Women filmmakers and actresses addressed Turkey’s sudden withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, violence against women, gender inequality, and sexual abuse in the film industry at the 58th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.
The disruptive attitude of the actor Tamer Karadağlı towards Nihal Yalçın, who won the ‘Best Actress’ award during her speech at the stage will be remembered as an epitome of ‘mansplaining’ and ‘toxic masculinity.’
The award ceremony of the 58th Antalya Golden Orange was marked by the attitude of Tamer Karadağlı, who handed the award, during the speech of Nihal Yalçın, who received the ‘Best Actress’ award.
While Nihal Yalçın was giving a thank you speech, Karadağlı (waiting behind her looking at his watch hinting that her speech was long) intervened and tensely handed the award to her. “Did you mean to say shut up?” Yalçın responded when her speech was interrupted. “Not at all,” Tamer Karadağlı responded, “It was so that you could talk with your award…”
Karadağlı’s attitude received criticism on social media as well.
“Please don’t let Tamer get in front of me!” Nihal Yalçın said on her social media account following the event. The note read, “Tonight is my night!”
During her acceptance speech, Yalçın said, “Istanbul Convention saves lives” which received a lot of support from artists and women.
‘A good example of mansplaining’
Journalist Asu Maro wrote in Milliyet, “During the speech of Nihal Yalçın, who was the only and rightful holder of the stage at that moment, he looked at his watch reckoning that she was giving a long speech. He stepped in and handed the award to her. Nihal Yalçın said, “Do you mean to say ‘shut up’?” When she said that, he gave her instruction on how she should deliver the speech. “Speak with the award in your hand, look at it and lift it like this.” Result: Tamer Karadağlı became the trending topic on social media that night. Let’s look at the bright side: From now on, if we need to explain to someone what “mansplaining” means, we will not try hard, it will be just enough to show that scene.
“But when we say that femicide is political, you do not accept it!” Yalçın said in response to criticism that she “politicised” the ceremony. “Then you accuse me of attempting to politicise the awards ceremony?”
Güvenç Dagüstün, an artist, also backed Yalçın, saying, “Are award ceremonies a place to engage in politics? Of course! Just as art and the artist do not have to be free of politics, there is politics where art is appreciated.”
“Just because something was mentioned by Ricky Gervais doesn’t mean it’s true. Long live the artists who dare to express themselves!” said in support of Yalçın” added Dağüstün reminding the Golden Globe Awards where Ricky Gervais called out the stars for lecturing audience with political messages.
‘An ugly image of the male-dominated view’
CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu was one of the names that supported Yalçın. Kaftancioglu wrote: “It’s not the women who talk a lot, but the men who talk nonsense (having a masculine gaze) in this beautiful country. Nihal Yalçın showed the strength and determination of women in her short speech (3.7 minutes), which was was not tolerated byTamer Karadağlı who manisfested an ugly image of the male-dominated view.”
Tamer Karadağlı, who participated in a TV show the next day, was quick to respond to Kaftancıoğlu. Karadağlı referred to a Youtube broadcast where Yalçın was a guest a while ago, and reminded Yalçın’s response of “Freedom for Selahattin Demirtas” (the jailed former co-leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Party) to the question “What would you write if you were going to tweet for the last time?” Karadağlı said: “Pervin Buldan protects her, Canan Kaftancıoğlu protects her. There is a lynching attempt here, my stance is also a clear one. I am completely against the terrorist organization that points a gun at Turkish soldiers and shoots the policeman who shoots at his teacher. I am a person who believes that the PKK is a terrorist organization. Now you have to go and ask them. Do you believe that the PKK is a terrorist organization? Can you say that Öcalan is the terrorist leader?”
“A cowardly man”
Referring to Nihal Yalçın, Karadağlı said “I talked to a friend of hers. This place is already a political festival she thinks. Apparently she said she is coming to make these speeches. What I’ve been told is that the festival is not about art. The lady is already a person who supports HDP and Demirtaş.” Kaftancıoğlu, on the other hand, shared on her Twitter account in response to Karadağlı, “The answer to your question is yes, but I do not understand its relevance to the issue. “Cowardly man!” syndrome… I don’t know about his stance, but he did show his intelligence level.”
Cahide Sonku award goes to Feride Çiçekoğlu and Ezgi Baltaş
Dedicated to Cahide Sonku, the first female director and actress of cinema, the Cahide Sonku Award, which has been given since 2019 to draw attention to the “visibility of women’s labor in the cinema industry”, went to screenwriter, writer and academician Feride Çiçekoğlu and casting director Ezgi Baltaş. Writer Ayfer Tunç, one of the members of the jury, announced that Ezgi Baltaş received the award “for her passionate approach to her profession, the young actors she brought to the sector and her success in creating effective player combinations in the projects she signed.”
Baltaş, who received the award for her work in Selman Nacar’s film Between Two Dawns, commemorated director Seyfi Teoman, cinema worker Nihan Katipoğlu and the Susma Bitsin movement, which a group of female filmmakers came together to fight sexual harassment and discrimination on sets. In her speech, Baltaş dedicated the award to her older sister, Yeter Baltaş, who stubbornly and cheerfully continued to stand, dance and smile, despite the shadow of all kinds of state violence, patriarchal violence and her father’s violence in a place like Batman in the 90s.
While announcing the Best Actress Award, Hazal Kaya, one of the jury members, highlighted the industry’s gender disparity by stating that only three of the ten films (“Zuhal”, “We Will Die Together,” and “Dialogue”) have a female character that may be granted this award: “We were only able to see women in three out of ten films this year.” This was especially disappointing for a team where women made up more than half of the jury. I’d like to state that I’m hoping for seven women’s films out of ten next year.”