Discoveries from Turkey World Cinema

A woman's tranquil day at the beach turns tumultuous when she is forced to confront a sudden, new reality concerning her mother.

A documentary that tells the story of the youth who, despite all forms of state repression, demonstrated their determination to march to Taksim on May 1, 2025.

In some villages in Eastern Anatolia, there is a common belief: If someone is about to die, a smell develops in the house a few days before the death occurs. Villagers call this smell "meft". A girl raised with this belief, is about to whitewash a room in the house for her sick mother to rest in. As she enters the room, the girl encounters a smell.

Selin and Ece are sisters. No matter how much Selin loves her sister Ece, she harbors resentment toward her because they lost their mother during Ece's birth. This resentment has never faded within Selin. Selin has found a way to get rid of Ece, but the path she has chosen will lead her to disaster.

Suat and Mustafa are two government personnel working the night shift at a nursing home. One night, one of the elderly people in the nursing home dies. And that same night, another incident follows him in the nursing home. These two state personnel, who cannot take their minds off their routine and their own realities, focus only on their own lives, despite death and pain.

Lavinya, a mysterious young girl with a questionable past who complains about the meaninglessness of life, has to make new decisions about herself and her future. But she has no idea what to do. One night she suddenly meets a charismatic young man who changes her perspective on life.

The Wall that Separates Us Describes the process of three brothers who quarantined together at home because their families are abroad and become more and more trampled at home with their curfew and revealing their secrets.

He was still breathing, desire was alive! One night a woman and a man tried to change their lives.

Recep Ibibik's family is specialized in poultry . His father, his grandfather, and his grand grandfather, are engaged in the chicken business. It's now Recep's turn, however Recep has a whole new dream. To achieve his dreams and more, he comes to Istanbul and won't be going away soon.

Four teens are cursed by demons.

Talip and Yaşar constantly waste the money they get from their older brother Muhteşem on unnecessary things. Çiğdem, a costume designer who was fired from the film set where she worked, introduces herself to Yaşar as a director and convinces her two friends that there is a lot of money to be made in the horror film industry. They use the last of the money they got from their brother Muhteşem to get into the horror film business. However, there are paranormal events waiting for them at the location where they are filming. Their dream of becoming rich by making a horror film turns into a nightmare for the duo, leading them into some very comical situations.

A lonely young woman finds unexpected refuge when a disabled puppeteer at a fairground helps her launch a career as a celebrated singer. Secretly in love, he expresses his feelings through his puppets while she rises to stardom under his gentle guidance.

Köken Ergun spent two years among the droves of tourists, both Turkish and Australian, that gather in Gallipoli to commemorate the soldiers who died there during one of the First World War's biggest battles. 'Heroes' to some, 'martyrs' to others.

A young Turkish businessman living in France is involved in a traffic accident with his wife and daughter. The woman, who is seriously injured and taken to the hospital, is found to have the AIDS virus in her blood.

Wind has been working for years to take revenge on Mr. Ethem, the businessman who caused the destruction and then death of his father when he was a child. He managed to exist as a hacker on the internet under the name Wind. He became the fearful dream of many people.

Hakan, who wants to find money quickly, become rich, and save his life, has made every means acceptable to achieve his goal and has become consumed by an unstoppable greed. Without realizing it, he infects his closest friends with this greed. An unintentional mistake leads Hakan and his friends into a great unknown. The journey of these young people, who set out toward an unknown end, in search of treasure and the Boyabat Castle, leads to a split in their personalities. The power of disbelief begins to reveal the reality of an unknown world to Hakan and opens the doors of horror. A promise made in exchange for betrayal at the barrel of a gun. This dark journey they embark on will be a light in their disbelief and a confrontation with the reality of death. Zifir tells the story of a magical burial over a thousand years old and a journey that pushes the boundaries of the mind.

A woman tries to remember her forgotten memories by going through old photographs. As she goes deep into her memories, she gets even more confused about her past.

Film tells about the tides of the time before and after September 12, in one individual's private. And while passing through one individual's history to the others's, the subject and the object, the heroism and vileness, the fear and the wisdom, the past and the present will be shaped in a new meaning(less).

A timid, henpecked husband, dominated by his domineering mother-in-law (“kaynanatör”), finds himself in a chaotic mix of misunderstandings and slapstick as he navigates between his controlling wife’s family and his hopeful son-in-law.

