FIRST DAY AT THE GOLDEN ORANGE BEGAN WITH DISCOVERIES

The 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival offered audiences brand discoveries with its very special documentaries on the first day, followed by discussions. The documentaries of the day were: “Filos” about the writer Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, known as the Halikarnas fisherman; “Vefalı Galip” introducing the legendary 101-year-old footballer Galip Haktanır, a veteran of the War of Independence; and “Işığın Hasadı,” which shed light on the world of workers harvesting onions in Ankara.

The 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival kicked off its first day with screenings of very special documentaries. The common feature of these productions, which received great acclaim from the audience, was that they shed light on valuable areas.

“European audiences said, ‘We won't waste onions anymore.’”

At the Atatürk Cultural Centre (AKM) Perge Hall, director Esin Özalp Öztürk presented her film “Harvest of Light,” which highlights the living conditions of onion harvest workers in Ankara, in the first talk of the day. When she learned from the cinematographer that the workers had only 2 hours of generator electricity per day, the film's title immediately came to mind. She then interviewed the workers and shot the movie in 6.5 days. But it wasn't easy, especially getting the women to talk. "During the first three days of filming, I couldn't get the women to talk at all. Then they opened up. When the film was finished, I rented a hall and showed it to them first; after watching the film, they said, ‘Sister, if we had known it would be this beautiful, we wouldn't have made you beg so much.’"

Öztürk, who has participated in festivals around the world and received numerous awards for his film, assessed the reactions from around the world, saying, "Latin America surprised me the most. I can say that the film hasn't visited any country. I think they found it relatable because agricultural labour and stories of hard work are common there. But in Europe, they were very surprised and said, ‘Now we'll look at onions in the market with a completely different eye, and we won't waste them."

Öztürk was moved by a child in the audience asking, “Will we see brighter days?” and responded, “When I shot the film, my daughter was three and a half years old.” I wasn't giving her scissors yet. Those children harvesting onions are six years old and cutting onions with scissors that could almost cut their wrists. So I hope we will see brighter days; that's what we're working towards."

Ayhan Işık's sports coach, a legendary footballer and veteran of the War of Independence!

The other documentary, “Vefalı Galip,” introduced the audience to Vefa Haktanır, a 101-year-old veteran of the War of Independence and a football legend. After the screening, director Gökçe Kaan Demirkıran, assistant director Emine Özge Demirkıran, editor Hakan Kızıltaş, and consultant Fethi Aytuna answered questions.

Director Gökçe Kaan Demirkıran, who says he has long had the idea of making a film about Haktanır, described the process as follows: When we met, he was 96 years old, a building manager, and every week he would take public transportation to the other side of the city for meetings at Darüşşafaka, his alma mater. Their times were very different; when Galip ağabey started playing football in 1937, there was no back number system on jerseys! There were no yellow or red cards! That's why it was always on my mind, but we could only do it when he was 101.

The film's consultant, Fethi Aytuna, mentioned that Haktanır had expressed his desire to compile his notes, which were later published as a book by İletişim Yayınları. Although he started keeping notes after his football career ended, they still contain information about football from that era. It was a great stroke of luck for us that his memory remained sharp until the very end.

Director Demirkıran, who also mentioned the lack of archival material in this field, shared that he had accidentally come across information about Haktanır: Galip ağabey, a graduate of Darüşşafaka and a university graduate. Since there were very few university graduates at the time, he also worked as a physical education teacher. We knew this, but there was no specific information. One day, after watching Ayhan Işık's film “Cingöz Recai” by chance, I came across an interview while looking at Ayhan Işık's biography. He said, “I went to Nişantaşı Middle School and had very valuable teachers. Salah Birsel taught our literature class, and Galip Haktanır taught our physical education class.”

The director, who expressed both delight and surprise at the film's worldwide reception, said, “I received awards for this film in Iran, Serbia, and Italy.”.

The writer who built a new world in exile: The Halikarnas Fisherman

The final discussion at the AKM Perge Hall featured the team behind the documentary “Filos,” about our renowned author, Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, known as Halikarnas Balıkçısı. The discussion was attended by directors Nurdan Tümbek Tekeoğlu and Orhan Tekeoğlu, Meltem Ulu, author of the book Halikarnas Balıkçısı, and the author's grandson, Kuki Kutup.

The documentary, which explores how Kabaağaçlı, who was first sentenced to death and then exiled to Bodrum because of an article published in a magazine, started a whole new life in exile, was filmed based on Meltem Ulu's book Halikarnas Balıkçısı. Nurdan Tümbek Tekeoğlu shared her idea of turning Ulu's book into a documentary with Orhan Tekeoğlu, but the project did not immediately come to fruition. Orhan Tekeoğlu described the process as follows: "I was shooting another documentary at the time, and it messed with my head. He said, ‘Will you read this book?’ I kept putting it off, but eventually, after much insistence, I read it. I found myself in a vast sea. I thought, ‘So we don't know Cevat Şakir at all.’ I didn't know that Cevat Şakir was the one who made Bodrum what it is. As I read, I dove into the depths of the ocean and put my own project on hold to start working on this documentary. Meltem Ulu, author of Halikarnas Balıkçısı, expressed her feelings as follows: While writing the book, I was so affected by his life that I thought I had to write his biography. It's a very special day for me; now I have a documentary in front of me. This is how I see it: Halikarnas Balıkçısı continues to pave the way for us in another realm.

The author's grandson, Kuki Kutup, said of Kabaağaçlı, "Grandfather touched everyone a little; if you have a garden, basil, a lemon tree, if you plant two mint plants and add them to your salad, if you look at the sea and say ‘oh’, then he has touched you too.“ He continued: ”Speaking of the sea, speaking of blue, I come from Izmir. Today I was amazed by Antalya, amazed by the municipal administration; you are very lucky."

The answer to the question from the audience, “If Cevat Şakir had been exiled to a place without the sea, how would his journey have progressed?” was actually the same for the entire team. Kutup said, "He underwent a complete metamorphosis. When he came to Bodrum after Istanbul and Afyon, he experienced something completely different; he found the sea! Even if he had gone somewhere else, he would have found his way to the sea.“ Orhan Tekeoğlu, noting that this conversation took place between him and his director wife, said, ”If he had been sent to Sinop instead of Bodrum, he would have made Sinop into Bodrum, because that's the kind of person he was." Pointing out that the conditions of the period in which the author lived must also be taken into account, Ulu responded as follows: The early days in Bodrum were not easy, actually. Life was difficult, and he was marginalised. Beyond all his other characteristics, I always see him as a ‘real human being’. He went to Oxford, travelled around Europe, had many experiences, and was exiled… But I think he would have thrived anywhere.