Behlül Dal Cinema Museum in Antalya, Turkey

Behlül Dal Cinema Museum in Antalya preserves material connected with Turkish cinema, filmmaker Behlül Dal, and the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. The museum first opened in 2013. After a period of closure, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality renovated the museum and returned it to use in October 2024 in its historic building in Haşimişcan, Muratpaşa.

What the Museum Preserves

The collection includes objects from Behlül Dal’s personal archive as well as film posters, production materials, archival documents, cinema equipment, and items associated with the history of filmmaking in Turkey. This makes the museum both a memorial to Dal and a record of the equipment and visual culture that accompanied earlier periods of Turkish cinema.

The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival forms another major part of the displays. The festival began in 1964 and became closely associated with Antalya’s film culture. Museum material connects its history with posters, festival imagery, awards-related objects, and information about filmmakers and performers who participated in the event.

The Museum After Its 2024 Renewal

The 2024 renovation changed more than the physical condition of the building. Antalya Metropolitan Municipality developed a new presentation that combines surviving cinema objects with digital interpretation. The renewed plans included information kiosks covering the history of the Golden Orange Film Festival, displays of film posters and festival imagery, and figures representing people associated with the festival.

A room was also devoted to Gurbet Kuşları, directed by Halit Refiğ. The film won the Best Film award at the first Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in 1964. The renewed museum concept also introduced interactive elements, including virtual-reality and green-screen applications, alongside the physical collection.

Behlül Dal and Antalya’s Cinema History

Behlül Dal was a director, screenwriter and filmmaker closely connected with Antalya. In 1957 he established a film company in Antalya and directed feature films as well as numerous short films. He was also among the figures who developed the idea that led to the Antalya Film Festival.

Naming the museum after Dal therefore reflects more than his personal film collection. His work connects Antalya’s local film production, short filmmaking and the development of the city’s long-running film festival. Objects from his archive place that history alongside the cameras, projection technology, posters and other material used to explain changes in cinema production and exhibition.

Historic Building and Accessibility

The museum occupies a historic building in Haşimişcan that was described as approximately 125 years old when the municipality completed the 2024 renovation. The protected character of the building limits structural alterations.

Current visitor information lists the museum as partly wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair access is not available to the exhibition rooms on the upper floor. Guidance service is listed as available.

Visiting the Behlül Dal Cinema Museum

The museum is currently listed as open from 09:00 to 18:00 Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Monday. Admission is free. Groups are limited to 20 people, and organized group visits should be arranged with the museum beforehand.

The museum continues to be used for cultural programming as well as its cinema displays. In March 2026, for example, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality hosted a photography exhibition there focusing on the historical and cinematic memory of Kaleiçi, confirming the museum’s continuing role as an active exhibition venue.