Best Turkish Films
by deniz_akhan | created - 10 Oct 2016 | updated - 10 Oct 2016 | PublicBest Turkish films that I've watched so far... (The list is not sorted!)
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1. Winter Sleep (2014)
Not Rated | 196 min | Drama
A hotel owner and landlord in a remote Turkish village deals with conflicts within his family and a tenant behind on his rent.
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Stars: Haluk Bilginer, Melisa Sözen, Demet Akbag, Ayberk Pekcan
Votes: 55,520 | Gross: $0.17M
2. Head-On (2004)
R | 121 min | Drama, Romance
With the intention to break free from the strict familial restrictions, a suicidal young woman sets up a marriage of convenience with a forty-year-old addict, an act that will lead to an outburst of envious love.
Director: Fatih Akin | Stars: Birol Ünel, Sibel Kekilli, Güven Kiraç, Zarah Jane McKenzie
Votes: 57,618
3. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)
Not Rated | 157 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes.
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Stars: Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdogan, Taner Birsel, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan
Votes: 50,238 | Gross: $0.14M
4. The Edge of Heaven (2007)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama
A Turkish man travels to Istanbul to find the daughter of his father's former girlfriend.
Director: Fatih Akin | Stars: Baki Davrak, Gürsoy Gemec, Cengiz Daner, Tuncel Kurtiz
Votes: 33,500 | Gross: $0.74M
5. The Bandit (1996)
Not Rated | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Baran the Bandit, released from prison after 35 years, searches for vengeance and his lover.
Director: Yavuz Turgul | Stars: Sener Sen, Ugur Yücel, Sermin Hürmeriç, Yesim Salkim
Votes: 72,195
6. Three Monkeys (2008)
Not Rated | 109 min | Drama
A family suffers from a major communication breakdown during their struggle to get through their hardships.
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Stars: Yavuz Bingöl, Hatice Aslan, Ahmet Rifat Sungar, Ercan Kesal
Votes: 22,977 | Gross: $0.04M
7. Distant (2002)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
After his wife leaves him, a photographer has an existential crisis and tries to cope with his cousin's visit.
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Stars: Muzaffer Özdemir, Mehmet Emin Toprak, Zuhal Gencer, Nazan Kesal
Votes: 22,851 | Gross: $0.10M
8. Kosmos (2009)
122 min | Drama, Fantasy
A strange man with otherworldly talents becomes both a friend and a pariah in a small Turkish town in this drama from writer and director Reha Erdem. Yahya is nearly in a panic when his ... See full summary »
Director: Reha Erdem | Stars: Sermet Yesil, Türkü Turan, Serkan Keskin, Hakan Altuntas
Votes: 5,179
9. Majority (2010)
111 min | Drama
Mertkan has a simple life in Istanbul: 'working' as an office-boy in his dad's construction company, hanging out with his male friends in malls and discos, cruising with his dad's 4-wheel ... See full summary »
Director: Seren Yüce | Stars: Bartu Küçükçaglayan, Settar Tanriögen, Nihal G. Koldas, Esme Madra
Votes: 6,130
10. Innocence (1997)
110 min | Drama
Yusuf is released from prison after serving a ten-year sentence. He is scared of life outside as he goes to an address given to him by another prisoner.
Director: Zeki Demirkubuz | Stars: Güven Kiraç, Haluk Bilginer, Derya Alabora, Yalcin Cakmak
Votes: 19,812
11. The Herd (1978)
Not Rated | 117 min | Drama
Because of a local blood feud, a peasant family in eastern Turkey decides to sell its sheep in far away Ankara.
Director: Zeki Ökten | Stars: Tarik Akan, Melike Demirag, Tuncel Kurtiz, Savas Yurttas
Votes: 5,333
12. Destiny (2006)
103 min | Drama
Bekir loves Ugur, who loves Zagor, who is about to get out of jail. An already tense love triangle is thrown into turmoil on a hot summer night, when Zagor kills someone, and Ugur disappears.
Director: Zeki Demirkubuz | Stars: Ufuk Bayraktar, Vildan Atasever, Engin Akyürek, Müge Ulusoy
Votes: 16,872
13. My Dear Brother (1973)
85 min | Drama
Two poor men try to find a television as a last wish for the terminally ill brother of one of them.
