AGP Executive Report

Artists & Society: Kurdish artist Dîlan Cûdî Saruhan says art can preserve memory and connect artists with society. Her Istanbul exhibition, “A Sky of Possibility,” traces life before, during and after prison. Street Art: Istanbul collective OK Labs transforms overlooked city fixtures into playful installations, bringing color and pop-culture touches to urban spaces. Film: Filmekimi has opened in Istanbul with works by acclaimed international directors. Prime Video has also acquired global rights to AI-generated Turkish spin-off “Çukur: Vartolu.” Stage: The “Afife” ballet returns after 28 years, while the Anatolia Opera and Ballet Festival is set to bring performances to four towns in November.

Screen: Prime Video has acquired global rights to Çukur: Vartolu, an AI-generated spin-off of the hit Turkish series. Stage: The Afife ballet returns after 28 years, while Istanbul’s Filmekimi festival has opened with films by acclaimed international directors. Arts & Access: “Accessible Theater” enters its fourth season, and Turkey’s State Opera and Ballet plans performances in Anatolian districts. Music: Turkish DJ Mahmut Orhan has reached No. 42 on DJ Mag’s Top 100 list. Fashion: A Qatar exhibition looks back at designer Erdem Moralıoğlu’s creative journey. Culture & Controversy: Diyarbakır is preparing to host the Culture Route Festival, while a Turkish singer faces an obscenity charge over a video featuring men dancing.

Turkish Screen: Prime Video has acquired global rights to Çukur: Vartolu, an AI-made feature spin-off of the hit Turkish crime series The Pit. Reports say it was made almost entirely with AI; cast details remain unconfirmed. Stage & Cinema: Afife ballet returns to the stage after 28 years, while Istanbul’s Filmekimi festival has opened with films by internationally acclaimed directors. Music: Turkish girl group Manifest has released its first English-language single, “Tralala,” and DJ Mahmut Orhan has climbed to No. 42 on DJ Mag’s Top 100. Istanbul’s Arts Scene: Dolapdere’s former auto-repair strip is evolving into a hub for contemporary art, education and hospitality, with workshops still sharing the streetscape with galleries. Archaeology: Excavations have resumed at Niğde’s Roman Baths in ancient Tyana after a 20-year pause, with researchers seeking earlier structures and signs of pre-Roman activity.

Film: Filmekimi has opened in Istanbul with films by internationally renowned directors. Prime Video has also acquired global rights to Çukur: Vartolu, an AI-made spin-off of the Turkish hit series The Pit. Stage: The Accessible Theater program is entering its fourth season, while the Anatolia Opera and Ballet Festival is set to bring performances to four towns in November. Music: Turkish girl group Manifest has released its first English-language single, “Tralala.” Cinema & Identity: Director Yüksel Aksu says Turkish films have often portrayed Kurdish issues through a militarist lens, and argues that cinema can help question that dominant perspective.

Turkish Screen: Prime Video has acquired global rights to Ay Yapım’s AI-generated film Çukur: Vartolu, a new story spun off from hit series The Pit. Film Festivals: Istanbul’s Filmekimi opened on Oct. 9, bringing films by Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, Werner Herzog and other acclaimed directors to Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Mersin. Accessible Arts: Türk Telekom’s Accessible Theater is back for a fourth season, offering audio descriptions, stage tours and surtitles for audiences with visual or hearing impairments. Music in Izmir: Italian ensemble Micrologus performed medieval music, including St. Francis’s Canticle of the Creatures, at a concert marking the saint’s anniversary. Cinema and Identity: Director Yüksel Aksu says filmmaking can challenge dominant portrayals of Kurdish issues and help support peace and equal citizenship.

Turkish Music: Girl group Manifest has released its first English-language single, “Tralala,” while DJ Mahmut Orhan has climbed to No. 42 in DJ Mag’s Top 100. Stage Arts: The Anatolia Opera and Ballet Festival will bring performances to four towns in November, taking productions beyond the country’s major cultural centers. Fashion: Qatar Museums is presenting an exhibition on designer Erdem Moralıoğlu’s creative journey, with a separate anniversary exhibition also spotlighting his work. Archaeology: Newly found 3,400-year-old Hittite tablets in Turkey describe a deadly epidemic and the death of an infant princess. Arts and Justice: The daughter of singer Güllü has been sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for her killing.

