Saat, a member of the jury for the National Feature Film Competition, began her professional acting career while studying at the Business Department of Başkent University. After meeting Tomris Giritlioğlu, she landed her first leading roles in the television series Hatırla Sevgili and the film Güz Sancısı. She continued her success with the highly watched series Aşk-ı Memnu, Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne? İntikam, and Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem. She collaborated with respected directors such as Serdar Akar (Gece'nin Kanatları), Bahman Ghobadi (Gergedan Mevsimi), and Uğur Yücel (Benim Dünyam) in the film industry.

Beren Saat, a voice actress, has provided voiceovers for box office hits such as Brave (Disney), Toy Story (Pixar), and Minions (Illumination), as well as Netflix's Night on Earth documentary, Greenpeace Turkey films, and numerous commercials. She participated in Netflix Turkey's first female-led series, Atiye, and Last Call for Istanbul, which increased her international recognition.

In 2024, she completed filming for the Amazon Prime film project directed by Caner Alper and Mehmet Binay. Beren Saat has been the face of numerous brands, participated in multiple social responsibility projects for women and girls, served as a goodwill ambassador at the Climate Change Summit, and won nominations and awards for Best Actress in countries such as Lebanon, Seoul, and Chile.

Engin Alkan, a member of the jury for the National Feature Film Competition, studied acting at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory Theatre Department and the Istanbul University State Conservatory Theatre Department between 1984 and 1989. Since 1996, he has continued to teach at various acting schools and served as head of theatre departments. Throughout his professional career, he has been honoured with over 20 awards, directed more than 30 plays, acted in nearly 50 plays, and written numerous plays and theatre adaptations.

In addition to theatre work, he also appeared in film and television productions. His major films include Kaç Para Kaç, Sen Hiç Ateş Böceği Gördün mü, and Yakamoz. He has appeared in TV series such as Yedi Numara, Kardeş Çocukları, and İkimizin Sırrı.

In voice acting, he is known for his roles as “ Smurf Papa” in The Smurfs animated series, “Edi” in Sesame Street, “Samwise Gamgee” in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, “Puss in Boots” in the Shrek animated series, and “Braum” in the League of Legends digital game.

Engin Alkan has been working as a director, actor, and writer since 1985, primarily with the Istanbul Metropolitan City Theatres and various other companies.

Mircan Kaya, a jury member of the National Feature Film Competition, completed his undergraduate studies in the Department of Civil Engineering at Yıldız Technical University, obtained his master's degree in the Department of Earthquake Engineering at Boğaziçi University, and conducted doctoral-level research in the Civil Engineering departments at the University of Padova in Italy and the Technical University of Catalonia in Spain. She started music education at a young age and studied Western music techniques in England.

In 2005, she released the album Bizim Ninniler and made his debut on the international music scene, setting many precedents. Kül, Sala, Outim, Numinosum, Elixir, Minor, Nanni, Insula, Çinka, Hush, Ağıtlar, Kırmızı Gül, Bir Akşam Sen ve Ben, Bizim Ninniler 2023, which have been praised by music authorities worldwide. She took part in the albums Solus and Hudey as music director, performer, and producer. Most of her works were ranked among the top positions by the Kürsel Dünya Müziği/ “Trans Global World Music Chart.”

He wrote a book titled “Gece Karanlık Çekirge ve Sen”. Mircan Kaya, who successfully represents our country in the World Music genre, has won numerous awards in the field of music.

Sevin Okyay, a member of the jury for the National Feature Film Competition, has been a culture and arts writer for leading daily newspapers since 1975, writing culture and arts columns. After working as an editor at Yapı Kredi Yayınları, she produced the program Ve Sinema / And Sinema at Turkish TRT for five and a half years.. She became a radio host at Open Radio. In 1996, she began writing a column for Radikal and later moved to NTV Radio.

The six books of the Harry Potter series and Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi's Dictionary of Imaginary Places were among the books translated by Kutluhan Kutlu. She has also published seven books. She became the first female member of the Cinema Critics Association (SİYAD). For over twenty-five years, she hosted the programs "Jazz ve Ötesi" and "Cinayet Masası" on NTV Radio.

Zeynep Koloğlu, a member of the jury for the National Feature Film Competition, began her education at Saint Benoit French High School and then graduated from the Department of Stage Design and Costume Design at Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts. She began her career in ballet, theatre, advertising, television series, and cinema during her student years and has been involved in numerous major projects as an art director and production designer for many years.

Throughout her career, she has appeared in numerous national and international productions. She won the “Best Art Director” award at the 46th Antalya International Golden Orange Film Festival for her film Usta. Among the projects she worked on were Fi, Sıcak Kafa, Bir Cumhuriyet Şarkısı, Aşk 101, Zaman Makinesi 1973, Romantik Komedi, Beyaz Melek, Sen Yaşamaya Bak, and Sen Büyümeye Bak, which reached wide audiences.

The awards for the 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival will be announced at the awards ceremony on Saturday, November 1, 2025.