Cultural activities like concerts and theatre plays, which started to take place in the 1950s at the historical Aspendos Amphitheatre, formed the cornerstone of the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival of today.

The Golden Orange Feature Film Award was called soon the Turkish Oscar following the enthusiasm created in the cinema world with its high performance within a short time.

In the years 1989 to 1994, the municipality, tourism companies and the chamber of commerce in Antalya performed the organization of the Golden Orange Film Festival jointly.

The opening ceremony takes place at the Konyaaltı Amphitheatre or in Antalya Cultural Center in presence of the national and international film celebrities invited.

In case of bad weather conditions, the award ceremony is transferred to the Glass Pyramid Sabancı Congress and Exhibition Center, which provides seating for an audience of 2,500 only.

[6] During the 51st Golden Orange Festival in 2014, which was organized by Justice and Development Party (Turkey)'s municipality, when The Lamb directed by Kutluğ Ataman swept the board, Reyan Tuvi's feature-length documentary on the 2013-2014 Gezi protests, titled Yeryüzü Aşkın Yüzü Oluncaya Dek (Until The Earth's Face Becomes Love's Face), was removed from the festival with the claim that the documentary violated articles 125[7] and 299[8] of the Turkish Penal Code.