― 3 июня 2024 г.

25th Documentary Film Festival held in Safranbolu with the participation of TURKSOY

The 25th International Golden Saffron Documentary Film Festival, which is the biggest promotion of Safranbolu in the international arena, received 1448 applications from 109 countries. The festival, which was held on 29 May - 1 June with 25 documentaries selected by the preliminary jury, started with the laying of a wreath at the Atatürk Monument in the city's Misak-ı Milli Democracy Square.

Afterwards, a press conference was held with the participation of Safranbolu District Governor Şaban Arda Yazıcı, Safranbolu Mayor Architect Elif Köse and guests.

In the Festival where 25 finalist documentaries were selected, there were 7 participants in the International Feature Documentary Film Competition, 7 participants in the International Short Feature Documentary Film Competition, 7 participants in the national Documentary Film Competition with the theme of Cultural Heritage and Conservation, and 4 participants in the Documentary Film Production Support Competition.

On the first day of the International Golden Saffron Documentary Film Festival, Prof. Dr. Aytekin Can, Dr. Sühendan Kumcu, Dr. Musa Ak and Assistants. Prof. Dr Aytekin Can, Dr Sühendan Kumcu, Dr Musa Ak and Lecturer. Serdar Sabuncu and the opening of the exhibition titled "Quarter Century Posters at the Festival", where 25 years of festival posters were exhibited.

The opening speech of the festival at Safranbolu Municipality Leyla Dizdar Cultural Centre, where 25 finalist films were screened, was made by the Chairperson of the Festival Committee and the Mayor of Safranbolu, Architect Elif Köse. After her speech, Mayor Köse announced that the best project award for 2023 was awarded in the competition "Safranbolu-themed national documentary film production support" .

The opening speech of the festival at Safranbolu Municipality Leyla Dizdar Cultural Centre, where 25 finalist films were screened, was made by the Chairperson of the Festival Committee and Mayor of Safranbolu, Architect Elif Köse. After her speech, Mayor Köse presented the 2023 best project award of the "Safranbolu-themed national documentary film production support" competition to director Başak Çardak for the documentary entitled "Safran, the Golden Flower of Safranbolu". 

The performance of the Fethi Toker  polyphonic choir of  Safranbolu under  Dr. Lecturer. Prof. Dr. Pınar Çanakçı Çavdur from the music department  of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design of the Karabuk University was strongly appreciated by  the participants.

Mayor of Safranbolu Architect Elif Köse, Mayor of Eflani Hüsnü Akın, Provincial Culture and Tourism Director İbrahim Şahin, TURKSOY Azerbaijan Representative Elçin Gafarlı, Karabuk University Academic Staff and students and citizens attended the ceremony of lighting the festival torch.

The festival cortege, which came together with Turkish flags, torches and music, started their march in front of the Leyla Dizdar Cultural Centre of the  Municipality of Safranbolu  and ended at the Misak-ı Milli Democracy Square. Within the scope of the festival, Open Air Cinema nights in the garden of Leyla Dizdar Cultural Centre hosted hundreds of amateurs of cinema lovers with films displayed at 21:00  from the first day of the festival.

The 25th International Golden Saffron Documentary Film Festival attracted attention on its second day. While famous directors inspired young talents with their interviews, the finalist films received great appreciation from the audience.

Famous documentary director, journalist and writer Nebil Özgentürk presented his documentary "Madelet", which made it to the finals of the 25th International Golden Saffron Documentary Film Festival. Famous director Yeşim Ustaoğlu, who served as the jury president in the feature documentary film category at the festival, was moderated by festival advisor Dr. Lecturer Musa Ak. Prof. Dr. Musa Ak moderated a "film production - management" interview.

While this year's festival was full of programmes with the intense participation of Karabük University Türker Inanoğlu Faculty of Communication students, it was the scene of workshops that will shed light on the development of young people and contribute greatly to their love of art. Cinematographers Nusret Emre Bilgin and Emre Göktaş showed art lovers and students how to work in the field practically.

On the last day of the festival, the famous screenwriter and critic Atilla Dorsay shed light on authors and documentary filmmakers of the future with his interview on ‘Türker Inanoğlu and Turkish Cinema’. In the interview, Atilla Dorsay who talked about the art of cinema  praised Türker Inanoglu, who was also from Safranbolu and known worldwide as “Mr Cinema” but unfortunately  passed away recently.

The winners of the competition organised within the scope of the International Golden Saffron Documentary Film Festival, which has been going on for a quarter of a century with the theme of Cultural Heritage and Conservation, were given their awards.

The award ceremony held at the  Leyla Dizdar Cultural Centre of the  Municipality of Safranbolu was attended by the Governor of  Karabük Mr. Mustafa Yavuz, the  District Governor of Safranbolu Mr. Şaban Arda Yazıcı, the MP of the CHP party from Karabük  Mr. Cevdet Akay, the Mayor of Safranbolu and architect  Mrs. Elif Köse, the Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Mr. Ibrahim Şahin, the President of the Ankara Karabük People's Foundation Mr. Nizamettin Yücel, the President of the Safranbolu Culture and Tourism Foundation Mr. Şefik Yılmaz Dizdar, the Representative of  Azerbaijan to TURKSOY Mr. Elçin Gafarlı, famous directors and screenwriters, academic staff members and students of the Türker İnanoğlu Faculty of Communication of the Karabuk University and art lovers. Before the award ceremony, tenor Aykut Yılmaz enchanted the audience with his brilliant performance.

The opening speech of the Chairperson  of the Festival Committee and Mayor of Safranbolu, Architect Mrs. Elif Köse was followed by the documentary on the  doyen of Turkish Cinema, director and producer Türker Inanoğlu from Safranbolu, nicknamed Mr Cinema, who passed away last month. Following the documentary an award ceremony was held.

The "Türker İnanoğlu Honour Award" was presented to Atilla Dorsay, a very valuable screenwriter and critic, in memory of Türker İnanoğlu, one of the values of Safranbolu.

In the International Feature Documentary Film category, Vahit Sarıtaş's "Flanöz" received an honourable mention, Aleksandr Avilov's "Tanya, Summer, Winter" received the special jury award, and in the International Short Documentary Film category, Elina Talvensaari's "How To Please" received the best documentary film award and Hasan Ete received the special jury award for "Good Death".

In the category of National Documentary Film with the Theme of Cultural Heritage and Conservation, Kerem Soyyılmaz's "Searching for Rodakis" was awarded the Süha Arın Best Documentary Award.

The film entitled "Safranbolu's Golden Flower Saffron" was deemed worthy of the best project award in the category of "Safranbolu Themed National Documentary Film Production Support Competition".

As a result of the competition, the best documentary film award went to the documentary "One Day, 365 Hours" directed by Eylem Kaftan.

At the end of the award ceremony, the Representative of  Azerbaijan to TURKSOY Mr. Elçin Gafarlı congratulated the Chairperson of the Festival Committee and Mayor of Safranbolu, Architect Elif Köse on the successful realisation of the 25th International Golden Saffron Documentary Film Festival and handed over a  plaquette of TURKSOY to her.