Yellow Letters

Drama, Ilker Çatak, 129’, Turkish and German, 2026 Yellow Letters is an inventive and current drama by director Ilker Çatak (Das Lehrerzimmer). Although the film is set in Turkey, Berlin (as Ankara) and Hamburg (as Istanbul) form the backdrop of powerlessness, corruption and state coercion. The marriage of the celebrated actress Derya (Özgü Namal) and director and teacher Aziz (Tansu Biçer) is under pressure after they lose their jobs due to the arbitrariness of the state. They move to Istanbul to live with Aziz's parents. They and their 13-year-old daughter have to reshape their lives. Derya gets an attractive offer, Aziz finds a job. But is there still room for their principles and a free opinion? Yellow Letters won the Gouden Beer at the Filmfestival van Berlijn. Door Duitsland to deploy as an actor, Çatak shows that (self)censorship and state control do not stop at the border.