Yellow Letters
2026 film by İlker Çatak
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Yellow Letters (German: Gelbe Briefe) is a 2026 political drama film directed by İlker Çatak, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ayda Çatak and Enis Köstepen. It follows Derya (Özgü Namal) and Aziz (Tansu Biçer), a couple of Turkish theater artists who lose their jobs due to political persecution in Turkey.[2]
- İlker Çatak
- Ayda Çatak
- Enis Köstepen
| Yellow Letters | |
|---|---|
German theatrical poster | |
| German | Gelbe Briefe |
| Directed by | İlker Çatak |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Ingo Fliess |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Judith Kaufmann |
| Edited by | Gesa Jäger |
| Music by | Marvin Miller |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Alamode Film (Germany) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 127 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
|
| Language | Turkish |
The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2026, where it won the Golden Bear.[3] It was theatrically released in Germany by Alamode Film on 5 March.
Premise
The marriage of an artist couple begins to unravel when they lose their jobs shortly after their play's premiere.[4]
Cast
- Özgü Namal as Derya Tufan[2]
- Tansu Biçer as Aziz Tufan
- Leyla Smyrna Cabas as Ezgi Tufan
- İpek Bilgin as Güngör Tufan
- Aydın Işık as Salih
- Aziz Çapkurt as Baran
- Yusuf Akgün as Fikret
- Uygar Tamer as Kadriye
- Jale Arıkan as Kübra
- Seda Türkmen as Sema
- Emre Bakar as Ismail Karacabaş
- Elit İşcan as Cemre
- Sultan Ulutaş Alopé as Rojda
- Emine Meyrem as Gülin
- İpek Seyalıoğlu as Zeynep
Production
Development
An international co-production of Germany, France, and Turkey. In 2021, the project received a €10,000 production grant by the German-Turkish Co-Production Development Fund.[5] It participated at the Berlinale Co-Production Market in February 2022.[6] In November 2022, the project was awarded €65,000 grant from the MOIN Filmförderung.[7] The project received €368,000 production grant from Eurimages in November 2023.[8]
Filming
Principal photography took place in Hamburg and Berlin, standing in for Ankara and Istanbul, and wrapped in July 2024.[9] It was also shot at the Berliner Ensemble Main Auditorium, with a scene involving about 250 extras.[10]
Release
Yellow Letters had its world premiere at the Main Competition section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2026.[11] In February 2024, Be For Films acquired the film's international sales.[12]
The film was released theatrically in Germany by Alamode Film on 5 March 2026.[13]
The film was also part of Horizons section of the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it was screened from 3 July to 7 July 2026.[14] For its Spanish premiere, it was selected in the 'Official Section' slate of the 71st Valladolid International Film Festival.[15]
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 22 February 2026 | Golden Bear | Yellow Letters | Won | [18][19] |
| Prize of the Guild of German Arthouse Cinemas | Won | [20] | |||
| German Film Awards | 29 May 2026 | Best Fiction Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Ilker Çatak | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Ilker Çatak Ayda Meryem Çatak Enis Köstepen | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Özgü Namal | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Tansu Biçer | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Judith Kaufmann | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Gesa Jäger | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Marvin Miller | Won | |||
| Best Production Design | Zazie Knepper | Nominated | |||