Director: Ertem Egilmez | Stars: Tarik Akan, Kahraman Kiral, Halit Akçatepe, Metin Akpinar
Votes: 10,246
14. Inside (2012)
107 min | Drama
A man's life, thoughts, feelings and his very own darkness... Adapted from Dostoevsky's novel "Notes from Undergroud", Demirkubuz follows Muharrem as he gets himself invited to a party ... See full summary »
Director: Zeki Demirkubuz | Stars: Engin Günaydin, Serhat Tutumluer, Nihal Yalçin, Nergis Öztürk
Votes: 10,431
15. Gemide (1998)
102 min | Crime, Drama
Sailors want to remain in their small world, warm and cozy and full of lies, but they kidnap a prostitute from some pimps.
Director: Serdar Akar | Stars: Erkan Can, Haldun Boysan, Yildiray Sahinler, Naci Tasdögen
Votes: 16,126
16. Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalim (1977)
90 min | Drama, Romance
Story of a dilemma between a woman's love and her logic. Asya, a young girl with a strict mother, meets Ilyas, who is a womanizer city man, and they quickly fall in love. They get over the ... See full summary »
Director: Atif Yilmaz | Stars: Türkan Soray, Kadir Inanir, Ahmet Mekin, Hülya Tuglu
Votes: 16,943
17. Tabutta Rövasata (1996)
76 min | Drama
Mahsun is homeless and unemployed. He lives in Rumelihisari (one of the most picturesque and oldest quarters of Istanbul), and tries to stay alive with the help of local fishermen. Mahsun ... See full summary »
Director: Dervis Zaim | Stars: Ahmet Ugurlu, Tuncel Kurtiz, Aysen Aydemir, Serif Erol
Votes: 11,050
18. Korkuyorum Anne (2004)
128 min | Comedy
In an apartment building where neighbors, friends, and family are living in close quarters, three male protagonists encounter three phases of manhood in Turkish society. Directors Reha ... See full summary »
Director: Reha Erdem | Stars: Turgay Aydin, Arzu Bazman, Ali Düsenkalkar, Köksal Engür
Votes: 3,314
19. Bes Vakit (2006)
Not Rated | 111 min | Drama
The pain of growing up, as seen by three Turkish youths: Ömer, the son of the local imam, who wishes the death of his father; his best friend, Yakup, who's enamored with the village ... See full summary »
Director: Reha Erdem | Stars: Ozen Ozkan, Ali Bey Kayali, Elit Iscan, Bülent Emin Yarar
Votes: 4,399 | Gross: $0.01M
20. Hayat Var (2008)
Not Rated | 121 min | Drama
Hayat, her father and bedridden grandfather live in a riverside shack near the dangerously dark but breathtakingly beautiful waters of the Bosphorus. Hayat's father owns a small boat that ... See full summary »
Director: Reha Erdem | Stars: Elit Iscan, Erdal Besikçioglu, Levent Yilmaz, Handan Karaadam
Votes: 3,472
21. Süt (2008)
102 min | Drama
Yusuff has a hard time defining his adulthood. In one hand, there are his mother's expectations while on the other hand his passions.
Director: Semih Kaplanoglu | Stars: Melih Selcuk, Basak Köklükaya, Riza Akin, Saadet Aksoy
Votes: 3,350
22. Hope (1970)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama
When one of his horses is killed by an automobile, and when it is clear that neither justice nor charity will prevail, the man begins a slow slide into despair. On the advice of a local ... See full summary »
Director: Yilmaz Güney | Stars: Yilmaz Güney, Gülsen Alniaçik, Tuncel Kurtiz, Osman Alyanak
Votes: 4,320
23. Muhsin Bey (1987)
119 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Ingenuous countryman Ali Nazik migrates to Istanbul and meets producer Muhsin Kanadikirik to have his first album.
Director: Yavuz Turgul | Stars: Sener Sen, Ugur Yücel, Sermin Hürmeriç, Osman Cavci
Votes: 11,699
24. Egg (2007)
97 min | Drama
Yusuf, who goes to town for his mother's funeral, meets his mother's friend Ayla. Ayla pressures Yusuf to fulfill her mother's vow.
Director: Semih Kaplanoglu | Stars: Nejat Isler, Saadet Aksoy, Ufuk Bayraktar, Kaan Karabacak
Votes: 5,667
25. Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite (1989)
85 min | Crime, Drama
Baris, a 5 year-old little boy, has to stay in a prison with her mother during her detention period. Baris develops a special relationship with Inci, a young woman who also stays in prison. She promises him that the kite will fly someday.