Music: Turkish girl group Manifest has released its first English-language single, “Tralala,” while DJ Mahmut Orhan has climbed to No. 42 on DJ Mag’s Top 100. Stage: The Anatolia Opera and Ballet Festival will bring performances to four towns in November, taking opera and ballet beyond major cities. Fashion: Qatar Museums will open a retrospective of British-Turkish designer Erdem Moralıoğlu on Oct. 26, featuring more than 150 garments, sketches and archival pieces. Heritage: Newly uncovered Hittite tablets in Sivas recount a deadly epidemic, a royal infant’s death and urgent pleas for military reinforcements some 3,400 years ago. Arts and justice: A court sentenced Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter to aggravated life imprisonment for the killing of her mother, singer Güllü. Craft: Ankara bookbinder Mehmet Karsli reflects on nearly six decades restoring books by hand.

Free Expression: Prosecutors are seeking an obscenity charge against queer singer Mabel Matiz over a music-video scene of two men dancing. He says the scene is art; if convicted, he could face up to three years in prison. Fashion: Qatar Museums will open a retrospective of British-Turkish designer Erdem Moralıoğlu on Oct. 27, bringing together more than 150 garments, sketches and archival pieces. Music and Stage: Istanbul’s ENKA Sanat has announced a new season of music and theater, while Diyarbakır prepares to host the Culture Route Festival. Turkish DJ Mahmut Orhan has also reached No. 42 on DJ Mag’s Top 100. Film: The Adana Golden Boll Film Festival has announced its winners.

Festivals and Film: Diyarbakır is preparing to host the Culture Route Festival, while Adana’s Golden Boll Film Festival has announced its winners. Music: Turkish DJ Mahmut Orhan broke into DJ Mag’s Top 100 at No. 42. Yasmin Levy says Ladino music belongs in the living culture, not a museum. Stage and Style: ENKA Sanat unveiled a new season of music and theater, and Ankara is set to host a children’s fashion show on October 10. Heritage: Yozgat’s historic mosques showcase Baroque and Rococo influences, while Anatolian masterpieces are going on display internationally.

Stage Season: ENKA Sanat has unveiled a new season of music and theater. Turkish Craft: Özcan’s porcelain plates are on display at GastroShow 2026, while Midyat’s 3,000-year-old filigree tradition is drawing visitors. Music: Turkish rap artists are celebrating Maestro’s legacy and voicing solidarity with Gaza. On the World Stage: Anatolian masterpieces are heading to an international showcase. Screen: Adana Golden Boll Film Festival has announced its winners. In Istanbul: A historic Mozart violin is bringing echoes of Vienna to the city.

Archaeology & Craft: A 2,100-year-old shipwreck off Türkiye’s southern coast has yielded remarkably intact stacks of ancient plates and bowls, preserved with clay packing. In Istanbul, artist Seval Özcan will turn discarded materials and porcelain plates into zero-waste artworks at GastroShow 2026. Music & Theatre: ENKA Sanat has unveiled a new season of music and theatre, while Ankara’s State Opera and Ballet plans to expand its repertoire of Turkish works. Film & Ideas: The Adana Golden Boll Film Festival has announced its winners. Türkiye also mourned pioneering philosopher İoanna Kuçuradi, who died at 89. Living Traditions: Visitors are being drawn to Midyat’s 3,000-year-old filigree craft, and an exhibition in Ankara spotlights Kelaghayi traditions. Music & Memory: Turkish rap artists celebrated the legacy of Maestro, while an Amed Book Fair commemoration honored musician Aram Tigran. On the Track: Istanbul Park is set to return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2027, with a planned weekend featuring F1, F2 and F3.

Telkari Tourism in Mardin: Midyat’s 3,000-year-old silver filigree (telkari) is drawing more visitors after receiving geographical indication status in 2021, with demand boosted by the TV series “Uzak Şehir.” Olympics 2036 Bid Watch: The IOC says Qatar and India are among seven interested countries for the 2036 Summer Olympics, alongside Germany, Hungary, Turkey, South Africa and South Korea, with presentations and a staged selection process ahead. Aegean Air Tensions: Greece reports Turkey logged its highest daily airspace activity in two months over the Aegean, including F-16 and UAV violations after a prior dogfight near Kastellorizo. Turkish Football Diplomacy: Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman says EU complaints about canceled international events have been “carefully noted,” as dialogue and trust-building remain the stated goal. Art & Migration in Berlin: “Kreuzberg: Art and Migration since 1960” spotlights visual artists from Turkey and beyond who shaped West Berlin’s cultural life. Sports Spotlight: Nigeria’s Kelechi Iheanacho scored in a 3-3 friendly vs Russia, while transfer chatter swirls around Arsenal winger Noni Madueke and Real Madrid’s Mbappé injury timeline.

