Yellow Letters

The marriage of celebrated actress Derya (Özgü Namal) and director and teacher Aziz (Tansu Biçer) is under pressure after they lose their jobs due to the state's whim. They move to Istanbul to live with Aziz's parents. She and their 13-year-old daughter must reshape their lives. Derya receives an attractive offer, Aziz finds a job. But is there still room for their principles and a free opinion? 

Yellow Letters is an inventive and contemporary drama by director Ilker Çatak (DAas Lehrerzimmer). Although the film is set in Turkey, Berlin (as Ankara) and Hamburg (as Istanbul) act as the backdrop of powerlessness, corruption, and state coercion.

The film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival this year. By casting Germany as an actor, Çatak shows that (self)censorship and state control do not stop at the border.