Director: Tunç Basaran | Stars: Ozan Bilen, Nur Sürer, Füsun Demirel, Güzin Özipek
Votes: 7,166
26. The Broken Landlord (1985)
101 min | Comedy, Drama
The landlord of a village in eastern Turkey decides to sell his land after a severe drought and migrates to Istanbul with his family. However the struggle for survival in the 'big city' will not be easier for them.
Director: Nesli Çölgeçen | Stars: Sener Sen, Erdal Özyagcilar, Nilgün Nazli, Füsun Demirel
Votes: 16,351
27. Dry Summer (1963)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
A farmer has a violent dispute with his fellow villagers by claiming ownership of the water that comes out of his land. He is as sexually frustrated as greedy.
Director: Metin Erksan | Stars: Erol Tas, Hülya Koçyigit, Ulvi Dogan, Alaettin Altiok
Votes: 5,675
28. Hacivat Karagöz Neden Öldürüldü? (2006)
135 min | Comedy, Drama, History
A story about the tragedy and the danger of humor and the humorist - A comedy as grand as the Lands of Rome...
Director: Ezel Akay | Stars: Haluk Bilginer, Sebnem Dönmez, Beyaz, Güven Kiraç
Votes: 13,364
29. Mommo (2009)
94 min | Drama, Family
A brother and sister are split up after their mother dies, their father remarries, and their new stepmother rejects them.
Director: Atalay Tasdiken | Stars: Elif Bülbül, Mehmet Bülbül, Mete Dönmezer, Mustafa Uzunyilmaz
Votes: 2,105
30. Honey (2010)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama
The quiet life of a boy and his family is endangered when his father does not return home from his work collecting honey in the forest.
Director: Semih Kaplanoglu | Stars: Bora Altas, Erdal Besikçioglu, Tülin Özen, Ayse Altay
Votes: 7,479
31. On the Way to School (2008)
81 min | Documentary, Drama
One year in the life of a Turkish teacher, teaching the Turkish language to Kurdish children in a remote village in Turkey. The children can't speak Turkish, the teacher can't speak Kurdish... See full summary »
Directors: Özgür Dogan, Orhan Eskiköy | Stars: Emre Aydin, Rojda Huz, Vehip Huz, Zulkuf Huz
Votes: 3,127
32. Kaç Para Kaç (1999)
100 min | Drama
The monotonous life of Selim,a shirt store owner changes when he finds a suitcase full of American dollars in a taxi.
Director: Reha Erdem | Stars: Taner Birsel, Bennu Yildirimlar, Zuhal Gencer, Engin Alkan
Votes: 3,756
33. Yazi Tura (2004)
102 min | Drama
Yazi Tura is the film of two stories taking place in 1999. Stories of two young men... One is "Ridvan the Devil", a young football player from Central Anatolia, Cappadocia / Goreme, and the... See full summary »
Director: Ugur Yücel | Stars: Kenan Imirzalioglu, Olgun Simsek, Bahri Beyat, Engin Günaydin
Votes: 6,562
34. My Prostitute Love (1968)
89 min | Drama, Romance
Halil is an honest greengrocer with an ordinary life. One day his friends take him to a local night club where he meets a beautiful hostess, Sabiha. The two fall in love. Little does Sabiha know about Halil's life before they met.
Director: Lütfi Ö. Akad | Stars: Türkan Soray, Izzet Günay, Ayfer Feray, Semih Sezerli
Votes: 3,305
35. Sonbahar (2008)
99 min | Drama
A man struggles after his release from ten years as a political prisoner.
Director: Özcan Alper | Stars: Onur Saylak, Megi Kobaladze, Serkan Keskin, Raife Yenigül
Votes: 6,844
36. Wrong Rosary (2009)
90 min | Drama
Muezzin Musa falls for his neighbor, the Catholic nurse Clara. The story gets even more exceptional when Musa meets Yakup, who turns out to be connected with Clara.
Director: Mahmut Fazil Coskun | Stars: Nadir Saribacak, Görkem Yeltan, Murat Ergun, Selim Makaroglu
Votes: 2,754
37. Itiraf (2001)
100 min | Drama
A man suspects his wife of being unfaithful, but he's not prepared for what her confession will do to him.
Director: Zeki Demirkubuz | Stars: Taner Birsel, Basak Köklükaya, Iskender Altin, Miraç Eronat
Votes: 4,090
38. From the Village to the City (1974)
91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
The sequel of The Stupid Millionaire (1974), the fun continues this time in Ankara, after the 4 brothers find the heritage from their father which is a box-ful of gold.
