Akbağ resigns as chair of jury in Golden Orange Festival

Actress Demet Akbağ announced her resignation from the jury chair at the 60th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. The festival had been in the spotlight this week amid censorship debates surrounding the removal, reinstatement, and removal for the second time of the documentary “Kanun Hükmünde” which tells the story of two dismissed public servants' struggle in Turkey.

Akbağ shared her decision today on her social media (Instagram) account and said:

"After accepting the role of jury president for the National Feature Film Competition at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival to engage in discussions about cinema and be immersed in the world of cinema for a week, I am stepping down from this position.

I will not be participating in the festival due to communication issues, the inability to manage crises, and my discomfort with events in which my name has been involved without my knowledge."

Second-time removal

The director of the Golden Orange Film Festival announced yesterday (September 28) evening that he removed the film "Kanun Hükmünde" from the competition lineup due to an investigation opened and allegations of terrorism directed against him.

This removal from the festival for the second time came after the Minister of Culture and Tourism defended the removal of the documentary from Golden Orange festival saying, "As the ministry, we are always supporters of culture and art. However, we strongly oppose the use of the power of art to make propaganda for terrorist organizations or to use art as a provocative element." (TY/PE)