Berlinale 2026: İlker Çatak's Clever 'Yellow Letters' - Artists vs Politics

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. // Continue Reading ›