33rd Adana Golden Boll Film Festival Announces Winners: Ali Vatansever’s Bir Arada Yalnız Takes Top Prize

The 33rd edition of the International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival concluded with a ceremony at the Çukurova University Congress Center. Organized by the Adana Metropolitan Municipality and hosted by Jülide Ateş and Volkan Severcan, the evening saw Ali Vatansever’s Bir Arada Yalnız (Alone Together) emerge as the headline victor of the National Feature Film Competition, securing both Best Film and Best Director honors.

Banu Sıvacı’s Günyüzü (Daylight) received the prestigious Yılmaz Güney Award, while Miraç Atabey’s Moda Evlilik was recognized with the Kadir Beycioğlu Special Jury Prize. The Adana Audience Award, voted on by festival goers, went to Tunç Şahin’s Canavar (Monster).

Acting and Technical Laurels

Chaired by actor Zuhal Olcay, the National Feature Competition jury—comprising Ayça Çiftçi, Erdem Tepegöz, Gökhan Tiryaki, Nilgün Öneş, Salih Bademci, and Şebnem Bozoklu—awarded Best Actress to Hazar Ergüçlü for her role in Mutter: Bir Annenin Hatıra Defteri (Mutter: Notebook of a Mother), while Fatih Al picked up Best Actor for Bir Arada Yalnız.

Supporting performance honors went to Asena Hotamış and Süleyman Kadim Kabaali, both recognized for their work in Günyüzü. The Türkan Şoray Promising Young Actress Award was presented to Ege Damatoğlu (Moda Evlilik), with Onur Gözeten (Bir Arada Yalnız) named Promising Young Actor.

Pınar Yorgancıoğlu and Emre Gülcan took home Best Screenplay for Karanlıkta Islık Çalanlar (Whistling in the Dark), with the film’s composer, Alican Çamcı, earning Best Score.

Mutter: Bir Annenin Hatıra Defteri dominated the technical categories, sweeping Best Cinematography (Özkan Karaköse), Best Editing (Mesut Ulutaş), and Best Art Direction (awarded to the production design team of Saye Özçelik, Gülseren Cizdan, Melike Yılmaz, Umut Kambak, Oğuz Yıldırım, Hüseyin Yalçın, Hasan Yalçın, Hasan Kameray, Hüseyin Dolunay, Eren Dama, and Yener Kaplan).

Guild Recognition and Literary Adaptations

In the collateral awards, the Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD) selected Nuri Cihan Özdoğan’s Ölü Köpekler Isırmaz (Dead Dogs Don’t Bite) as Best Film. The Film Directors’ Guild (FİLM-YÖN) split its Best Director award between Pınar Yorgancıoğlu (Karanlıkta Islık Çalanlar) and Ali Vatansever (Bir Arada Yalnız).

In the Feature Screenplay Literary Adaptation Competition, Gonca Gülbey was awarded Best Screenplay for Dünyanın Öbür Ucunda (At the End of the World), adapted from her own short story Karadutun Ölümü. The project also received the RED Camera Support Award to assist its upcoming production phase. The Special Jury Award in this category went to Kaçak Elektrik, adapted by Selahaddin Eyüp Tan and Eylem Ata from Ata’s story Uzak Değil.

Documentary, Short Film, and Student Categories

The National Documentary Jury—composed of Ecevit Kılıç, Evrim Kaya, Sibel Karakurt, and Rezan Yeşilbaş—awarded Best Documentary to Aylin Kuryel’s Stella ile 8 Mart (8th of March with Stella), with Sezen Kayhan’s Mor Menekşeli Kadınlar taking the Special Jury Prize.

In the short film competitions, decisions were rendered across three dedicated panels:

• International Short Film Competition (Jury: Joaquín del Paso, Gözde Kural, Kaan Urgancıoğlu): Best Film went to Australian director Radheya Jang’s Trading Cards. Quenton Miller’s Koki, Ciao and Samir Syriani’s What If They Bomb Here Tonight? shared the Special Jury Prize.

• National Short Film Competition (Jury: Alkan Avcıoğlu, Ezgi Çelik, Umut Subaşı): Halil Tanışan’s Otel took Best Short, while Dalya Keleş’s Yerçekimi received the Special Jury Award.

• National AI Short Film Competition (Jury: Alkan Avcıoğlu, Ezgi Çelik, Umut Subaşı): Best Film was awarded to Çağatay Dörtyıldız’s Başka Türlü.

• National Student Film Competition (Jury: Kubilay Aka, Özkan Çelik, Yamaç Okur): Top prizes were awarded across four categories: Alp Kaan Akkaya’s Boşluğun Sesi (Fiction), Enes Öztürk’s Tekno Çoban (Documentary), Daria Ekimova and Deniz Depecik’s Tabula Rasa (Animation), and Nehir Üstündağ’s Yanına Dönmeden Önce Gördüğüm Her Şey (Experimental).

