Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival ready to begin

48th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, one of the most prestigious cinema events of Turkey’s arts and culture scene, will be held from 8th to 14th October 2011. With the support of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, the Festival is organized by the Antalya Culture and Art Foundation (AKSAV).

Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, held annually since 1963 is the most important International film festival in Turkey. Taking place amongst the palm lined boulevards, and sun drenched avenues of beautiful city of Antalya, the Festival will offer numerous exhibitions, retrospectives and opportunities to discover new trends in World Cinema and it is determined to be the best yet in 2011.

The world renowned festival is embarking on a pioneering programme this year, focusing on 1980s Turkish and World Cinema. The main theme of the festival is ‘…And the Woman Touched the World’ with the aim of bringing together, ‘Cinema, Women and Politics’. For the first time in the film festivals history, the Golden Orange selection committees including the the’ International’ and ‘National Competition’ and ‘Shorts and Documentaries’ competition are, all female committees, consisting of women members from cinema, business, music, media, politics and the other areas of arts, culture and literature. The female themed films and events will be organized by women who are experts in their fields in cinema, politics, economics, diplomacy, business, music, theatre, plastic arts, and media. They also will be meeting at the 'Women's Summit' during the festival.

The Mayor of Antalya City and President of the Board of Directors for the Antalya Culture and Arts Foundation; Prof. Mustafa Akaydın said; "International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival is the most celebrated and the longest-running film festival in Turkey. We have been running the festival with a half-century of experience and responsibility, and this year, we are proud to emphasis the Women’s influences in the world. We hope to bring a new perspective in the importance of the women in general and the Turkish cinema.”

‘The Belated Golden Orange Awards’ have arrived
Over 30 years after the cancelled festivals of 1979 and 1980, following the intervention of the Censorship Committee and the 1980 military coup, the Festival Committee is honouring the winners of both the 1979 and 1980’s festivals with ‘The Belated Golden Orange Awards’, which were announced on the 12th September 2011*. The Awards Ceremony will be held in Antalya during the festival. Prof. Mustafa Akaydın said “We are proud to be the first ever film festival to organize 1979 and 1980’s withheld but not forgotten festivals as a part of the 48th International Golden Orange Film Festival.”

SPECIAL AWARDS

Honorary Awards**
Rustem Ibragimbekov - screenwriter, dramatist and producer in Azerbaijan and Russia. Most noted for his Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film ‘Burnt By The Sun’ will be coming to the festival this year to receive his award.
Jafar Panahi - Iranian director, banned from film making for the past twenty years after producing films criticising the military and the Iranian regime. Panahi is currently under house arrest in his native Iran. The festival committee has applied to the Iranian government to release Panahi in order for him to attend the Festival. He was head of the jury at the 44th International Antalya Golden Orange Festival, in 2007.
Mojtaba Mirtahmasb - Co-director of Jafar Panahi’s latest film, ‘This Is Not A Film’, has also been invited to attend the festival as a Honorary Guest. Mirtahmasb helped Panahi’s film “This is not a Film”, whilst visiting him during his house arrest, smuggling out the film on a USB stick , enabling it to be screened at the 2011, 64th Cannes Film Festival.
Jane Birkin - famous British Actress and singer will also be attending the festival for three days. Some of her work includes; Antonioni’s ‘Blow-Up’ and Roger Vadim's ‘Don Juan 73’.

Euroasian Cinema – Azerbaijan
Each year, the festival showcases different Euroasian countries’ films. With the collaboration of TÜRKSOY, (International Turkish Culture Organization) this year’s festival will be screening the latest and the best of Azerbaijan cinema.

Chinese and the Middle Eastern Cinema
This year the festival is expanding its boundaries to include the Middle Eastern countries. The ‘Woman in the Middle East’ themed films will be competing within the International Competition alongside European and Asian entries. International award winning, the latest Chinese productions will also be on the premiere screenings program. Organized by FIYAB, (Film Producer’s Professional Association) there will be opportunities to interview the world-renowned directors and actors.

In Search Of Celluloid
Another highlight of this year’s festival will be the screening of the two restored films; Lütfi Ömer Akad’s, ‘Hudutların Kanunu’ (The Law of the Border), and Fred von Bohlen-Hegewald's, ‘Kalabaka’.
‘Hudutların Kanunu’ (The Law of the Border), filmed in 1966, tells the story of the life and the illegal trafficing in an Urfa village at the border of Syria. World-famous film director, Fatih Akın, led the restoration and was completed by the World Cinema Foundation. The film was screened at this year’s, 64th Cannes Film Festival under the Cannes Classics Program. The restored version will receive its Turkish premier at the ‘48th International Golden Orange Film Festival’.
Director Fred von Bohlen-Hegewald’s film Kalabaka from 1930, documents the lives of gypsy families living in the Balkans. A restored copy of this film will also premiere at the Festival, accompanied by a live performance from ‘Kingalita and the Very Good Band’.

