THE GOLDEN ORANGE WAS PACKED TODAY WITH DOCUMENTARIES, SHORT FILMS, AND FILMS FROM FILM SCHOOLS

The Golden Orange Festival experienced one of its busiest days today. The theatres hosted screenings and discussions of documentaries, short films, and films from film schools.

The 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival featured programs for everyone and every interest today. The Atatürk Cultural Centre (AKM), Aspendos, and Perge halls hosted the Cinema Schools Competition films, as well as the short films and documentaries in the Competition section.

The teams behind the films “Tanıştığıma Memnun Oldum,” “Berona,” and “Kendal'a Bir Heykel,” which were screened at the AKM Perge Hall as part of the National Documentary Competition, were present before the audience after the screenings.

“Tanıştığıma Memnun Oldum”

Musician Jehan Barbur made it possible for the documentary about Deniz and Can Doğru, siblings with SMA who lost their homes in the Hatay earthquake, to come to life. Barbur, who contributed to the documentary as a screenwriter, producer, and co-director, and consultant Nesra Gürbüz Acar participated in the post-screening discussion.

Jehan Barbur, who stated that he is from Iskenderun and has known the family in the documentary for ten years, recounted how they met:

Deniz used to listen to my songs a lot. He contacted my manager and asked to meet me. I'm usually a little shy in situations like that. But since I'm from Iskenderun, I visited them once when I went to see my mother; that visit led to us becoming like family. Deniz told me he wanted to write a book. I suggested the documentary idea. Actually, it was just something between us; the three of us went, spent time with them, asked questions, chatted... Then, when we met Nesra, we thought, ‘Why not bring these people's lives to others?’ and started applying to festivals. I feel a bit embarrassed; being applauded for such a film or being at a festival feels like profiting from other people's lives. But these lives exist; their voices should be heard. “

Nesra Gürbüz Acar, the documentary's festival consultant, explained the choice of title:” I think it's a story of meeting someone; a deep conversation with two people. I feel like I've met two wonderful people."

Meanwhile, Barbur also shared the good news that Deniz and Can, who previously depended on their mother’s care, have started working and are continuing their open education.

“Berona”

Berona, which means “childhood” in Laz, is the story of Black Sea women who were married at an early age, including the director's mother. Barış Altı, who brought his mother, Lütfiye Altı, to the silver screen, saying, “I got my first camera thanks to her,” answered questions from the audience after the film screening.

The director, who said he decided to make the film the moment he saw his mother's childhood photo, said, “I was curious about how my mom and dad got married, like every child. I wanted to tell this story too.” Mother Lütfiye Altı's comment about the film and her director son was brief but clear: “Barış is relaxed, determined, strong, and hardworking. He made his parents happy. I am very happy. I am proud. I thank my son. I support him.”

“Kendal’a Bir Heykel”

The director of “A Statue for Kendal,” described as “a docu-fiction about a character addicted to paint thinner,” Ali Urgancı, and the producer-actor Kaan Urgancıoğlu, participated in a discussion after the screening. Ali Urgancı first explained how they met Kendal: "Kaan had played the role of a paint thinner addict in a film. At that time, he met a glue sniffer and got it into his head that we would one day make a documentary about it. I was at film school in Barcelona at the time, then I came to Istanbul and started working as an assistant. Kaan said to me, 'Come, let me introduce you to Naif, make a documentary about him. When I first heard about it, I wasn't very excited, but we met Naif anyway and started filming. During those shoots, we met Kendal. Kendal suddenly appeared and greeted Naif. I really liked his tone of voice. According to Naif, he seemed more integrated with the street."

Kaan Urgancıoğlu, who started it all, described how the process unfolded from his perspective: “To play a glue sniffer, I needed to meet one. Naif came into my life, we spent time together, and it didn’t go as I expected. Naif wasn’t someone waiting to be rescued or for someone to reach out to him. I didn’t know any more about life than Naif did. I realised that the screenwriters knew nothing about this world. “

Describing the distinction between documentary and fiction in the production, which was promoted as ”docu-fiction,“ the director said, ”I was trying to create a storyline, so fiction came into play there,“ and continued: ”What I wanted to convey was to observe the world of a person who has created a life for himself on the streets, to get into his rhythm. If it had been purely documentary, it would have been more interview-heavy. “

The director, who said they had Kendal sign a consent form to work with him, added, ”Working with him was very comfortable. Our relationship was enjoyable and productive."

The first selection of the National Short Film Competition was on the big screen.

Perge Hall also hosted the National Short Film 1st Selection today. Mehmet Oğuz Yıldırım, director of the film “Kudret”, stated that he did not base his movie on a single event, but wanted to comment on the power relations seen in all areas of life. Gizem İbak, director of “Eudaimonia,” described how the film, which begins in a claustrophobic atmosphere inside a vehicle, ends with a magnificent lake view, saying, “The dialectic of life is like this; sometimes you are happy, sometimes you are unhappy, but everything gives birth to each other, and life flows on.”

Deniz Koloş, who adapted his own short story for the screen, stated that with "Ölüm Bizi Ayırana Dek", he wanted to explore the emotional states of a grandfather and granddaughter separated by death and a woman on the path to marriage, and how they correspond to each other. Hazan Beklen, director of “Soğuk Beyaz,” which treats religion and faith as two separate concepts through the lens of death, commented on the unexpected situations in the film, saying, “Life itself is tragicomic. Even in the most emotional, most difficult moments, people's unconsciousness can surface. I encounter a lot of unconsciousness in my daily life, too. I just wanted to reflect this reality.”

Students at the Golden Orange

The first selection of the Cinema Schools Student Film Competition: “Süküt” directed by Serhan Erbaş, “Kusursuz Ölçü Nedir” directed by Eylül Babur, “Rah” directed by Beyza Nimet Emişen, ‘Sevim’ directed by Yağmur Canpolat, “Buharlaştır Tüm Katı” directed by Baturay Tunçat, and “Sahnenin Kadınları” directed by Mustafa Uçar were screened at the AKM Aspendos Hall.

“Serhan Erbaş, director of Sükût, said, “I wanted to tell a story about how physical silence can lead to spiritual silence and what consequences this can have.” Eylül Babur, director of Kusursuz Ölçü Nedir, said that she found the stop-motion technique, which she was trying for the first time, very difficult. Beyza Nimet Emişen said they worked for 1.5 years on the film “Rah,” which covers an 800-kilometre Sufi journey, while Yağmur Canpolat said she tried to imagine her grandfather in her grandmother's mind in “Sevim.”

With “Buharlaştor Tüm Katı Olanlar”, Baturay Tunçat states that, although he generally works in fiction, after a difficult year, he chose to focus on social events and violence. The director of Sahnenin Kadınların, Mustafa Uçar, said he aimed to introduce the kanto, which he believes is not well known enough.