Director: Ertem Egilmez | Stars: Kemal Sunal, Meral Zeren, Zeki Alasya, Metin Akpinar
Votes: 11,814
39. Before Your Eyes (2009)
Not Rated | 102 min | Drama
Diyarbakir, in the late nineties: Two young Kurdish children are forced to live on the street after their parents have been murdered by a member of a secret state security force.
Director: Miraz Bezar | Stars: Senay Orak, Muhammed Al, Hakan Karsak, Suzan Ilir
Votes: 1,334
40. Ask Filmlerinin Unutulmaz Yönetmeni (1990)
106 min | Comedy, Drama
Hasmet, director of love stories, wants to make a film with a "social content". With great difficulties he finally succeeds, but the response is not the one he hoped for.
Director: Yavuz Turgul | Stars: Sener Sen, Pitircik Akerman, Aytaç Yörükaslan, Yavuzer Çetinkaya
Votes: 4,333
41. King of the Doormen (1976)
84 min | Comedy, Drama
A janitor/doorman and his family who came to "big city" Istanbul, with the hope to live a better life. With the different characters living in the building, the story evolves around the ... See full summary »
Director: Zeki Ökten | Stars: Kemal Sunal, Sevda Ferdag, Bilge Zobu, Sevket Altug
Votes: 13,571
42. Pandora'nin Kutusu (2008)
112 min | Drama
When an aging matriarch starts showing signs of dementia, her dysfunctional family in Istanbul must navigate a minefield of unresolved issues to care for her.
Director: Yesim Ustaoglu | Stars: Tsilla Chelton, Derya Alabora, Onur Ünsal, Övül Avkiran
Votes: 2,978
43. Motherland Hotel (1987)
101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The lonely proprietor of a small hotel in a provincial Turkish town develops a passion for a departed guest and the reality of routine everyday-life starts crumbling into pieces.
Director: Ömer Kavur | Stars: Macit Koper, Sahika Tekand, Serra Yilmaz, Osman Alyanak
Votes: 4,576
44. Gölge Oyunu (1993)
103 min | Drama, Fantasy
Mahmut and Abidin work as comedians at a night club, Mahmut is honest yet Abidin is sly. Sulo brings a deaf and dumb girl named Kumru, to working the night club, but the club owner sends ... See full summary »
Director: Yavuz Turgul | Stars: Sener Sen, Sevket Altug, Larissa Litichevskaya, Füreya Koral
Votes: 3,832
45. The Yellow Mercedes (1992)
90 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
The film is based on 'Fikrimin Ince Gulu', a novel by Adalet Agaoglu, which depicts a first generation guest-worker returning home. It covers his land journey in short bursts from Germany ... See full summary »
Director: Bay Okan | Stars: Ilyas Salman, Valérie Lemoine, Micky Sébastian, Alexander Gittinger
Votes: 3,296
46. The Waiting Room (2003)
94 min | Drama
Zeki Demirkubuz plays the lead character Ahmet who wants to make a film about Dostoyevsky's 'Crime and Punishment'. He falls into a deep depression, loses interest in the film and life, ... See full summary »
Director: Zeki Demirkubuz | Stars: Zeki Demirkubuz, Nurhayat Kavrak, Nilüfer Açikalin, Serdar Orçin
Votes: 3,296
47. Büyük Adam Küçük Ask (2001)
120 min | Drama
The paths of 75-year-old retired judge Rifat Bey and little Hejar, who was left with a relative because he lost all his relatives in the operation carried out in his village, cross paths in Istanbul.
Director: Handan Ipekçi | Stars: Sükran Güngör, Dilan Erçetin, Füsun Demirel, Yildiz Kenter
Votes: 1,817
48. Milyarder (1987)
96 min | Comedy, Drama
A train station official wins the lottery but has to hide it from the other villagers. When the truth comes out, he losts his mind and finds himself in emptiness.
Director: Kartal Tibet | Stars: Sener Sen, Münir Özkul, Ugur Yücel, Tulug Çizgen
Votes: 4,620
49. Banker Bilo (1980)
85 min | Comedy, Drama
Bilo is a goodhearted man who wants to marry the cutest girl in the village but needs money to take the consent from her father. His best friend Mahmut offers him a way to go to Germany and work in a factory to save up the money he needs.
Director: Ertem Egilmez | Stars: Ilyas Salman, Meral Zeren, Sener Sen, Ahu Tugba
Votes: 7,411
50. Düttürü Dünya (1988)
91 min | Drama
The story of a family man who has hardship as a musician.