Cinema and Social Responsibility
As part of the ‘Being an Eye and Ear of the Cinema’ scheme, we are pleased to announce that there will also be screenings for visually and hearing impaired movie lovers.
Reha Erdem’s, ‘Kaç Para Kaç’ (RUN FOR MONEY), Derviş Zaim’s, ‘Cenneti Beklerken’ (WAITING FOR HEAVEN) and Egemen Ertürk’s, ‘Çıngıraklı Top’ (RINGING BALL) will be shown with subtitles and descriptive audios will be voiced over by the famous actresses, Melike Demirağ and Ceyda Düvenci.
Introduced in 2010, The ‘Social Responsibility Award’ is given to artists who devote their financial, moral and intellectual achievements to their community and the art world, in order to support new generations of up and coming film-makers and artists. Rutkay Aziz will be honoured with this year’s award for his social contribution and dedication at the Ankara Sanat Tiyatrosu (AST) (Ankara Art Theatre and the Nazim Hikmet Foundation.

National Feature Film Competition films are announced
The films competing in the ‘48th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival’s National Competition' were announced on the 8th September 2011.

Prof. Mustafa Akaydın stated that, thirteen feature-length films – nine of which are directors’ debuts - were selected among forty five films were submitted to the festival. Akaydın also stressed the importance of young generations and the young director’s contribution to the recent rejuvenated Turkish cinema. The majority of the films will have their World Premiere in Antalya during the festival.

The pre jury panel, consisting of Mahinur Ergun (Director), Fide Motan (Director), İlksen Başarır (Director), Selda Çiçek (Director-Art director), and Professor. Dr. Ruken Öztürk (Academics), Ayşegül Çetin (Producer), Tuba Büyüküstün (Actress), Beste Bereket (Actress) and the Nil Kural'dan (Film critic), have decided that the following films to proceed to the next stage of the National Feature Film Competition;

Serdar Akar’s ‘Behzat Ç. Seni Kalbime Gömdüm’ (BEHZAT Ç. I BURIED YOU IN MY HEART)
Raşit Çelikezer’s ‘Can’ (CAN)
Ramin Matin’s ‘Canavarlar Sofrası’ (THE MONSTERS DINNER) (First Film)
Hüseyin Eleman’s ‘Fedakar’ (SELF SACRIFICING) (First Film)
Çiğdem Vitrinel’s ‘Geriye Kalan’ (WHAT REMAINS) (First Film)
Hasan Tolga Pulat’s ‘Güzel Günler Göreceğiz’(First Film)
Egemen Sancak’s ‘Hangi Film’ (WHICH MOVIE) (First Film)
Erdal Rahmi Hanay’s ‘Hicaz’ (HICAZ) (First Film)
Kenan Korkmaz’s ‘Lüks Otel’ (LUXURY HOTEL) (First Film)
Ümit Ünal’s ‘Nar’ (POMEGRANATE)
Savaş Baykal’s ‘Öngörüye Ağıt’
Shiar Abdi’s Meş (Yürüyüş) (WALKING) (First Film)
M.Caner Alper and Mehmet Binay’s ‘Zenne’ (ZENNE DANCER) (First Film)

National Feature Film Competition Jury
Müjde Ar; an ‘extraordinary’ leading actress of Turkish Cinema will chair the main jury for the National Competition. The other members of the jury are; Director Handan Ipekci, Actreses Vahide Gördüm and Bergüzar Korel, authors Jane Smith, Yasar Seyman, artistic director Annie Geelmuyden Pertan, musician and actress Şevval Sam, film critic Melis Behlil film critic, the academics Serpil Kırel and Çiğdem Anad.

Festival Prizes
Summary of the top cash prizes of the ‘48th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival’ is;
Best Film 350,000 TL (approx $172,000)
Best Director: 50,000 TL (approx $30,000)
Best First Feature Film: 50,000 TL (approx $30,000)
Best Documentary: 15,000 (approx: $9000)
Best First Documentary: 5,000 (approx: $3000)
Best short: 10,000 TL (approx: $6000)