Turkey’s Golden Orange Film Festival, which takes place in Antalya every year, was cancelled a week before the launch of its 60th edition, due to intense political pressure around a planned screening of the documentary The Decree (Kanun Hükmü)i
The feature was due to compete in the festival’s National Documentary Film Competition but was pulled from the lineup last week following government pressure aimed at the main organiser of the event – the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality.
The documentary, directed by Nejla Demirci, depicts the plight of victims following a major purge of state institutions by the Turkish government in the aftermath of a failed coup in 2016. Decree centres on a doctor and a teacher who suddenly find themselves without jobs as a result of this action.
Antalya festival director Ahmet Boyacıoğlu said its removal was due to claims that an individual in the film was part of an ongoing legal process. But director Demirci denied this claim, stating there was no ongoing legal process and called the removal a “blow to cinema”.
The move has sparked a wave of protests amid accusations of censorship, with 20 competition jury members stepping down. They were followed by the filmmakers behind 27 titles, who declared they were pulling their productions from the festival’s national feature, documentary and short film competitions.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the filmmakers said: “We consider the removal of the film… a direct threat to artistic freedom of expression. We firmly believe that it is unacceptable for festivals, which inherently belong to society, to surrender to censorship.”
The international competition titles had not yet been announced but the directors and producers of those features began following suit and withdrawing from the event.
It resulted in a reversal by the organisers, who announced on Thursday morning that The Decree would be reinstated to the programme.
Demirci posted on social media that “our cinema, our people, Antalya, Antalya Film Festival workers joined hands and won our fight for democracy”.
However, this prompted Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry to withdraw its support and issue a statement that said: “It is extremely sad that in such an important festival, the power of art is used to be used to make propaganda for the FETO terrorist organization through the perception of victimhood.”
FETO is the acronym applied to the Gulenist movement, which the government considers responsible for the failed coup in July 2016, in which 251 people were killed and more than 2,700 wounded.
The festival’s sponsors also pulled their support in coordination with the ministry.
Festival director Boyacıoğlu responded by saying that an investigation had been launched into him and the festival. “At this point, we are being portrayed as the responsible and guilty party in this matter,” he said in a statement. “We cannot accept being described as supporters of any terrorist organisation. We are removing the documentary titled Kanun Hükmü from the festival selection.”
Now, following a day of discussions, festival organisers have pulled the plug on the 60th edition.
“The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival has news which is incredibly difficult to share,” said a statement from the festival, issued to Screen. “It is with a heavy heart that the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival must inform you that, given these circumstances and the oppressive environment, it cannot proceed with the festival and forum, which the festival has poured its heart and soul into.
“The responsibility of the festival is to ensure that no one in the film industry becomes a target under such a repressive regime. The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival will always stand firm against censorship and advocate for freedom of expression.”
It is understood that festival organisers had received a wave of threats over the past week and are set to leave Antalya for their safety.
The feature film was due to compete in the festival’s National Documentary Film Competition but was pulled from the lineup last week following government pressure aimed at the main organiser of the event – the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality.
The documentary, directed by Nejla Demirci, depicts the plight of victims following a major purge of state institutions by the Turkish government in the aftermath of a failed coup in 2016. Locally titled Kanun Hükmü, the film centres on a doctor and a teacher who suddenly find themselves without jobs as a result of this action.
Antalya festival director Ahmet Boyacıoğlu said its removal was due to claims that an individual in the film was part of an ongoing legal process. But director Demirci denied this claim, stating there was no ongoing legal process and called the removal a “blow to cinema”.
Wave of protests amid accusations of censorship
The move has sparked a wave of protests amid accusations of censorship, with 20 competition jury members stepping down. They were followed by the filmmakers behind 27 titles, who declared they were pulling their productions from the festival’s national feature, documentary and short film competitions.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the filmmakers said: “We consider the removal of the film… a direct threat to artistic freedom of expression. We firmly believe that it is unacceptable for festivals, which inherently belong to society, to surrender to censorship.”
The international competition titles had not yet been announced but the directors and producers of those features began following suit and withdrawing from the event.
It resulted in a reversal by the organisers, who announced on Thursday morning that The Decree would be reinstated to the programme.
Demirci posted on social media that “our cinema, our people, Antalya, Antalya Film Festival workers joined hands and won our fight for democracy”.
Culture and Tourism Ministry withdraws from the festival
The Culture and Tourism Ministry announced earlier that it withdrew from the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival due to the discussions on the film “Kanun Hükmü” (The Decree) in the National Feature Documentary Competition section of the festival.
The 60th edition of the festival, which is organized in the southern province of Antalya, was set to run from Oct. 7 to 14.
“Our ministry will not be a part of the effort to discredit the epic struggle of our beloved nation on July 15 and to use art as an element of provocation. It is regrettable that the propaganda for the FETÖ terrorist organization is made through the perception of victimization in such an important festival.”
The FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader, Fetullah Gülen, orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 wounded.
The film focuses on a teacher and doctor dismissed from their jobs under the state of emergency in Türkiye following the attempted coup on July 15, 2016.
Festival director Ahmet Boyacıoğlu said the documentary film had been removed from the national documentary film category because of ongoing legal proceedings against one of the people featured in the film.
“For this reason, it has been decided to exclude the film from this year’s selection in order not to affect the judicial process and impartiality,” he said.
However, the film’s director, Nejla Demirci, said that was an “excuse” and “outright censorship.”
Demirci has received support from across the art world in Türkiye.
The Free Art Assembly, which represents artists across many fields, described the film’s exclusion as “an assault on artistic expression and creativity and a move to normalize censorship across artistic fields.”
Twenty members of the festival, the producers and directors of 27 entries at the festival also announced that they have pulled out.
“We do not accept this view that seeks to identify criminal elements in films and normalize censorship measures. The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, which has been running for many years, belongs to society through a broad consensus. It can not compromise democratic principles and freedom of expression. In this context, it is vital that it continues to be a safe space for artists. … As the undersigned jury members, we hereby announce to the public that we will fulfil our duties at the festival only if the film ‘Kanun Hükmü’ is reinstated in the Documentary Competition selection,” they said in a statement.
Following a day of discussions, festival organisers have pulled the plug on the 60th edition.
“The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival has news which is incredibly difficult to share,” said a statement from the festival, issued to Screen. “It is with a heavy heart that the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival must inform you that, given these circumstances and the oppressive environment, it cannot proceed with the festival and forum, which the festival has poured its heart and soul into.
“The responsibility of the festival is to ensure that no one in the film industry becomes a target under such a repressive regime. The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival will always stand firm against censorship and advocate for freedom of expression.”
It is understood that festival organisers had received a wave of threats over the past week and are set to leave Antalya for their safety.
