ANKARA: An international film festival in Turkiye has been canceled after controversy over a documentary about judicial purges that followed an attempted coup in 2016, authorities said Friday.
The dispute centers on “The Decree,” a documentary about the plight of a doctor and a teacher affected by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s sweeping crackdown after he survived the failed military coup.
The film was initially selected for Antalya’s “Golden Orange” film festival, but excluded from the competition last week, prompting an outcry from filmmakers who condemned the move as censorship.
The festival’s jury members threatened to pull out if the film was not readmitted and said they “reject the approach that looks for incriminating elements in a film and the normalization of censorship.”
The organizers gave in and reinstated the film, but it was excluded again after the culture ministry waded in.
“I regret to inform film lovers that we have canceled our festival, which was set to take place between October 7-14, due to external developments,” the mayor of Antalya said in footage shared on social media.
The Ministry of Culture withdrew its support for the festival, calling it propaganda for the preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of being behind the coup attempt in 2016.
Turkish film festival canceled over censorship controversy
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Turkish film festival canceled over censorship controversy
- The Ministry of Culture banned the documentary "The Decree", calling it propaganda for the preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of being behind the coup attempt in 2016
In the light of Andalusia: Luis Olaso’s new body of work
- Luis Olaso transforms Andalusian landscapes and light into abstract art, creating canvases that reflect culture, nature, and the artist’s inner state
- Each work in ‘Photosynthesis’ acts as a sensory and meditative portrait — an immersion into the Andalusian experience and the artist’s emotional universe
DUBAI: Spanish artist Luis Olaso is presenting “Photosynthesis,” his new exhibition, until March 9 at the JD Malat Gallery in Downtown Dubai. The series marks a turning point in his career, born from his recent move to Cadiz, in Andalusia, where the sun, light, and Mediterranean landscapes have profoundly transformed his practice.
For Olaso, relocating to southern Spain was not merely a change of scenery but an immersion into a culture and environment that nourishes his art at every moment.
“It’s very important for me because this is the first exhibition I have created in my new studio … I built it in the middle of the garden, surrounded by nature, fruit trees and olive trees, with a fantastic landscape. The influence of Andalusia and the colors of that place are the driving force behind my work,” said Olaso.
Located at the heart of an estate surrounded by olive, almond, and orange trees, his studio is designed to allow nature to enter the creative process both physically and psychologically. Yet, rather than depicting these elements directly, Olaso absorbs them as a sensory catalyst: Each color, texture, and gesture becomes the expression of a lived moment.
“Even when I work with plants or flowers, I’m not aiming for literal representation; they are vehicles to express abstract metaphors of myself and the moment I’m living while creating the work,” he said.
His artistic process is both spontaneous and meditative. Olaso often works on several canvases simultaneously to free himself from the pressure of the “perfect painting,” allowing intuition to guide his brush. Music — the Spanish band Triana and 1970s psychedelic flamenco — plays a central role in his focus and inner connection.
“Painting, for me, is similar to meditation. I need to be in that precise moment and feel connected with myself,” said Olaso.
“Photosynthesis” also reflects a profound cultural and artistic dialogue. The artist’s work draws from Spanish tradition— with references to Antoni Tapies and Manolo Millares — as well as major international abstract movements, including American gestural abstraction and the San Francisco Bay Area Figurative Movement.
This meeting point between abstraction, culture, and emotion transforms each canvas into a portrait of a lived instant and the artist’s inner state.
After Dubai, Olaso is expected to present a solo exhibition in Madrid in March 2026, followed by another solo exhibition in Helsinki in April. An art fair is scheduled for September, with additional fairs planned throughout the year, notably with the JD Malat Gallery.
These milestones illustrate his universal approach to art, deeply rooted in a specific cultural context: the light, color, and sensory memory of Andalusia. With “Photosynthesis,” the artist offers viewers an experience in which painting becomes a mirror of the self, an emotional journey, and an encounter with a singular place.
