The organizing committee of the Golden Orange Film Festival in Antalya, Turkey, has removed a documentary about the lives of victims of a government purge after a failed coup in 2016. This decision has caused strong criticism from the victims and activists involved.
In 2016, the Turkish government declared a state of emergency following an unsuccessful coup attempt. This state of emergency remained in effect until 2018. During this period, the government carried out a purge of civil servants under the pretext of fighting the coup. They issued a number of government decrees, known as KHKs, which resulted in the dismissal of 130,000 public servants due to their alleged connections to “terrorist organizations.”
The documentary, directed by Nejla Demirci, focuses on the struggles of two individuals, Yasemin, a doctor, and Engin, a teacher, who lost their jobs through KHK decrees. The film highlights their efforts to rebuild their lives after being dismissed from their public sector jobs.
Münir Korkmaz, a reporter for KHK TV, a YouTube channel created by victims of the post-coup purge in Turkey, commented on the removal of the film from the festival. He said, “We do not accept this attitude and strongly condemn it. This film was about the honorable struggle of KHK victims. We demand its reinstatement among the competing films.”
Turkish film director Ezel Akay described the removal as a “big mistake” and called for the festival to reverse its decision. Actor, director, and writer Orhan Alkaya also expressed his disapproval, stating, “Those responsible for the removal should ‘curl up and die—if they can feel shame.'”
The Altın Portakal Film Festival is organized by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, which is run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Antalya Culture and Art Foundation. The documentary had previously been the subject of a ruling by the Constitutional Court last year. The court found that the local authorities’ ban on filming violated freedom of expression, and awarded Demirci compensation in the amount of 13,500 Turkish lira.
