Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer wins Emmy Award, warns against amnesia of society

Renowned Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer received an International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor for his role in Şahsiyet, in which he plays Agah Beyoğlu - a serial killer diagnosed with Alzheimer's who will eventually lose all his memories. "Be sure that the society we're living in doesn't experience memory loss," Bilginer said in the ceremony.

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Renowned Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer won an International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor for his role in Şahsiyet (Persona) in a ceremony held in New York on Nov. 26.

"Persona is about justice and amnesia - not the amnesia of an individual, but more dangerously and harmfully, amnesia of the society. Therefore, please make sure that the society you live in doesn't suffer from amnesia," Bilginer said in a speech he made after receiving the award, referring to his role in the miniseries, in which he plays Agah Beyoğlu - a serial killer diagnosed with Alzheimer's who will eventually lose all his memories.

When asked about his feelings, the 65-year-old actor said that he is happy that the award went to Turkey.

"I feel great. I'm very happy that this award went to Turkey more than myself. It is very pleasing that work we do with love and admiration is appreciated by others on an international platform and crowned with an award," Bilginer told Anadolu Agency.

The 12-episode series won acclaim from viewers in Turkey and abroad and is rated 9.1 out of 10 on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

Şahsiyet's director Onur Saylak shared a GIF featuring the cast of the series following the ceremony.

In total, two special and 11 Emmy awards were given at the ceremony.

Hungarian actress Marina Gera won the Best Performance by an Actress award.

While Especial de Natal Porta dos Fundos (The Last Hangover) brought the best film in comedy award to Brazil, Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World from the Netherlands won the best film in documentary award.

This year, the U.K.'s McMafia got the best series in drama and Safe Harbor from Australia the best mini-series awards.