festival. The Council of Europe and later Eurimages support for this award was discontinued in 2020. With its 28th edition in 2009, the festival began to give its Golden Tulip Award also as a result of its National Competition. Azize Tan was replaced by the Assistant Director of the festival, Kerem Ayan, in 2015. Since the beginning of the Festival, a total of 2,065,000 spectators have attended the screenings of 2,330 films from 72 different countries (2005 figures). The festival boasted an audience of 170,000 in 2007, breaking its own record. Censorship In 1988, government inspectors forced the withdrawal of 5 of 160 films that are to be screened at the festival. Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue and Vedreba (The Plea) by Tengiz Abuladze were among these five works. Vedreba was being blocked on the grounds that it was "anti-Islamic" and cuts from the other four films were demanded because of erotic scenes. Upon the notification by the censorship board that certain films on the program were to be banned, the then president of the Golden Tulip Jury, Elia Kazan, organised a protest march with the participation of Turkish filmmakers. The Turkish Ministry of Culture subsequently issued a decree holding all international film festivals exempt from censorship. Program The selection and programming of the festival films is conducted by the selection committee and the advisory board. The program consists of an international competition open only to feature and animated films on art and artists or literary adaptations, a national competition, non-competitive, informative sections on specific themes which can include documentaries, shorts and feature films. The 2008 program which includes 200 films comprises the following sections: International Competition Turkish Cinema 2007-8 National Competition Out of Competition Documentaries Festival Awards Screenings Special Screening: Turkish Classics Revisited Human Rights in Cinema Galas Challenging the Years From the World of Festivals Young Masters Documentary Time with NTV American Independents Mined Zone Midnight Madness Woman is Her Name From the Caucasus to the Mediterranean Medscreen Arab Film Promotion Kids' Menu The World of Animation: Alexander Petrov '68 and its Heritage Marc Caro: Lost in Illusions In Memoriam Nokia Nseries Short Film Competition Awards list These awards are presented within the context of the festival: Golden Tulip (for the best film in the international competition) Best Turkish Film of the Year Best Turkish Director of the Year Special Prize of the Jury Special Mention Best Actor and