In Conversation with Altın Koza Film Festival Programme Director Esin Küçüktepepınar: “A gathering where cinema could be debated in all its dimensions”

As one of Turkey’s most storied film festivals, bridging the enchantments of cinema with the fertile plains of Adana since 1969, the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival has drawn to a close. Following an edition that featured 210 films across 450 screenings in a diverse range of categories, we sat down with Programme Director Esin Küçüktepepınar to reflect on the festival’s run…

With the 33rd International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival now behind us, how would you evaluate this year’s edition?

True to the word itself, it unfolded in a genuinely festive spirit—a celebration in the truest sense. We are thrilled; we screened exceptionally dynamic works that offer genuine promise for cinema’s future. In that sense, I would humbly like to think we delivered a successful edition. Of course, the experience extended far beyond the auditorium: because these were films that refused to end when the screen went dark, hearing the impassioned debates spill out into the foyer and the animated discussions shared over coffee between screenings was an absolute pleasure. And, naturally, being in Adana means kebabs are inevitable—one can hardly claim to have visited without indulging in the classic pairing of kebab and şalgam (fermented turnip juice). Across the city’s streets and screening venues, we truly recaptured the nostalgic buzz of festivals past; winding queues and packed halls have always been Adana’s calling card. The audience here has always been extraordinary. It proved to be a gathering where cinema could be critically engaged with across every dimension.

The festival team put in months of relentless work. Do you feel that this dedication paid off?

The audience’s engagement, alongside the palpable joy of filmmakers seeing the fruits of their tireless labour connect with viewers, matters most. Looking back on the months of curation and the aspirations we held while shaping the programme, one simply hopes the outcome proved nourishing for everyone involved. Our goal was to convene filmmakers, critics, and Adana’s cinema-goers under the best possible viewing conditions. In an undertaking of this scale, shortcomings and oversights are inevitable—for which we ask for understanding.

From your perspective, what stood out as the festival’s crowning achievement this year?

There were countless highlights—from the competition slate to the student sessions—yet for me, two stand apart. The first was hosting the two-time Academy Award-winning master Asghar Farhadi in Adana and witnessing a packed auditorium for his masterclass. He was visibly delighted by the curiosity and probing questions of the young audience. I had interviewed him four times over the years, but always in my capacity as a film critic, strictly discussing his films. Hosting him as a festival programmer offered a much more intimate encounter with his grace and humility. The second was our bold, pioneering leap into the future of cinema and digital storytelling through the AI Short Film Competition—the first of its kind mounted at a festival of this scale in Turkey. Remaining receptive to emerging perspectives and new creative forms is vital for contemporary film festivals.

How would you assess the audience turnout? Did the attendance figures and viewer responses align with your expectations?

True to its epithet, this is indeed a ‘fertile land’—fertile in its lineage of artists and visionaries. Adana has nurtured countless creative minds, far beyond figures like Yılmaz Güney or Yaşar Kemal. Raised on this rich heritage, the local cinephile public has always been celebrated for its ferocious devotion to film. Even so, this year exceeded our highest expectations. Auditoriums were at capacity for both the national competition and international selections. The substantive, insightful contributions during post-screening Q&As underscored just how deeply audiences engaged with the works. That collective synergy was truly gratifying.

The AI award drew considerable attention this year. Will artificial intelligence and other emerging industry innovations continue to feature in future editions?

We certainly intend so. In our inaugural National AI Short Film Competition, Çağatay Dörtyıldız’s Başka Türlü took Best Film, and across the entire programme one could discern an extraordinary vision. As is well known, artificial intelligence continues to provoke fierce debate globally. In our dedicated AI panel—featuring Alkan Avcıoğlu and Vikki Bardot, both internationally recognized practitioners—we unpacked these tensions extensively within an industry framework. As technology and digital modes of storytelling evolve, Altın Koza cannot remain indifferent to such seismic shifts. We will continue to carve out space for innovative cinematic idioms.

Looking beyond the competition slates, what narrative emerged from this year’s parallel events and peripheral programming?

Diversity and an unblinking gaze upon the world we inhabit. This year, the festival adopted an ecological stance anchored around the theme “A World Without Plastic,” which reverberated across our side events. Through dedicated programmes, we also sought to examine the root causes of contemporary conflicts and unrest, underscoring how history, tragically, tends to repeat itself. Between the restored screenings of the legendary Beirut Trilogy by the late Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab, a 25th-anniversary retrospective panel for Hiçbiryerde attended by Zuhal Olcay and Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, a masterclass by Honorary Award laureate Ferzan Özpetek, industry panels, and our signature open-air screenings, every corner of Adana transformed into a forum for critical discourse and creative inquiry.

How would you define the position Altın Koza occupies in Turkish cinema today?

Altın Koza is not merely a showcase for our national cinema; it is both its living memory and its horizon. At a time marked by acute economic precarity, when independent filmmaking faces steep headwinds, it stands as one of the country’s oldest institutions committed to opening up space for practitioners, discovering emerging talent, and lending them vital support. It remains an invaluable platform where we celebrate the resilience and continuity of cinema in the face of production crises.

This is a responsibility all festivals ought to shoulder. In an era where mainstream consolidation dominates every platform and leaves little breathing room for alternatives, the curatorial duty of festivals to champion original, independent work has never been more urgent.

Looking ahead, what ideas are already percolating for next year’s edition?

While the momentum of the 33rd edition is still immediate, aspirations and ambitions are, by nature, inexhaustible. For next year, our vision involves expanding our international partnerships and integrating artificial intelligence and next-generation cinematic tools more holistically into the programme. Equally essential is cultivating new industry initiatives to support female directors amid ongoing production hurdles, while continuing to bring world cinema’s boldest, most urgent discoveries to Adana.