The shadow play known simply as “Karagöz” is not only one of the most important cultural symbols of the city of Bursa, but also a significant part of the Turkish culture and traditional dramatic arts. Several researchers looking into the origins of Karagöz have found that the play is closely-knit with Bursa. Both the leading characters of the play, Karagöz and Hacivat, and the creator of the puppet performance, Şeyh Küşteri, were from Bursa. It is a known fact that Karagöz and Hacivat were builders who worked 600 years ago on the construction of either the Orhan Mosque or the Great Mosque (Ulu Cami).
The Karagöz Shadow Play is performed behind a white screen stretched on a frame. The figures are placed in front of a light source which projects the shadows to the screen. Therefore, we can safely assume that the characters of the Turkish shadow play Karagöz, which started off in Bursa centuries ago and was popularized all over the world, are the first protagonists of the silver screen.
The national and international competitions and the awards of the Silk Road Film Festival were named Golden Karagöz as an homage to Karagöz, who was the first hero projected on a screen.
The Karagöz statuette, which is the first depiction of the well-known figure in 3D, was designed by Gülşah Özbek, with the help of Orhan Kurt as the concept consultant, who also serves as the Second Head of UNIMA Turkey (Union Internationale de la Marionette - International Puppetry Association).