18/09/2023 - In October, the Turkish industry platform will host 26 projects across five different sections

Whose Dream Are You Living? by Mohammad Tabarsa, which is taking part in the Documentaries Work-in-Progress Platform showcase

The line-up of projects taking part in the Antalya Film Forum, the co-production market and project-development platform of the 60th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, which is set to run from 7-14 October this year, has been announced. The tenth edition of the event will host in-person sessions from 8-10 October, followed by online meetings from 10-12 October.

The Features Work-in-Progress Platform evaluated 21 submissions through a selection committee made up of Netflix content acquisition manager Ekin Gabay, writer-director-producer İlksen Başarır and New Horizons International Film Festival head of industry Weronika Czołnowska.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

One of the showcased projects will be awarded TL 100,000 (circa €3,500), whilst one project chosen by the jury will win the Jury Special Award (worth TL 50,000/€1,750). Moreover, Netflix will also present the Netflix Features Work-in-Progress Platform Award (to the tune of TL 150,000/€5,200) for the first time. This category will also include the Başka Sinema Distribution and Promotion Award, and the Bando Post Color Grading Award.

The five selected projects are as follows:

Grace for Sale – Gözde Yetişkin, Emre Sert
Producers: Ender Sevim, Kerem Çelebi

The Cycle – Erkan Tahhuşoğlu
Producer: İris Tahhuşoğlu
Co-producers: Gazmend Nela, Selda Taşkın

On the Water Surface – Zeynep Köprülü
Producer: Utku Zeka

This Beautiful Night – Ozan Yoleri
Producers: Ilgım Coşar, Alara Hamamcıoğlu

Those Who Whistle After Dark – Pınar Yorgancıoğlu
Producers: Zeynep Ekmekçi, Bekir Yusuf Açıksöz, Furkan Besli, Dilde Mahalli
Co-producers: Vanya Rainova, Sandra Müller, Michael Eckelt

Meanwhile, five more projects will compete in the Documentaries Work-in-Progress Platform showcase. The selection committee, consisting of CAT&Docs head of Sales and Acquisitions Aleksandra Derewienko, writer-director Berna Gençalp, and IDFA Markets manager and producer Selin Melek Murat, picked the best projects. In this section, the main jury will award TL 100,000 (€3,500) to one of them. Moreover, the GeniusPark Color Grading Award and the Başka Sinema Distribution Award will be handed out, along with the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) Encouragement Award.

The selected documentary projects are as follows:

Exam on the Edge of the Time – İlkay Nişancı
Producer: Hakan Fıçıcı

Left Over – Selen Heinz
Producers: Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Behrooz Hashemian

Out of the Walls – Mehdi Shabani
Producers: Naomi Rene Cohen, Mehdi Shabani

Suburbia Underground – Aysim Türkmen
Producer: Ela Başak Atakan

Whose Dream Are You Living? – Mohammad Tabarsa
Producer: Mahnaz Tafaghi
Co-producer: Gülce Öksüz

Next, eight projects are set to compete in the Pitching for Feature Films in Development Platform. The selection committee for this section saw the participation of director-producer Ekin Çalışır, writer-director Elif Refiğ and head of the Creative Europe – MEDIA Office Bulgaria Kamen Balkanski. In this strand, each of the two projects selected by the jury will receive an award of TL 50,000 (€1,750). Furthermore, one project will be granted the Film Standartları Post Production Award, and another will receive the Filmarka Equipment Support Award.

The eight projects are as follows:

Dump of Untitled Pieces – Melik Kuru
Producer: Hilal Şenel

History of Enchantment – Tilbe Cana İnan
Producer: Aycan Aluçlu

I Recognized Him by His Hands – Ömer Çapoğlu
Producers: Nadir Öperli, İrem Akbal
Co-producer: Ahmet Rıfat Şungar

Principe – Paolo Ferrante
Producers: Alican Acar, Canberk Emre İpek

The Hunchback – Ahu Öztürk
Producer: Nazlı Pınar Aydın

The Most Beautiful Girl in Mardin – Ali Kemal Güven
Producer: Seda Özkaraca

Wuf - Özcan Alper
Producers: Kanat Doğramacı, Soner Alper
Co-producer: Betal Özay

Young Blood – Ahmet Emre Tanyıldız
Producer: Kerem Altuğ

In addition, three projects will compete in the Sümer Tilmaç Antalya Film Support Fund Pitching Platform. The fund aims “to transform Antalya into a significant centre for the Turkish and global film industry, with the condition that at least two-thirds of the filming occurs in Antalya”. Eligible projects were assessed by writer-directors Abdurrahman Öner, Burcu Aykar and Çiğdem Vitrinel. The three projects will be weighed up by the main jury, competing for a TL 200,000 (€6,950) prize. The winning film will also receive the Fono Film Post-Production Award, presented by Fono Film.

The three projects selected for the platform are as follows:

Bad Man – Kayhan Başoğlu
Screenwriters: Kayhan Başoğlu, Farid Hasanov
Producer: Levent Özel

Eigengrau – Ahmet Küçükkayalı
Co-producers: Selma Babajic, Ulrich Kunz

Let’s Not Sleep Early – Aytaç Uzun
Producer: Onur Akkız

Finally, five projects will be showcased in the Series/Short Series Pitching Platform. They were picked by Arya Su Altıoklar, the manager of Turkey’s Netflix Grow Creative team; Fredrik af Malmborg, CEO of Eccho Rights; and writer-director Tunç Şahi. Netflix will once again provide the main prize in this section, and this TL 150,000 (€5,200) accolade will be presented through the platform’s Grow Creative programme. Besides this, one project will receive the Netflix Series-Lab Program Participation Award, which supports creators looking to develop their careers in series writing through hands-on training during content development, and another project will win the Color Up Color Grading Award.

The selected projects are as follows:

Azize and Adsız - Erdal Rahmi Hanay
Creators: Erdal Rahmi Hanay, Nejat Cihan Yurdaün
Producers: Ousama Rawi, Dalya Sulaiman

Bohemian Cats - Mahmut Fazıl Çoşkun
Creators and producers: Sinan Yusufoğlu, Mahmut Fazıl Çoşkun

High Court
Creators: Yusuf Emirdar, Uğur Karaman
Producer: Oğuzhan Akalın

Infamous Culprit
Creator: Ozan Sertdemir
Producer: Burak Varlık

Spider - Doğuş Algün
Creators: Doğuş Algün, Kayra Babalık
Producer: Burak Kaplan