Antalya film fest ends with awards, controversy

ANTALYA

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Director Tolga Karaçelik’s “Sarmaşık” (Ivy) and Mustafa Kara’s “Kalandar Soğuğu” (Kalandar Cold) were the big winners of the 52nd Antalya Film Festival, picking up four awards for each.

The soirée, however, was marked by censorship after pro-government broadcaster A Haber cut off a speech by Nadir Sarıbacak, who won the best actor award at the event for his role in “Ivy,” after he mentioned an alcoholic drink in calling for unity in Turkey.

“Only brotherhood and conversation will save us. A glass of rakı or a tea…” Sarıbacak said before A Haber cut to a shot from outside the Glass Pyramid, where the Golden Orange Awards were being handed out on Dec. 6.

“I will take 60 of your seconds,” Sarıbacak said to begin his acceptance speech. “Thanks to Tolga [Karaçelik] for offering such a role to me. I also thank all the team members and the jury members. I want to say something; 30 seconds. I have problems with the country. I have many good friends thanks to this film. They are from different religions, languages, races and sects. I love them so much. I believe that only brotherhood and conversation will save us; conversation with maybe a glass of rakı or tea. Because we are like body organs, just as how the ear cannot be in opposition to the mouth or the hand to the foot, when one of them is cut off, the entire body suffers pain. We have fate in common in this country.”


‘I won’t say anything bad’

Karaçelik, whose “Ivy” won the best feature film, best director and best script awards in the National Feature Film Competition, late took the stage, saying, “You don’t have to cut it, I won’t say anything bad.” 

He said he saw the poster of his first film, “Gişe Memuru” (Toll Booth), at a pirate film seller’s stand, and said: “I asked for the film. He said, ‘It won awards but it’s not boring.’ I want to call this seller here. The film was released. Wait a bit. It is not boring. Come and see our film.”

Karaçelik also won a 100,000-Turkish Lira award at the festival.

Karaçelik dedicated his awards to Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and journalist Erdem Gül, who have been imprisoned at Silivri Prison for a week-and-a-half after they lifted the lid on alleged government-sponsored arms shipments to Syria.

“I have my mother next to me. She encouraged me to make cinema films. I dedicate this award to Dündar and Gül. We know that as long as you are behind bars, we are behind bars, too. You are here as long as we are here. I have hope thanks to people like you. This award is for you,” he said. 

Nuray Yeşilaraz won the best actress award at the ceremony for her role in “Kalandar Cold.” 

“I receive this award for all hardworking, suffering and loyal Black Sea women. [I receive this] for all women, who resist against the injustice,” Yeşilaraz said. 

In the international category, the best film was “Memories on Stone,” while the best director was Hany Abu Assad. In the same category, the best actress award went to Alba Rohrwacher and the best actor award to Haydar Şişman. 

The festival’s international competition audience award was given to “Rüzgarın Hatıraları” (Memories of the Wind), while the national feature film competition audience award was given to “Kümes” (The Coop). 

An award was also presented to the guest of honor, actress Vanessa Redgrave. Her Italian actor husband, Franco Nero, was also presented with a lifetime achievement award. 

The Antalya Film Support Fund Award of 100,000 Turkish Liras was given to scriptwriter Emre Erdoğdu for his project “Kar” (Snow). 

“A script does not have a meaning on paper. It is a dream and you awarded a dream. We will bring you together with this dream next year,” Erdoğdu said.