Ömer Vargı, head of the jury at the Golden Orange

Culture and Arts Service

The International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival will kick off on October 24th, and veteran director and producer Ömer Vargı will head the National Feature Jury. Vargı began his career in 1974 with Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören's film "Andişe." He then worked as Şerif Gören's assistant on "Earthquake," "Taxi Driver," and "River."

He made his name as the producer of the 1983 films "The Day the Sun Eclipsed" and the 1993 films "The American." In 1996, he produced "Eşkıya," which reached over 3 million viewers and became a turning point in Turkish cinema, earning him an Oscar nomination. Vargı also reached a larger audience with the 1998 film "Everything Will Be Very Beautiful." His success continued with "İnşaat" (Construction) in 2003 and "Kabadayı" (King), which he both produced and directed, in 2007.

Vargı directed the films "Anatolian Eagles" in 2011 and "One Construction in Ten Years" in 2014. He also produced the television series "Cam Kırıkları." Vargı was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th International Antalya Film Festival in 2018. The director shared his filmmaking memories in his book "I'm Also In This Film," published in 2024.