[9] It began with an opening gala at the Merkez Park open-air theater on September 17 at which speeches were made by Adana Metropolitan City Municipality Deputy Head Zihni Aldırmaz and Development Minister Cevdet Yılmaz, Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Turkish actors Kadir İnanır and Nebahat Çehre, and Turkish filmmaker Ali Özgentürk, and a concert was given by the trio of Mazhar-Fuat-Özkan.

[12] The festival closed with an awards ceremony hosted by academic Özlem Gürses and actor Murat Başoğlu at the Adana Merkez Park Amphitheater.

[13][14] The festival also played host to the 1st International Golden Boll Film Congress, coordinated by Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts Film Design Department and headed by Honorary Presidents Ö. Lütfi Akad, at the Adana Seyhan Hotel from September 21 to 24 on the theme of Turkish Cinema: Views from Turkey and the World,[15] and the Adana Cinema Museum, also run by the Adana Metropolitan City Municipality, was officially opened in a restored historic mansion on Şeyhan Street.

[23] Turkish Cypriot director Derviş Zaim, who headed the National Feature Film Competition Jury, received a retrospective of six of his works.

[29] Tunisian film critic Hassouna Mansouri and Lebanese director Bahij Hojeij were among the panel for the related discussion at the Metropolitan Municipality Theater Hall.