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The festival had previously removed the documentary “Decree” from its lineup.
ANKARA, Turkey – A municipality in southern Turkey canceled its 60-year-old film festival on Friday following a controversy over a political documentary.
Antalya Mayor Muhytin Bocek said: “We regret to inform movie fans that due to events beyond our control, this year’s Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, scheduled for October 7th to October 14th, will be cancelled. We would like to inform you that it has been cancelled.” Post to X (Formerly Twitter).
Turkey’s most prestigious festival last week removed “Kanun Hukum, or Decree,” a documentary about doctors and teachers who were fired from civil service jobs during a state of emergency following a failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016.
The festival reversed its decision on Thursday after a number of directors withdrew their films from the festival and jurors resigned “in protest against censorship and threats to artistic expression.”
Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Thursday withdrew support for the festival, accusing organizers of allowing “terrorist propaganda”. The festival then eliminated the documentary again, and on Friday the city canceled the entire festival.
The documentary’s director, Nejira Demirci, denied the government’s accusations of propaganda, saying none of the people featured in it had been convicted of any crime.
After the coup attempt, the government fired more than 125,000 state employees for their role in the coup attempt, defending the move as necessary for national security. Critics said the Turkish government used the failed uprising as a pretext to crush the rebels. – Rappler.com
