“Yellow Letters” is the highly anticipated new film by award-winning director Ilker Çatak (“The Teachers’ Lounge,” “The Spoken Word Counts”). The screenplay was written by Çatak, Ayda Meryem Çatak, and Enis Köstepen, with cinematography by the renowned cinematographer Judith Kaufmann. Following the huge success of “Das Lehrerzimmer,” which won multiple awards at the 2023 German Film Awards and was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Oscars, among other accolades, his new film, “Yellow Letters,” opened in German theaters in March 2026.
Derya (Özgü Namal) and Aziz (Tansu Biçer), a celebrated artist couple from Ankara, lead a fulfilling life with their 13-year-old daughter Ezgi (Leyla Cabas)—until an incident at the premiere of their new play changes everything. Overnight, they find themselves in the crosshairs of the government and lose their jobs and their apartment. They move to Istanbul, where they temporarily stay with Aziz’s mother. While Aziz gets by with odd jobs and holds fast to his convictions, Derya searches for a way out that will make them financially independent. Gradually, the distance between them and their daughter grows, until they must choose between their values and their shared future as a family…
“Yellow Letters” (2026) is the highly anticipated new film by award-winning director Ilker Çatak (“The Teachers’ Lounge,” “The Spoken Word Counts”). The screenplay was written by Çatak, Ayda Meryem Çatak, and Enis Köstepen, with cinematography by the renowned cinematographer Judith Kaufmann. Following the huge success of ‘The Teachers’ Lounge’, which won multiple awards at the 2023 German Film Awards and was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Oscars, among other honors, his new film ‘Yellow Letters’ will open in German theaters on March 5, 2026. Following the internationally acclaimed and award-winning film “Das Lehrerzimmer,” Oscar-nominated director Çatak once again presents a provocative and gripping masterpiece with “Gelbe Briefe.” The story centers on a couple who come under pressure from the arbitrariness of an authoritarian political system and must choose between their ideals and conformity. Powerfully carried by Turkish acting stars Özgü Namal and Tansu Biçer, Çatak creates an intense and highly topical drama about courage and power that focuses on the universal, major sociopolitical issues of our time. “Yellow Letters” brings together numerous renowned crew members who previously worked on “The Teachers’ Lounge,” including the multi-award-winning cinematographer Judith Kaufmann (“Heldin”), as well as editor Gesa Jäger and composer Marvin Miller. The film was produced by “if… Productions” (producer: Ingo Fliess), in collaboration with “Haut et Court” (Paris) and “Limanfilm” (Istanbul).
