SİYAD presented 44th awards

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Nazan Kesal received the Cahide Sonku Best Actress Award at the ceremony. AA photo

The Cinema Writers’ Association’s (SİYAD) 44th Turkish Cinema Awards were presented Jan. 16 at a ceremony held at Istanbul’s Harbiye Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.

The Best Actor Award was presented to Ayberk Pekcan for his role in the film “Saç” (Hair), while Nazan Kesal won the Cahide Sonku Best Actress Award for her role in the same film. Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da” (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia) won the Best Film Award, while Ceylan himself was selected as best director.

This year’s honorary awards were presented to director Erden Kıral, actress Perihan Savaş and script writer Osman Şahin.

Some 70 films were evaluated by SİYAD members for the awards.

Folk singer Şevval Sam, meanwhile, gave a concert during the ceremony as well. Other award winners included the following:

• Best Supporting Actress: Asiye Dinçsoy (“Press”)
• Best Supporting Actor: Ercan Kesal (“Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”)
• Best Director of Photography: Gökhan Tiryaki (“Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”)
• Best Music: Mircan Kaya (“Kar Beyaz” – “White Snow”)
• Best Fiction: Bora Gökşingil, Nuri Bilge Ceylan (“Once Upon A Time in Anatolia”)
• Best Director of Art: Haluk Ünlü (“Dedemin İnsanları” – “My Grandfather’s People”)
• Ahmet Uluçay Promising Young Actor: Zeynep Oral (“Atlıkarınca” – “Merry Go Round”)