Berlinale 2026: İlker Çatak’s Clever ‘Yellow Letters’ – Artists vs Politics
by Alex Billington
February 15, 2026
In these contemporary times, with the world becoming more & more authoritarian by the day, it’s important to speak out, speak up, and take a stand. But doing so can be dangerous, of course. Artists have always been a target of authoritarian regimes – because they often use their art to speak out, speak up, and stand against the government and their oppression. German-Turkish filmmaker İlker Çatak’s latest film is a tale of two artists who start to struggle when an authoritarian regime comes for them and starts to censor, shut down, and oppress their way of living and their vitally important artistic expression. His new film is titled Yellow Letters, also known as Gelbe Briefe in German, and it’s set in Germany though he’s using the prominent German cities to double as two prominent cities in Turkey (Berlin is Ankara, Hamburg is Istanbul). The title is a reference to German culture – in Germany, a yellow letter is an official, legally binding document from courts, authorities, or police – often indicating a summons, lawsuit, penalty order, or debt collection. You don’t want to get one of these, especially if it’s saying you’re in trouble for your art or something you stated.
İlker Çatak is a German filmmaker born in Berlin with Turkish roots – he’s an important part of the Turkish diaspora in Berlin. Yellow Letters is his fifth feature so far; he last made the highly acclaimed The Teachers’ Lounge, which was a critical look at Germany’s school system. The story in Yellow Letters follows a family (living in Turkey but essentially in Germany) of artists. Turkish actors Özgü Namal and Tansu Biçer star as married couple Derya and Aziz, who also have a teenage daughter named Ezgi (Leyla Smyrna Cabas). Derya is an acclaimed actress, and Aziz is a playwright & professor, and they’re both artistic collaborators on various projects and plays and beyond. Suddenly they’re both in trouble – Aziz for supporting a protest, and Derya for acting in a play critical of the government and contemporary society. The next thing they know, they’re both out of work, and must move to Istanbul with Aziz’s parents. As time goes on, as they attempt to fight back and get lawyers, the pressure increases. This is what it’s like to live in these times, where society inches towards fascism every day, where any form of dissent or critical thinking is considered problematic. They must redefine their way of living but it’s an uncomfortable, frustrating, and ultimately very depressing transition. It’s not the most uplifting film, but this kind of criticism & storytelling is important nonetheless.
The best thing about this film is its double layer of meaning as the concept itself. Yellow Letters is actually about Germany and what’s been happening in Germany over the past few years – in relation to Palestine & beyond. But Çatak does this clever thing where it’s set and filmed in Germany but it’s not “about Germany” because it’s about Turkey and what’s happening there, using that framing to tell the story, even though it’s still really truly about Germany. It’s obvious (especially as someone who also lives in Germany). That got me good, because it’s so brutally honest in its critical commentary about what’s happening to society and artists these days. And how they’re being silenced, shut down, and quietly told to shut up and just get real jobs, all because the powerful people don’t like hearing their dissenting opinions & critical commentary. Instead of going to prison, however, it’s financial oppression, and that mental strain is very accurately depicted in this film. Yes of course, this story is a reference to any authoritarian society and how they use “yellow letters” to silence artists, but considering Çatak lives in Germany, his commentary feels specific. It does run a bit long and lose its power by the end, but I still found most of it captivating anyway. Especially the two leads, who are magnetic, fascinating personalities that I really wanted to keep following beyond this point in the story.
Alex’s Berlinale 2026 Rating: 8 out of 10
Follow Alex on X – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
 |
