ANTALYA, Turkey - Kurdish filmmaker Ferit Karahan, whose The Fall From Heaven shared top honors at Turkey’s Golden Orange Film Festival this October, says it is too early for Kurdish cinema to rest on its laurels.
“The fact that the Kurds won several awards does not mean that Kurdish cinema has achieved great progress,” said Karahan. “This should not make us relax because there is still a long path ahead of us.”
Kurdish filmmakers and actors walked away with several prizes at the Golden Orange in the Turkish city of Antalya. Ten were selected for competition out of 62 entries.
“The Kurds won awards in the short, long, and documentary film contests category. This made all the Kurds very happy and proud,” said Gulistan Acet, director and actress who won in both categories for her short Watermelon Paradise.
“The Turks now believe that Turkish cinema is being led by the Kurds,” she said.
But it was Karahan who received the top Golden Orange Award -- albeit shared. His film received joint billing with the Turkey-born French director Ramin Matin’s Flawless Life.
“This award will enhance me to produce better works,” Karahan said.
Other Kurdish winners at the 50th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival included Piran Baydemir for his documentary Fecirahave..
Awards for acting roles went to Rojin Tekin and Acet, who participated in the International Dohuk Film Festival and won a special Jury Award for Watermelon Paradise.
“This was a surprise and great happiness for me. I feel that my work is good,” Acet said.
Some critics believe it was no coincidence that several Kurdish films walked away with prizes for the first time at the festival. They see the awards related to the current political peace process in Turkey between Ankara and the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
“The current political situation in Turkey might have increased the chances for the Kurds in this festival. But then again, bad movies would not win just to get progress in the peace process,” said Acet.
Acet’s film is about the violence of Hezbollah groups in Turkey’s southeast Kurdish regions, based on her own family experience.
All the parts in the film are played by children.
“In this movie I tried to depict the lives of the children, their feelings, and the impact of adults on their lives. I did not want to stain the lives of the children with the presence of adults in the movie,” said Acet.
Falling from Heaven focuses on the lives of two girls, one Turkish and the other a Kurd.
“The Turks and the Kurds are very much alike. They live in the same war situation. But the pain of the Kurds and their sacrifices are greater. The pain of the Kurds is historical," said Karahan.
“The innocent Turkish parents also suffer a great deal. When we ask for peace we must understand the pain of the other side as well,” he said.
