Yellow Letters
| Yellow Letters | |
|---|---|
 German theatrical poster | |
| German | Gelbe Briefe |
| Directed by | İlker Çatak |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Ingo Fliess |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Judith Kaufmann |
| Edited by | Gesa Jäger |
| Music by | Marvin Miller |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Alamode Film (Germany) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Language | Turkish |
Yellow Letters (German: Gelbe Briefe) is a 2026 political drama film directed by İlker Çatak, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ayda Çatak and Enis Köstepen. It follows Derya (Özgü Namal) and Aziz (Tansu Biçer), a couple of Turkish theater artists who lose their jobs due to political persecution in Turkey.
The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2026, where it won the Golden Bear. It was theatrically released in Germany by Alamode Film on 5 March.
Premise
The marriage of an artist couple begins to unravel when they lose their jobs shortly after their play's premiere.
Cast
- Özgü Namal as Derya Tufan
- Tansu Biçer as Aziz Tufan
- Leyla Smyrna Cabas as Ezgi Tufan
- İpek Bilgin as Güngör Tufan
- Aydın Işık as Salih
- Aziz Çapkurt as Baran
- Yusuf Akgün as Fikret
- Uygar Tamer as Kadriye
- Jale Arıkan as Kübra
- Seda Türkmen as Sema
- Emre Bakar as Ismail Karacabaş
- Elit İşcan as Cemre
- Sultan Ulutaş Alopé as Rojda
- Emine Meyrem as Gülin
- İpek Seyalıoğlu as Zeynep
Production
Development
An international co-production of Germany, France, and Turkey. In 2021, the project received a €10,000 production grant by the German-Turkish Co-Production Development Fund. It participated at the Berlinale Co-Production Market in February 2022. In November 2022, the project was awarded €65,000 grant from the MOIN Filmförderung. The project received €368,000 production grant from Eurimages in November 2023.
Filming
Principal photography took place in Hamburg and Berlin, standing in for Ankara and Istanbul, and wrapped in July 2024. It was also shot at the Berliner Ensemble Main Auditorium, with a scene involving about 250 extras.
Release
Yellow Letters had its world premiere at the Main Competition section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2026. In February 2024, Be For Films acquired the film's international sales.
The film was released theatrically in Germany by Alamode Film on 5 March 2026.
The film was also part of Horizons section of the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it was screened from 3 July to 7 July 2026. For its Spanish premiere, it was selected in the 'Official Section' slate of the 71st Valladolid International Film Festival.
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 22 February 2026 | Golden Bear | Yellow Letters | Won | |
| Prize of the Guild of German Arthouse Cinemas | Won | ||||
| German Film Awards | 29 May 2026 | Best Fiction Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Ilker Çatak | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Ilker Çatak Ayda Meryem Çatak Enis Köstepen | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Özgü Namal | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Tansu Biçer | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Judith Kaufmann | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Gesa Jäger | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Marvin Miller | Won | |||
| Best Production Design | Zazie Knepper | Nominated | |||
References
- ↑ "Yellow Letters [M]". Australian Classification Board. 15 June 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
- 1 2 Presseheft zum Film. In: berlinale.de (PDF-Datei, S. 3–5; retrieved 26 January 2026).
- ↑ Lodge, Guy (21 February 2026). "Berlin Film Festival Award Winners (Updating Live)". Variety. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ Barraclough, Leo (20 January 2026). "Trailer Debuts for Ilker Catak's 'Yellow Letters' Ahead of World Premiere in Competition at Berlinale (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ "Funding Decisions German-Turkish Co-Production Development Fund". Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (14 January 2022). "Berlinale Reveals Series, Generation, Co-Production Market Titles". Variety. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ "Förderentscheidung vom 23.11.2022". MOIN Filmförderung. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ Geisinger, Gabriella (28 November 2023). "Eurimages announces funding for 29 international co-productions". Screen Global Production. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ↑ Katz, David (21 March 2023). "Ilker Çatak to follow up The Teachers' Lounge with Yellow Letters". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ "Das BE als Filmkulisse!". Berliner Ensemble (in German). 12 July 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (20 January 2026). "Berlinale Unveils 2026 Competition With Amy Adams Drama 'At The Sea', Karim Aïnouz's Starry 'Rosebush Pruning' & 'Rose' With Sandra Hüller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (8 February 2024). "'The Teachers' Lounge' Director Ilker Çatak Reteams With Be For Films on 'Yellow Letters' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ Schuster, Barbara (15 August 2025). "Alamode legt Kinostart von İlker Çataks „Gelbe Briefe" fest". The Spot Media & Film (in German). Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ↑ "Yellow Letters Horizons". Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. 20 June 2026. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- ↑ Tomàs, Carmen (28 August 2026). "Estos son las 15 películas que ha confirmado la 71 edición de la Seminci". Información (in European Spanish). Prensa Ibérica. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
- ↑ "Yellow Letters". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ "Yellow Letters". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ Roxborough, Scott (21 February 2026). "Ilker Çatak's 'Yellow Letters' Wins Berlin Golden Bear in Politically-Charged Ceremony". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (21 February 2026). "İlker Catak's 'Yellow Letters' Wins Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival: Full List of Awards". IndieWire. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ "Further Prizes". Berlinale. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ Nobach, Marius (31 March 2026). "Auf der Welle des Erfolgs". Filmdienst.