Olympics Bid Watch: The IOC has confirmed seven countries in the race to host the 2036 Summer Olympics—India, Qatar, South Africa, Germany, Hungary, South Korea, and Türkiye—with presentations due in November and a host vote set for 2029. Football Integrity: Turkey’s justice minister says prosecutors are working “to keep football clean” after arrests tied to a match-fixing and referee administration scandal, including the detention of the top refereeing official. Cinema Spotlight: Swiss-Turkish director Ufuk Emiroğlu debuts in fiction with Sevda, premiering at the 2026 Zurich Film Festival, a drama mixing romance, corporate pressure, and a fight over a cemetery slated for redevelopment. Sports Business & Talent: Reports say Real Madrid have agreed a new contract with Turkish star Arda Güler, while Nottingham Forest are preparing a January €15m bid for Fenerbahçe defender Archie Brown. Tech & Culture: Türkiye’s space push took center stage at the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, with Aselsan outlining plans for a low-Earth-orbit communications constellation. Finance & Daily Life: Türkiye’s central bank says money leaving liquidated investment funds has largely moved into bank deposits, while regulators expand a probe into suspected market manipulation.

UEFA Nations League Buzz: Zinedine Zidane got his first home win as France roared back to beat Belgium 4-1, with Michael Olise starring after coming off the bench and scoring twice in the late surge. Group Stakes: Italy also kept momentum, beating Turkey 3-1 in Bologna to move up to second, leaving Turkey still searching for their first point. Turkish Football Off-Field Shock: Turkey’s football referee chief Ferhat Gundogdu denied involvement in a graft-linked refereeing scandal after he and others were jailed pending trial, as the case points to alleged manipulation of referee administration. Super Eagles & Turkey Connection: Kelechi Iheanacho, now playing in Turkey, returned to Nigeria’s plans for the friendly against Russia in Nizhny Novgorod, while Nigeria faces a weakened squad due to injuries and club release issues. Aegean Tensions: Greece reported Turkish F-16 dogfights and multiple airspace violations near Kastelorizo, with Greek fighters intercepting and pushing the activity back. Arts & Culture Loss: Renowned Turkish philosopher Ioanna Kuçuradi died in Istanbul at 89, remembered for shaping human-rights ethics in Turkey and beyond.

Real Madrid & Turkish Talent: Arda Güler has agreed a contract extension with Real Madrid running until 2031, with a reported salary rise as he cements a key role under Jose Mourinho. UEFA Nations League Focus: France host Belgium at the Stade de France in a tight Group A1 race, while Italy vs Turkey headlines Bologna as both sides chase crucial points. Turkish Football Governance: The Turkish Football Federation president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu rejected blame amid a corruption probe that has jailed the refereeing chief and others, with leaked messages fueling scrutiny. Tech & Connectivity: Turkcell CEO Dr. Ali Taha Koc was elected to the GSMA Board for 2027–2028, as the mobile industry pushes toward AI, 5G/6G and cybersecurity. Fashion & Culture: Gulnara Khalilova’s collections will tour Türkiye as part of the Turkic World Women’s and Ethnic Fashion Week, bringing Azerbaijani heritage to Ankara, Ürgüp and İzmir. Cinema & Peace: Director İsmail Güneş discusses political cinema and art’s role in the peace process, framing his latest work around poverty and life in conflict zones.

Carbon Fibre Tech Deal: First Graphene (FGR) signed a three-year development and commercialisation agreement with Turkish prepreg maker Aeropreg to build graphene-enhanced carbon fibre prepreg using PureGRAPH, aiming for a path to commercial launch via Aeropreg’s sales channels. Space Education Expansion: The International Space University launched its Global Campus Initiative at the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, planning regional hubs and affiliates worldwide. Cultural Institutions, Ankara Style: Ankara State Opera and Ballet (ADOB) unveiled its 2026-27 season plans, mixing Mozart and Puccini with Turkish composers and modern dance, while the Culture and Tourism Ministry confirmed a next-gen visitor system for 216 museums and archaeological sites by end-2026. Film Festival Buzz (Adana): The 33rd Adana Golden Boll Film Festival named “Bir Arada Yalnız” best film and best director, with awards also going to “Mutter” and “Günyüzü.” Heritage Meets Tech: Türkiye is rolling out smarter, safer museum and site experiences with digital ticketing and visitor management backed by Türk Telekom. Sports Spotlight (Galatasaray): Victor Osimhen is reportedly nearing a return as Galatasaray plan to manage his minutes before a Champions League clash with Barcelona.