The long read · Turkish cinema
The Resilience of Turkish Cinema and Its Global Stars
Turkish cinema has two great traditions: the popular golden age of Yeşilçam, named after a street in Beyoğlu, and the slow, beautiful art films of Nuri Bilge Ceylan that win at Cannes. Here is the story, and where to watch in Istanbul.
Updated October 2026
From Yeşilçam to Cannes
From the 1950s to the 1970s Yeşilçam, the street in Beyoğlu where the studios had their offices, turned out hundreds of films a year: melodramas, comedies and adventures loved across the country. Its stars, from Türkan Şoray to Kemal Sunal, are still household names.
Turkish films also won the world’s top prizes. Metin Erksan’s Dry Summer took the Golden Bear in Berlin in 1964, and Yol, written by Yılmaz Güney and directed by Şerif Gören, shared the Palme d’Or in 1982. Since the 2000s Nuri Bilge Ceylan has become one of the world’s great directors, and Turkish television dramas are now watched around the globe.
Must-watch films
To understand Turkish cinema, start with these.
- Dry Summer (1964): Metin Erksan’s village drama, winner of the Golden Bear.
- Yol (1982): the journey of five prisoners on a week’s leave, which shared the Palme d’Or.
- Uzak (2002): Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s quiet Istanbul story, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes.
- Honey (2010): Semih Kaplanoğlu’s forest tale, winner of the Golden Bear.
- Winter Sleep (2014): Ceylan’s portrait of a hotel owner in Cappadocia, winner of the Palme d’Or.
- About Dry Grasses (2023): Ceylan’s story of a teacher in eastern Anatolia; Merve Dizdar won best actress at Cannes.
The stars
Turkey’s stars are loved from the Balkans to Latin America.
- Türkan Şoray: the “sultan” of Yeşilçam, its best-loved leading lady.
- Kemal Sunal (1944–2000): the country’s best-loved comic actor.
- Hülya Koçyiğit and Tarık Akan: golden-age favourites.
- Haluk Bilginer: the star of Winter Sleep, winner of an International Emmy.
- Merve Dizdar: best actress at Cannes for About Dry Grasses.
Where to watch in Istanbul
On İstiklal Avenue, the Atlas Cinema, opened in 1948, has been beautifully restored, and the Istanbul Cinema Museum in the same building tells the story of Turkish film. Istanbul Modern has its own cinema, and every spring the Istanbul Film Festival brings new films to the city.
Our advice: visit the Cinema Museum, then catch a film at the Atlas.
Hidden on the silver screen: international productions filmed in Istanbul
Istanbul, where East meets West, has been a favourite of spy films for sixty years.
- From Russia with Love (1963): Sean Connery’s Bond in Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern.
- The World Is Not Enough (1999): the Maiden’s Tower in the Bosphorus becomes the villain’s hideout.
- Skyfall (2012): Daniel Craig’s motorbike chase across the roofs of the Grand Bazaar.
- Taken 2 (2012): Liam Neeson races through the old city.
Turkish talent abroad
Turkish stories travel far. Fatih Akin, born in Hamburg to Turkish parents, won the Golden Bear for Head-On (2004), and Turkish television series have found huge audiences across Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
Questions and answers
What is Yeşilçam?
The street in Beyoğlu, Istanbul, where Turkey’s film studios had their offices, and the name for the golden age of Turkish popular cinema.
Which Turkish films have won the Palme d’Or?
Yol shared it in 1982, and Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Winter Sleep won it in 2014.
Join the conversation
Which Turkish film or star do you love most? Share your favourite scenes and the films we should add.
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Sources: the Festival de Cannes, the Berlinale, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, checked on 6 November 2026. The trailer is from Janus Films’ official channel.