The film aims to accurately portray the values that taverns have held since the past and to convey their enduring camaraderie, as they strive to adapt to new conditions and survive by changing form in modern city life. The documentary, which features a total of 25 taverns, also draws on numerous music and Yeşilçam film archives.

The story of Burhan, a poor and helpless taxi driver whose wife is constantly harassed by her father.

Erman "The Media Giant" Yaşar as told by his family and friends.

One morning, seven residents crowded into a four-person elevator for different reasons. While complaining about the building manager, Bahtiyar Hanım, the elevator suddenly breaks down and this incident increases the tension.

Turkish arabesque, with its bitter, fatalistic, and reproachful lyrics, first emerged as the rebellion music of the slums during the industrialisation era following the establishment of the republic. With the cultural destruction of the 1980 coup, it became a music genre for the masses. The film features pioneers of the genre, such as Orhan Gencebay, Ali Tekinture, Muhtesem Candan, and Burhan Bayar, who explain the birth of this cultural-musical phenomenon, while its evolution is interpreted by Ezel Akay, Kadir Copdemir, Haluk Cobanoglu, and Serhat Koksal. The soundtrack was selected from a wide range of venues, from beer houses to high-end restaurants, from amateurs to well-known producers.

Escaping from home, Ülker meets and marries a blind composer in the hotel where she is staying, but suffering does not leave Ülker in her new life.

Iskui, an Armenian girl, comes to Istanbul to attend university. She quickly falls in love with Mert, whom she meets in Istanbul. However, this relationship is not approved by Iskui's older brother Aram, who has come from Armenia, nor by Mert's family. For those who view the century-old conflicts between the two nations from their own perspective, such a love has no place in the world. Despite all the opposition, Iskui and Mert must fight for each other. Will love be able to overcome the challenges of the past this time?

In a theater, a mysterious young man takes four people to a stage and asks them questions about life. After a while, events take different directions.

In this world customized machines, secret agents, and doctors, can enter people's subconscious minds allowing there to become a dangerous reality. S18 is an agent in this world, and he has a mission. He needs to access the subconscious of a mentally ill man and free him from his past traumas.

Life story of etymologist Sevan Nişanyan, one of Turkey's prominent intellectuals, dedicated to rebellion against authority, creativity, and questioning, is detailed through interviews with his children, spouse, family, friends and himself.

A man takes revenge for his family, who were killed by mistake.

A tragic love story took place in Istanbul during the armistice years. Mediha who lives in Sisli region of Istanbul breaks up with Kemal however Kemal is still in love with Mediha and Kemal starts to work as a servant at the house where she lives with her new boyfriend. One day Mediha is murdered and her new boyfriend loses his memory due to this assault. And then, things get more complicated.

The film is set in the historic Balat tavern of Istanbul.

The Presence in Me is about what happened to a group of friends who went to camp. A group of friends decide to go camping. Everything is fine in the head. Young people who start touring the campsite discover a cave. The young people are soon trapped in this cave they discovered.

Sedef waits for a call at the table, accompanied by her cousin, Defne. While as daily life is flowing by its own nature. Sedef just waits without taking her eyes off her phone.

After enduring six grueling years in Russian prisoner-of-war camps during World War I, hundreds of Turkish soldiers finally begin their journey home on February 23, 1921. Boarding the Japanese ship Heimei-Maru, under the courageous command of Lieutenant Colonel Yukichi Tsumura, they believe their ordeal is over. However, as the ship reaches the waters off Mytilene, it is intercepted by a Greek warship, sparking a diplomatic crisis and a prolonged wait at sea. It isn't until June 25, 1922, that the weary soldiers finally touch the soil of Istanbul. Decades later, Mustafa Dokur, the son of one of those soldiers, embarks on a personal mission to piece together his father’s lost history. Armed with nothing but a faded photograph and a weathered notebook, Mustafa’s search for answers unearths a forgotten saga of resilience, international solidarity, and the unbreakable bond between a father and a son across time.

The American Dream

In a family consisting of a father, mother, and two children, financial difficulties compel every adult member to work. Experiencing fragmentation economically, spatially, and emotionally, the family has lost its sense of togetherness in the struggle to sustain their lives. They communicate only during breaks, and even then, their interaction takes place solely through phone calls.