While Azra Deniz Okyay took Best Director for the film, nods also went to Ayris Alptekin for Best Editing and to Emrah Özdemir for Best Supporting Actor.
Turkish film Ghosts (Hayaletler), directed by Azra Deniz Okyay won five awards including Best Film at the 57th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival which took place earlier this month. The festival was held under strict restrictions due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The film looks at the urban transformation of Istanbul centering on four different characters in a single day. Okyay, who was born in Istanbul, is also known for his works Küçük kara baliklar (2013) and Aslanlar ve ceylanlar (2017).
While Azra Deniz Okyay took Best Director for the film, nods also went to Ayris Alptekin for Best Editing and to Emrah Özdemir for Best Supporting Actor. The Best Supporting Actress Award was shared by Nalan Kuruçim for her performance in Ghosts and Nezaket Erden for her role in Two Types of People (İnsanlar İkiye Ayrılır).
This year, 12 films screened in the National Feature Film Competition for awards in 16 categories worth a total of ($97,512.49) TL770 thousand. Chaired by the screenwriter, actor, director and author, Ercan Kesal, the jury comprised screenwriter, journalist, author and actor, Gülse Birsel, screenwriter and director, Kıvanç Sezer, actor and voice-over artist, Taner Birsel, and the journalist, author and theatre critic Zeynep Oral.
Announcing the award, Oral explained the reason for choosing Ghosts: “This is a powerful film that has soberly captured the zeitgeist in its bold portrayal of the darkness in which we live; it breaks the mould, shocks and surprise us, and will serve as an inspiration for similar work in Turkish cinema.”
The jury gave the Best Director Award to Iranian director, Massoud Bakhshi, for his film, Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness.
The Best Actor Award was shared by Ali Suliman for his performance in 200 Meters and Salim Daw for his role in Gaza Mon Amour directed by Tarzan and Arab Nasser.