33rd Adana Golden Boll Film Festival: Full List of Winners

National Feature Film Competition

• Best Film Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 4,000,000 TRY): Bir Arada Yalnız (Dir. Ali Vatansever)

• Yılmaz Güney Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 750,000 TRY): Günyüzü (Dir. Banu Sıvacı)

• Best Director Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 500,000 TRY): Ali Vatansever (Bir Arada Yalnız)

• Kadir Beycioğlu Special Jury Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 500,000 TRY): Moda Evlilik (Dir. Miraç Atabey)

• Adana Audience Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 300,000 TRY): Canavar (Dir. Tunç Şahin)

• Best Screenplay Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 100,000 TRY): Pınar Yorgancıoğlu, Emre Gülcan (Karanlıkta Islık Çalanlar)

• Best Actress Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 100,000 TRY): Hazar Ergüçlü (Mutter: Bir Annenin Hatıra Defteri)

• Best Actor Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 100,000 TRY): Fatih Al (Bir Arada Yalnız)

• Best Cinematography Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 100,000 TRY): Özkan Karaköse (Mutter: Bir Annenin Hatıra Defteri)

• Best Art Direction Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 100,000 TRY): Saye Özçelik, Gülseren Cizdan, Melike Yılmaz, Umut Kambak, Oğuz Yıldırım, Hüseyin Yalçın, Hasan Yalçın, Hasan Kameray, Hüseyin Dolunay, Eren Dama, Yener Kaplan (Mutter: Bir Annenin Hatıra Defteri)

• Ayhan Ergürsel Best Editing Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 100,000 TRY): Mesut Ulutaş (Mutter: Bir Annenin Hatıra Defteri)

• Best Score Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 100,000 TRY): Alican Çamcı (Karanlıkta Islık Çalanlar)

• Best Supporting Actress Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 50,000 TRY): Asena Hotamış (Günyüzü)

• Best Supporting Actor Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 50,000 TRY): Süleyman Kadim Kabaali (Günyüzü)

• Türkan Şoray Promising Young Actress Award (Golden Boll Statuette): Ege Damatoğlu (Moda Evlilik)

• Promising Young Actor Award (Golden Boll Statuette): Onur Gözeten (Bir Arada Yalnız)

• SİYAD Best Film Award (SİYAD Plaque): Ölü Köpekler Isırmaz (Dir. Nuri Cihan Özdoğan)

• FİLM-YÖN Best Director Award (FİLM-YÖN Plaque): Pınar Yorgancıoğlu (Karanlıkta Islık Çalanlar) & Ali Vatansever (Bir Arada Yalnız)

Feature Screenplay Literary Adaptation Competition

• Best Screenplay Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 250,000 TRY): Dünyanın Öbür Ucunda (Gonca Gülbey)

• Special Jury Award (Plaque & 75,000 TRY): Kaçak Elektrik (Selahaddin Eyüp Tan, Eylem Ata)

• RED Camera Support Award: Dünyanın Öbür Ucunda (Gonca Gülbey)

National Documentary Film Competition

• Best Documentary Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 500,000 TRY): Stella ile 8 Mart (Dir. Aylin Kuryel)

• Special Jury Award (Plaque & 100,000 TRY): Mor Menekşeli Kadınlar (Dir. Sezen Kayhan)

International Short Film Competition

• Best Film Award (Golden Boll Statuette & 150,000 TRY): Trading Cards (Dir. Radheya Jang)

• Special Jury Award (Plaque & 50,000 TRY): Koki, Ciao (Dir. Quenton Miller) & What If They Bomb Here Tonight? (Dir. Samir Syriani)

National Short Film Competition

• Best Film Award (Plaque & 150,000 TRY): Otel (Dir. Halil Tanışan)

• Special Jury Award (Plaque & 50,000 TRY): Yerçekimi (Dir. Dalya Keleş)

National AI Short Film Competition

• Best Film Award (Plaque & 50,000 TRY): Başka Türlü (Dir. Çağatay Dörtyıldız)

National Student Film Competition

• Best Fiction Film (Plaque & 50,000 TRY): Boşluğun Sesi (Dir. Alp Kaan Akkaya)

• Fiction Special Jury Award: Uslu (Dir. Selçuk Kaan Salk)

• Best Documentary Film (Plaque & 50,000 TRY): Tekno Çoban (Dir. Enes Öztürk)

• Documentary Special Jury Award: Akgün (Dir. Ulviye Aleyna Sarıgül)

• Best Animation Film (Plaque & 50,000 TRY): Tabula Rasa (Dir. Daria Ekimova, Deniz Depecik)

• Animation Special Jury Award: Drip (Dir. Zeynep Sude Yavuz), Bilemiyorum Aysel (Dir. Rumeysa Bora, Şevval Benkli, Zeynep Ramadani, Ceren Yıldızhan)

• Best Experimental Film (Plaque & 50,000 TRY): Yanına Dönmeden Önce Gördüğüm Her Şey (Dir. Nehir Üstündağ)

• Experimental Special Jury Award: Islak Köpekler (Dir. Metin Konar)