Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival

Overview

The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival is a FIAPF-accredited competitive festival organized by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. Founded in 1963, it is Turkey's longest-running film festival and the only Turkish festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), classified as a festival specialized in organizing feature-length film competitions. The 63rd edition runs October 24 to 31, 2026.

The festival distributes 11 million TL in total prize money across 31 categories. The Best Film award in the National Feature Competition is 5 million TL, increased from 3.5 million TL in 2025. The festival also operates the Antalya Film Forum, a co-production and project development market for Turkish projects in pre-production, production, or post-production, distributing 1,450,000 TL in development support.

For filmmakers: the National Competition is the highest-profile domestic awards platform for Turkish cinema. The International Competition accepts feature films that have not been commercially released, broadcast, or made available on VOD, and requires a Turkiye premiere. The festival does not cover travel expenses for invited filmmakers but allocates a limited number of hotel rooms. Submission applications for national competitions open June 29, 2026 and close August 31, 2026. Film Forum applications close September 21, 2026 at 23:59.

Key Sections and Programs

• National Feature Film Competition: Turkish-produced feature films (60+ minutes) competing for the Golden Orange. The producing company must be Turkish, or in co-productions, at least 50.01% of the production company ownership must be Turkish.
• International Competition: Feature films (60+ minutes) completed after November 2024, requiring a Turkiye premiere. Films must not have been commercially released, broadcast on television, or available on VOD platforms. Selected by the International Film Coordinator and programming team appointed by the Festival Artistic Director.
• National Short Film Competition: Turkish short films.
• National Documentary Competition: Turkish documentary features.
• Film Schools Student Films Competition: Works from cinema school students.
• Antalya Film Forum: A co-production and project development market running October 25 to 27, 2026, for the 13th time. Accepts projects from Turkey in pre-production, production, or post-production stages.
• World Cinema: Non-competitive international selections.
• Retrospectives and Special Screenings: Tributes and curated programs.
• Children and Youth Program: Programming for younger audiences.

Submission Details

National Competitions

Submissions are made online through the festival's official website. After completing the online form, applicants must send a signed physical copy by mail or a signed PDF by email to the relevant competition address (e.g., ulusaluzunmetraj@antalyaff.com for national features). There is no submission fee for national competitions. Selected national feature films receive a screening fee of 20,000 TL per film.

International Competition

Films may be admitted through submission or invitation. The submission deadline for the 2025 edition was September 24, 2025. The 2026 deadline has not yet been published but is expected in September 2026. All applications and preview copies must be submitted by the deadline without exception. Screening format is DCP.

Eligibility Requirements (International Competition)

• Completed no earlier than 12 months before the festival start (after November 2024 for the 2025 edition)
• Turkiye premiere required
• Runtime longer than 60 minutes
• Must not have been commercially released, broadcast on television, or available on VOD
• Must not conflict with regulations of other FIAPF-accredited festivals
• Non-English films require English subtitles; non-Turkish films also require Turkish subtitles (if a Turkish distributor exists, they cover subtitle costs; otherwise the festival provides them)

Awards and Prize Money

National Feature Film Competition

International Competition

International Competition jury awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Jury Special Award (no monetary prize). The jury consists of at least five members selected from art, cinema, criticism, and production fields. Per FIAPF regulations, at least two-thirds of the jury must be non-Turkish nationals. In a 5-member jury, no more than 1 member can be Turkish; in a 7-member jury, no more than 2.

Film Forum

1,450,000 TL in development support distributed across selected projects at the Film Forum (October 25 to 27, 2026).

Market and Industry Activity

The Antalya Film Forum is the festival's industry component. It is a co-production and project development market exclusively for projects from Turkey. The 13th edition runs October 25 to 27, 2026. Projects can be in pre-production, production, or post-production. The Film Forum operates under its own regulations, separate from the competition sections.

The festival does not operate a full-scale film market comparable to Marche du Film or the European Film Market. Industry activity is concentrated around the Film Forum and the networking opportunities of the competition sections.

Academy Award Qualifying Status

The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival is not an Academy Award-qualifying festival for short films. It is FIAPF-accredited as a competitive feature film festival, which places it in a specific international category but does not carry Oscar qualifying status for any category.

Festival History

Founded in 1963, the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in the Middle East and Mediterranean region. It has operated continuously for over six decades, organized by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. The festival received FIAPF accreditation as a specialized competitive festival for feature films. The Golden Orange Award has been the central prize in Turkish cinema culture since its inception.

The festival has evolved from a national awards ceremony into a dual-format event combining national competitions with an international competition and the Film Forum industry platform. The prize money has increased substantially in recent years, with the Best Film award growing from 3.5 million TL in 2025 to 5 million TL in 2026.

Practical Information for Attendees

• 2026 Dates: October 24 to 31, 2026
• Location: Antalya, Turkey (Mediterranean coast)
• Screening Format: DCP (other digital formats may be accepted with technical team approval)
• Language: Films screened in original language. Non-English films require English subtitles. Non-Turkish films require Turkish subtitles.
• Travel: The festival does not cover travel expenses for invited filmmakers but allocates a limited number of hotel rooms managed by the guest office.
• Promotional Obligations: Invited filmmakers are expected to attend press conferences, photo sessions, pre-screening introductions, and media interviews. The official festival logo must appear on all promotional materials for selected films.
• Official Regulations: International Competition Regulations (PDF) | Festival Website

See Also

For Turkish cinema market context, see International Film Markets. For festival submission strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. Use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator to evaluate the cost-benefit of submitting to Antalya and other festivals.