Watchtower also wins two prizes at the Turkish festival.

A jury headed by Rome-based Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek, and including Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s producer Zeynep Ozbatur Atakan, took the Adana Film Festival by surprise, awarding top honours to Voice of My Father co-directed by Orhan Eskikoy and Zeynel Dogan over the two favourites by more established directors, Inside by Zeki Demirkubuz and Somewhere in Between by Yesim Ustaoglou.

Voice of My Father, which was also selected for Rotterdam, tells the story of an old woman who refuses to be pried away from the memories of her past and from the hope of hearing again one day, the voice of her long-departed son. Eskikoy collected an additional award for the film’s script.

Other awards went to Pelin Emser as Best director and Nilay Ordenmez as Best Actress for Watchtower, the Yilmaz Guney award, named after the late-actor-director, an icon in Turkish cinema since his death, went to Beylin Soylemez for Present Tense, with the Best Actor Award divided between Engin Gunaydin for Inside and Ilyas Salman for Night of Silence, which also won the Audience Award.

The one documentary in the feature films competition, Know My Name by Kirsten Stevens and Inan Temelkuran, is the inspirational upbeat story of a 16 years old Kurdish girl from a poor family who turns to wrestling and becomes national champion, despite all the impediments of Islamic tradition and religion, as it is her only way of obtaining a scholarship for higher studies which otherwise she cannot afford. The film picked up a Special Jury Prize.

Full winners are as follows:

BEST FILM:  Voice of My Father by Orhan Eskikoy & Zeynel Dogan

YILMAZ GUNEY SPECIAL PRIZE: Present Tense by Belmin Soylemez

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE:  Know My Name by Kristen Stevens & İnan Temelkuran

BEST DIRECTOR: Pelin Esmer  / Watchtower

BEST SCREENPLAY: Orhan Eskiköy / Voice of My Father

JURY MENTION: Evin Demirhan / Know My Name

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ozgur Eken for Watchtower

BEST ACTRESS: Nilay Erdonmez for Watchtower

BEST ACTOR: İlyas Salman for Night Of Silence and Engin Gunaydin for Inside

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Lacin Ceylan for Watchtower and Nihal Yalcin for Inside & Somewhere In Between

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Menderes Samancılar for Watchtower

BEST EDITING: İnan Temelkuran & Kristen Stewens & Oner Biberkoku for Know My Name

BEST ART DIRECTOR: Osman Ozcan for Somewhere In Between

TURKAN SORAY PROMISING YOUNG  ACTRESS AWARD: Neslihan Atagul for Somewhere In Between

PROMISING YOUNG ACTOR AWARD: Baris Hacihan for Somewhere In Between

FILM – YON FILM DIRECTORS’ ASSOCIATION BEST DIRECTOR AWARD:  Erden Kiral  / Load

FILM - YON SPECIAL MENTION:  Belmin Soylemez / Present Tense

SIYAD FILM CRITICS’ ASSOCIATION BEST FILM AWARD: Present Tense / Belmin Soylemez

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