Antalya, Turkey — ‘Your Beauty is Worth Nothing’, a film about an immigrant Turkish boy who struggles with his new life in Austria won the Best Film Award in the National Competition at the 49th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. The winners were announced at a Closing Night Gala on October 12, 2012.

This year’s festival sent out a strong message for peace and against a possible intervention in the conflict in Syria. Many participants also spoke out for peace and tolerance and their films focused on important social issues like recognition of ethnic identities, women’s rights, child abuse, gay rights and freedom of expression.

“This film is about a Turkish-Kurdish family and it’s a film that doesn’t take sides,” said the director Huseyin Tabak, the German-born director of ‘Your Beauty is Worth Nothing’. “It’s on the side of humanity.” The film also won the Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Editing awards and a Special Jury Prize.

“We don’t want to fight with anyone. We don’t want to fight with Syria,” said Ali Adnan Ozgur, whose film ‘Children of the Land’, about two children who take refuge in a village school won a Special Jury Prize.

In the International Competition, ‘Aglaya’ a film by Hungarian director Krisztina Deak about a Romanian circus family who escape persecution in the 80s, won The Best Film Award and a Special Jury Prize.

“This is my first premiere and international festival and I’m very, very happy,” said the director of ‘Aglaya’ who applied to Antalya right after finishing her film. “This is a wonderful festival, and the organization and the events were very good.”

The ten films in the International Competition came from Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

“What is most impressive is that all the National Competition films deal with really important issues for the country and the artists,” said Barbara Boyle, Associate Dean at UCLA’s Film Department. Boyle was the only member of the National Jury from the U.S. “For me that is the role of the artist, particularly the film artist, and it is important for audiences to deal with these issues and not be afraid.”

The festival was not without controversy. There was a public dispute within the national jury about censorship and artistic merit, and statements were made to the Turkish media during the festival.

For more information go to www.altinportakal.org.tr.

The winners are:

The International Competition:

Best Film: ‘Aglaya’ by Kristina Deak/ Hungary
Special Jury Award: ‘Keep Smiling’ by Rusudan Chkonia/ France
Best Performance: Marian Dziedziel for ‘Supermarket’/ Poland

The National Competition:

Best Film: ‘Your Beauty is Worth Nothing’ by Huseyin Tabak.
Special Jury Award: ‘Children of the Land’ by Ali Adnan Ozgur.
Best First Film and Best Director: ‘Zerre’ by Erdem Tepegoz.
Best Actress: Anna Andrusenko in ‘Farewell Katya’ by Ahmet Sonmez
Best Actor: Abdulkadir Tuncer in ‘Your Beauty is Worth Nothing’ by Huseyin Tabak

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