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Mubi has acquired “Ghosts,” a Turkish drama by emerging helmer Azra Deniz Okyay that won the grand prize at Venice Critics’ Week. The Mubi deal covers the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Scandinavia and Turkey.

The film is represented in international markets by MPM Premium and is part of the company’s New Visions label.

“Ghosts” takes place during the course of a day, against the backdrop of a nationwide power surge and is a roaring tale of the contemporary generation. The movie follows four characters from different walks of life who cross paths through a web of drug trafficking in the ghettos of Istanbul.

“Ghosts” weaves the stories of a mother whose son is in prison, a young woman committed to dancing, a female activist-artist and a cunning middle man, all in a neighborhood under the process of gentrification for the “New Turkey.” The cast is headlined by Nalan Kuruçim,...

In the last years, Turkey, especially its political elite, has been making quite a few headlines with its disregard for freedom of speech and its role within the refugee crisis of 2015. For many people, these developments have been the cause of great concern as to the question of how the country will be defined in the near future. For those working in the field of culture, like filmmaker Azra Deniz Okyay, this question has been at the center of their work and is tackled in recent movies, such as her feature film debut “Ghosts” or “Hayaletler”, which is its original title. Through the perspectives of four characters, the striking story takes a closer look at the daily life in Istanbul, thus shedding light on various political and social aspects of modern-day Turkey.

“Ghosts” is streaming at Thessaloniki International Film Festival

The 26th of November 2020 is a day defined by riots and demonstrations,...

Panoptic prison: Okyay’s wonderfully dark debut puts Turkey under surveillance

Turkish filmmaker Azra Deniz Okyay‘s directorial debut uses micro-stories to discuss substantial socio-political issues. Titled Ghosts, themes of injustice, inequality, the gentrification taking the poorest districts of Istanbul by storm, authoritarianism and patriarchal society – all clearly mark Turkish society as depicted in this well thought-out drama.

Loosely intertwined characters’ storyline threads converge, on a day which culminates in the burst of political tension. For Okyay, the female perspective is important – the two leading characters are Iffet (Nalan Kuruçim), who tries to get money to free her son from jail, and her young friend, hip-hop dancer Didem (Dilayda Günes).…...

Jasmila Žbanić’s “Quo Vadis, Aida?” and Azra Deniz Okyay’s “Ghosts” won best film in the international and national competitions, respectively, at Turkey’s Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, the 57th edition of which concluded on Saturday.

Unable to attend the festival due to the pandemic, Žbanić sent a video message in which she said: “This film came about through the collaboration of nine different countries. I emphasize this because I think now, more than ever, we need to show that we’re trying to understand each other better by telling our different stories together. This award will help the film to be watched by more people, as well as bringing us together through our love of cinema and for each other.”

Iranian director Massoud Bakhshi won best director for “Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness.” Natasa Stork won best actress for “Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time.

MPM Premium has closed a raft of deals on “Ghosts,” a Turkish drama by emerging helmer Azra Deniz Okyay (“Hayaletler”) which won the Grand Prize at Venice’s Critics Week.

The movie was just picked up for Spain by ConUnPack in a deal that was closed during the San Sebastian Film Festival. “Ghosts” was also acquired for Germany/Austria (Antiheld) and Greece (Strada).

The first Turkish film since 2018 to feature in the Venice program, “Ghosts” is set over a day, against the backdrop of a nationwide power surge and is a roaring tale of the contemporary generation. The movie follows four characters from very different walks of life who cross paths through a web of drug trafficking in the ghettos of Istanbul.

“Ghosts” weaves the stories of a mother whose son is in prison, a young woman committed to dancing, a female activist-artist and a cunning middle man, all in...

Dilayda Günes as Didem in Ghosts. Azra Deniz Oyay: 'For Didem’s characters, we had checked so many people from Instragram for so long. When I saw Dilayda Güneş, I knew that it was her' Photo: Courtesy of Venice Critics Week Director Azra Deniz Okyay: 'As a director you should observe people in detail before writing about them' Photo: Courtesy of Venice Critics Week

Azra Deniz Okyay makes her feature film debut in Venice Critics Week this year with Ghosts, a film that builds a multi-layered picture of modern-day Istanbul through its portrait of four people's lives that intersect - dancer Didem (Dilayda Günes), an older woman, Iffet (Nalan Kuruçim) trying to get cash together for her incarcerated son, protester Ela (Beril Kayar) and middle man Rasit (Emrah Ozdemir). The film has a punk energy that feels optimistic even as the clash between the bright promise of a gentrified...

In the last years, Turkey, especially its political elite, has been making quite a few headlines with its disregard for freedom of speech and its role within the refugee crisis of 2015. For many people, these developments have been the cause of great concern as to the question of how the country will be defined in the near future. For those working in the field of culture, like filmmaker Azra Deniz Okyay, this question has been at the center of their work and is tackled in recent movies, such as her feature film debut “Ghosts” or “Hayaletler”, which is its original title. Through the perspectives of four characters, the story takes a closer look at the daily life in Istanbul, thus shedding light on various political and social aspects of modern-day Turkey. It is a striking story which takes part in the competition in this year’s Venice International Film Critics’ Week.

Paris-based sales company Mpm Premium has boarded emerging Turkish helmer Azra Deniz Okyay’s “Ghosts” (“Hayaletler”), which will compete this year at Venice’s Critics’ Week.

“Ghosts,” a promising feature debut by Okyay, is being represented in international markets by Mpm Premium’s New Visions label, which is dedicated to promising directors, from Karim Aïnouz to Wanuri Kahiu (“Rafiki”). “Ghosts” is the first Turkish film since 2018 to feature in the Venice program.

A roaring tale of the contemporary generation, “Ghosts” is set over a day, against the backdrop of a nationwide power surge and follows four characters from very different walks of life who cross paths through a web of drug trafficking in the ghettos of Istanbul.

The film weaves the stories of a mother whose son is in prison, a young woman committed to dancing, a female activist-artist and a cunning middle man, all in a neighbourhood under the...

Lendita Zeqiraj’s feature debut Aga’s House also snagged some major awards in the international section. Burak Çevik’s sophomore feature, Belonging, and Ukrainian director Nariman Aliev’s Homeward were the big winners of the Best National and International Film Awards, respectively, at the seventh Bosphorus Film Festival, which ran from 18-25 October. The National Feature Film Competition jury, led by Turkish director Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun, and comprising actress Cemre Ebuzziya, screenwriter and art director Ebru Ceylan, author Mustafa Çiftçi and actress Nalan Kuruçim, handed the 100,000 Tl Golden Dolphin to the director of Belonging. Çevik doubled the Golden Dolphins as he was also awarded for the Best Screenplay for his film. The Best Director Award was bestowed upon Semih Kaplanoğlu for his latest feature, Commitment. In the acting categories, Best Actress went to Nihan Dengiz Okutucu for her role in Long Time Ago directed by Cihan Sağlam, and Best Actor to.