Belated Golden Oranges presented at ceremony

ANTALYA - Doğan News Agency

The winners. DHA Photo.

Looking to right a three-decade-old wrong, the Belated Golden Orange Awards for the best Turkish films for 1979 and 1980 – which were called off because of censorship and a military coup, respectively – were presented at a ceremony Oct. 12 in Antalya.

Yavuz Özkan’s “Demiryol” (Railroad) and Ömer Kavur’s “Yusuf ile Kenan” (Yusuf and Kenan) shared the prize for the best film of 1979, while Zeki Ökten’s classic, “Sürü” (The Herd), took home the top honor for 1980.

Belated Golden Oranges coordinator Deniz Yayın said the 2011 belated award ceremony was organized to apologize to Turkish cinema. “We have also prepared a documentary to not forget the damages of censorship to our cinema,” Yayın said. “These films are like the key documentaries of Turkey’s significant years.”

Awards of 1979

Antalya Mayor Mustafa Akaydın presented the first award of the night for best child artist to Cem Davran for his role in “Yusuf and Kenan” in 1979.

Davran said he played the Yusuf character in the film when he was 15 and dedicated the award to teachers. ”A short time ago, the government announced that 55,000 teachers would be appointed. But appointments were halted after 11,000 appointments. My award was delayed 32 years. Do not let teachers wait to be appointed for another 32 years,” Davran said.

The Best Music Award of 1979 was presented to the film “Kanal” (Channel) by Arif Erkin while the Best Supporting Actress Award was given to Sevda Aktolga for her roles in “Bebek” (Baby) and “Railroad.”

The Best Supporting Actor Award of 1979 went to Kamuran Usluer, who died in 2004, and was presented in his honor to actor Mahmut Cevher.

Sevda Ferdağ received the Best Actress Award for her role in “Seninle Son Defa” (Last Time With You) while Fikret Hakan picked up the corresponding male award for his character in “Railroad.”

The Best Script Award was given to Onat Kutlar, who died in a bomb attack in Istanbul in 1995, and Kavur for “Yusuf and Kenan.” Kutlar’s wife, Filiz Kutlar, and Kavur’s friend Necip Sarıcı received the awards on behalf of the duo.

The Best Director Award went to Yavuz Özkan for “Railroad.”

Awards of 1980

Following the presentation of the awards of 1979, the ceremony continued with the 1980 awards. The Best Music Award of 1980 was given to Erdal Güney on behalf of Zülfü Livaneli for “The Herd.” In a message from Livaneli, Güney said the award was for everyone who had fought for democracy and human rights in the past.

The Best Supporting Actress Award was given to Fehamet Atila, who appeared in her first and only film, “Düşman” (Enemy), at the age of 80. Actress Işık Yenersu received the award on behalf of the late Atila. Tuncel Kurtiz received the Best Supporting Actor Award from Şerif Sezer.

Melike Demirağ, for her role in “The Herd,” and Güngör Bayrak, for her role in “Enemy,” shared the Best Actress Award, while the Best Actor Award was shared by Aytaç Arman for “Enemy” and Tarık Akan for “Adak” (Oblation) and “The Herd.”

The Best Script Award of 1980 went to Başar Sabuncu for “Oblation” while the Best Director Award went to Ökten for his films “Enemy” and “The Herd.”

Fatoş Güney, the wife of the late Yılmaz Güney, who was heavily involved in “The Herd,” received the Best Film Award from Gov. Ahmet Altıparmak.

Censorship and a coup

In 1979, all producers and directors decided to withdraw from the festival when the government’s Censorship Committee banned the films “Yolcular” (Travelers), “Railroad” and “Yusuf and Kenan” and demanded to cut some parts of other films. Members of that year’s jury protested, saying that since they could not evaluate all the films, they would not judge any from the category of feature-length films. The festival management, which took a position against censorship, cancelled the entire 16th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival as a result.

The 17th Golden Oranges were to be held Sept. 13-20, 1980, with altered regulations that would allow the previous year’s films to also complete. One day before the start of the festival, however, top-ranking soldiers staged a coup and declared martial law; as a result, organizers were forced to cancel the event once more.

The 48th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival will end today.