TODAY IS THE CURTAIN CALL FOR THE GOLDEN ORANGE ADVENTURE; SPECIAL SCREENINGS

As the festival drew to a close, festivalgoers were treated to a selection of very special fiction and documentary films from Turkey and around the world under the Special Screenings heading.

As the 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival draws to a close, today's festival program featured a selection of very special films from Turkey and around the world, including both fiction and documentary genres. Screenings at the Atatürk Cultural Centre (AKM) and at the Aspendos and Perge halls were followed by discussions with the film crews. Today's Special Screenings at the festival included two fiction films and three documentaries.

“We made the film with a sense of pride in our homeland.”

“Gündüz Apollon, Gece Athena,” which tells the story of Defne, who grew up in an orphanage, following her mother's ghost to the ancient city of Side and befriending radical leftist Hüseyin, cabaret singer Nazife, and a priestess from ancient times, met with the audience at the AKM Aspendos Hall. Following the screening, director Emine Yıldırım, producer Dilde Mahalli, and actors Lale Mansur, Ezgi Çelik, Barış Gönenen, and Selen Uçer answered questions from the audience.

Director Emine Yıldırım, who stated that the main purpose of the film is to showcase Anatolia's ancient civilisation and mythology, said, “We set out to make this film with a sense of belonging to our homeland, with compassion and love.” Producer Dilde Mahalli, noting that this sentiment resonates across different cultures, said, “We even saw people crying in the theatre in China. This surprised us greatly, but it also made us very happy.”

Recalling the film “Amerikalı” restored and screened at the festival in memory of master director Şerif Gören, the question was posed: “On one side, we have the false myths reaching us from outside; on the other, the myths belonging to our own geography. How can we summarise the transformation we experienced with these two films?” Lale Mansur responded: "When we put these two films side by side, we see a very clear transformation: 'Amerikalı' attempted to critique the cultural influences coming from outside, particularly how America imposed its own ideology on regions like ours. It had a strong concept, but I don't think it was explored deeply enough. ‘Gündüz Apollon, Gece Athena’, on the other hand, is completely the opposite; it draws entirely from within, from our own geography, from the ancient myths of Anatolia. This film looks not only at myths but also at women, mothers, and their social roles in a very multi-layered way."

“I wanted to have a friend like Hüseyin”.

When it was the actors' turn to speak, the most heartfelt statement came from Barış Gönenen. “I love my role. From the moment I first read it, I wanted to have a friend like Hüseyin,” said the actor, adding that this role would always hold a special place in his heart.

Ezgi Çelik expressed her thoughts on the film, saying, “It was the first film with such a different woman's story,” while Selen Uçer said, “When I read the script, I understood that it was a different kind of work; it was one of those rare works that was more equal in its male-female perspective and focused more on women, looking at them with sensitivity.”

“I wish we could resist the system”

“Adresi Olmayan Ev,” written and directed by Hatice Aşkın, was also screened as part of the Special Screenings. Following the screening, director Emre Oskay, producer Janset Paçal, and actors Zeynep Tuğçe Bayat participated in a discussion with the director.

The director, who stated that he drew inspiration from the concept of death while creating the film, said he studied the death rituals of different cultures. The director added that, in parallel with this, he was inspired by the structure of hell in Dante's Divine Comedy, which descends nine levels below the earth.

“Hatice created a completely different world,” said actress Janset Paçal, pointing to the contribution of cinematographer Seda Çaldıran to the film's unique visual texture. Actress Zeynep Tuğçe Bayat also lamented how people have become accustomed to everything, saying, “I wish we could resist the system, the wheel that turns us, a little more, just like in the film.”

Three Documentaries in Special Screenings

Today at the festival, there were three documentaries under the Special Screenings heading. The film crews participated in a discussion following the screenings at the AKM Perge Hall.

The culture stretching from the Black Sea to Greece

Following young Black Sea musician Adem Ekiz, Bahriye Kabadayı Dal, director of “Horona Duranlar,” which explores the shared culture of Greece and the Black Sea region, said they have been working on the documentary for ten years. Noting that the exchange of populations has mostly been addressed through the lens of the Aegean, but that the Black Sea side of the story also exists, the director said, “Those who went to Greece through the exchange of populations are more attached to Black Sea culture than the Black Sea people here.”Director and editor Burak Dal, noting that many setbacks occurred during the lengthy filming process, said, “For example, we went to Thessaloniki to film a concert. That morning, pandemic restrictions were imposed, and the concert was cancelled.” Bahriye Kabadayı Dal, who is featured in the documentary, added that the last Black Sea metropolitan died of Covid during the same period, followed by a 40-day mourning period. Finally, they were unable to attend screenings in Thessaloniki and Athens because they couldn't obtain visas.

“We filmed wearing masks, we didn't eat there; ash was falling from the sky.”

Another documentary screened as part of the Special Screening program, “Yavaş Ölüm”, was followed by a discussion with director İlkay Nişancı, cinematographer Okan Candemir, producer Hakan Fıçıcı, visual effects specialist Eşref Gürkan Kılıç, and production manager Ahmet Selçuk Yıldırım.

The documentary addressing the threat of adding six more power plants to the two existing thermal power plants in the Elbistan Plain, which ranks fifth in the world in sulfur oxide concentration, remained an unfinished part of the director's previous project. “Not being able to enter Afşin-Elbistan in that project really bothered us,” said the director, adding that the documentary came to life when the TEMA Foundation, which later learned of the project, approached them with this proposal.

The director, who mentioned that the death metal music in the film is also parallel to the subject, explained the reason for this choice as follows: “Since I've been a good listener since childhood, I know the reason for the birth of this music; the reason for the birth of this music is the ecological disasters in the world. It also tells of disease, extinction, and environmental disasters. As an industrial music, it is very compatible.”

When asked how the risk of illness was assessed while working on the documentary, producer Hakan Fıçıcı said, “I wish they hadn't smoked; I would have had a healthier team,” and then replied, "We went with N95 masks; we wanted contamination to be as low as possible so we could work as healthily as possible. We didn’t eat there; we always went with a very hearty breakfast. We filmed until sunset and had to return because it was impossible to breathe. Ash was falling day and night. When we parked the car and filmed, a layer of ash as thick as a finger formed on the car.”

“We were in shock every day!”

Cinematographer Okan Candemir said, "Every time we went there, we were seriously shocked. People had lost all hope. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. “ Supporting Fıçıcı, production manager Ahmet Selçuk Yıldırım added,” We felt deep down how such savage capitalism could expend people without a second thought and not look back."

Another discussion held at the Perge Hall featured Hüseyin Karabey, director of Kuzeyden Gelen Adam, editor Irmak Kutlu, and production manager Serdal Doğan. Responding to a question about the film reaching a wide audience, Karabey said, "Frankly, we wanted to experience this excitement. There were some wonderful reactions at certain moments. We wanted to remind people of that memory, which is also appropriate for Turkey's process. We didn't just arrive here suddenly. We all need Turkey's artistic, political, and peaceful life. We also want to bring it to the audience in the best way possible to refresh that memory. This will probably start with screenings, then move to theatres. Then we'll decide which one to go with, maybe one of the digital platforms. But my heart desires for it to be shown on a national channel."