262 ratings

Gelbe Briefe

Directed by
Ilker Çatak
Starring
Özgü Namal, Yusuf Akgün, Tansu Biçer, Kerem Can
Duration
128 min.
Year
2026
Language
Turkmen
Tip from Cineville

Derya is a celebrated theatre star in Ankara. Her husband, Aziz, is a university lecturer and the author of the latest play, which is currently premiering to a sold-out house. The couple have settled comfortably into their middle-class, dissident lifestyle, but then their world falls apart. Aziz is sacked from the university; he is accused of encouraging students to take part in anti-war demonstrations. The play is pulled from the programme and, in the next move, Derya is sacked. The ‘yellow letters’ start to arrive. The family is forced to move from Ankara to Istanbul to live with Aziz’s mother. The longer the situation drags on, the more existential the accusations become. Derya accuses Aziz of being self-centred; Aziz accuses her of selling out.

At the 2026 Berlinale, YELLOW LETTERS was awarded the Golden Bear.

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