At the 28th International Golden Boll Film Festival held in Adana this year, Honorary Awards were presented with the presentation of Volkan Severcan and Dolunay Soysert. Şerif Sezer, Yavuz Turgul and Haluk Bilginer received the honorary awards. Haluk Bilginer’s speech, who received his award from the master of Turkish Cinema Hale Soygazi and Adana Metropolitan Mayor Zeydan Karalar, marked the night.
Haluk Bilginer said in an interview twenty years ago, “I am very jealous of Haluk Bilginer twenty years from now. Who knows what he will have learned”, in his speech, “Twenty years later, I am here, I am here before you. I wonder what I will learn in twenty years. If I am still here, I promise you that I will come here after twenty years” and continued his speech as follows;
“Art in Turkey has always been done ‘despite’. Despite the ban, despite the censorship, despite the ban, despite the impossibilities. However, the artists of our country have succeeded in overcoming these obstacles and breaking down these walls and making works that won awards around the world. And this is the artist’s belief, stubbornness, resistance and effort to speak the truth. So is the Adana Golden Boll Festival. By resisting obstacles since 1969, it has managed to become a prestigious festival that has survived to this day.
Especially Zeydan Karalar’s contributions, supporters and volunteers. I express my gratitude and respect to them. It is a great honor for me to receive the ‘Honorary Award’ from here. Thank you so much. It is a great honor for me to share this honor with 2 masters I love, Yavuz Turgul and Şerif Sezer. Thank you very much. Hail to those who stand upright in crooked times.”