Gelbe Briefe / Żółte listy
2026, 128 min.

pre-premiere screening

Awards and selections: Berlin International Film Festival 2026 – Golden Bear for Best Film, Oscars 2027 – contender for a nomination in the Best International
Director: İlker Çatak
Cast: Özgü Namal, Tansu Biçer, Leyla Smyrna Cabas
Country: Germany, France, Türkiye

[IN-PERSON SCREENING]

When those in power silence artists, what is at stake is not only freedom, but family

Derya and Aziz, a respected artist couple from Ankara, lead a fulfilling life with their 13-year-old daughter Ezgi until an incident at the premiere of their new play changes everything. Overnight, they become targets of the authorities, losing both their jobs and their home. They move to Istanbul, where they temporarily stay with Aziz’s mother. Aziz supports himself through odd jobs while remaining committed to his beliefs, while Derya looks for a way to achieve financial independence. As a growing distance develops between them and their daughter, they are eventually forced to choose between their values and their future together as a family.

In the media

«Çatak deftly manages to portray the dilemmas we face when confronted with a situation that threatens our moral backbone – whether to bend it or stand firm, even if the price is very high.»
— Adam Kruk, Filmweb, read the full review here

«This production embodies what contemporary auteur cinema is all about – a bold, formally refined statement that is not afraid to address the painful pressure points of the present day.»
— Elżbieta Nowak, Liberatura, read the full review here

«An acting masterclass and a film that grabs you by the throat.»
— Jan Tracz, Filmweb capsule review

İlker Çatak

German director and screenwriter of Turkish descent. He is a graduate of the Hamburg Media School. He gained international recognition with “The Teachers’ Lounge” (2023), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film. “Yellow Letters” won him the Golden Bear at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival.

Tags: censorship, artists, family, authoritarianism, Türkiye