Director: Zeki Ökten | Stars: Kemal Sunal, Jale Aylanç, Erdal Gülver, Ayberk Çölok
Votes: 3,068
51. Degirmen (1986)
99 min | Comedy, Drama, History
In the last years of the Ottoman Empire, a poor little Thrace town named Saripinar is hit by a minor earthquake which has neither destroyed nor left it with many casualties. However, a ... See full summary »
Director: Atif Yilmaz | Stars: Sener Sen, Serap Aksoy, Ali Erkazan, Orhan Çagman
Votes: 1,841
52. The Honest One (1984)
93 min | Comedy, Drama
When an incorruptible government pay clerk, who isn't taken seriously by anyone including his family, get robbed while carrying huge amount of work money, he becomes popular because people believe he faked the robbery and kept the money.
Director: Ertem Egilmez | Stars: Sener Sen, Adile Nasit, Aysen Gruda, Erdal Özyagcilar
Votes: 7,459
53. 11'e 10 Kala (2009)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
Mithat Bey is a retired civil servant. Ali is doorman of his apartment. The two men belong to different worlds, unless they live in same apartment.
Director: Pelin Esmer | Stars: Nejat Isler, Mithat Esmer, Laçin Ceylan, Tayanç Ayaydin
Votes: 2,825
54. Bulutlari Beklerken (2004)
90 min | Drama
Ayse/Eleni who is a member of a Greek family in Turkey is forced to immigrate from Trabzon to Mersin in her early ages. However, the events that happen cause her to face her own past.
Director: Yesim Ustaoglu | Stars: Rüçhan Çaliskur, Ridvan Yagci, Dimitris Kaberidis, Ismail Baysan
Votes: 971
55. Ecumenopolis: City Without Limits (2011)
88 min | Documentary
Tells the story of Istanbul and other Mega-Cities on a neo-liberal course to destruction. It follows the story of a migrant family on their on-going struggle for housing rights.
Director: Imre Azem
Votes: 1,323
56. Zengin Mutfagi (1988)
76 min | Comedy, Drama
Lutfu is a cook in the mansion of the wealthy Kerim. One morning he sees that there is nobody at home. The maid is to get engaged on that day but her fiancée does not show up either. From ... See full summary »
Director: Basar Sabuncu | Stars: Sener Sen, Nilüfer Açikalin, Oktay Korunan, Gökhan Mete
Votes: 1,540
57. Yilanlarin Öcü (1985)
98 min | Drama
Kara Bayram is a poor farmer living in a village with his wife, 3 kids and his mother Irazca. They live on their own until another villager, Haceli who is backed up by the Mukhtar starts to... See full summary »
Director: Serif Gören | Stars: Kadir Inanir, Fatma Girik, Serpil Çakmakli, Nur Sürer
Votes: 1,429
58. The Bride (1973)
92 min | Drama
A young woman moves with her husband and small child to her husband's family in Istanbul. Her son becomes ill and the doctor tells her that he will soon die if he doesn't get an operation. ... See full summary »
Director: Lütfi Ö. Akad | Stars: Hülya Koçyigit, Kerem Yilmazer, Ali Sen, Kamran Usluer
Votes: 1,749
59. Nokta (2008)
85 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Story of a man who is suffering because of a crime and trying to escape of his suffering.
Director: Dervis Zaim | Stars: Mehmet Ali Nuroglu, Serhat Mustafa Kiliç, Settar Tanriögen, Sener Kökkaya
Votes: 856
60. Selamsiz Bandosu (1987)
107 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Selamsiz (wich means 'no greeting') is a small town in Anatolia. The town has a lot of problems but noone from governments come and see the town. One day the mayor learns that the prime ... See full summary »
Director: Nesli Çölgeçen | Stars: Sener Sen, Ali Uyandiran, Üstün Asutay, Ugur Yücel
Votes: 3,951
61. Gurbet Kuslari (1964)
102 min | Drama
A Family immigrates from suburb to metropolitan to have a better life. Inspired from the Orhan Kemal's same named novel "Abroad birds", published in 1962.
Director: Halit Refig | Stars: Tanju Gürsu, Filiz Akin, Özden Çelik, Pervin Par
Votes: 1,159
62. Pehlivan (1984)
91 min | Drama, Sport
A financially struggling man decides to train as a Pehlivan, a traditional Turkish wrestler, and trains to compete in Kirkpinar, the most prestigious wresting competition of Pehlivans in Turkey.
Director: Zeki Ökten | Stars: Tarik Akan, Meral Orhonsay, Erol Günaydin, Ahmet Kayiskesen
Votes: 617
63. Teyzem (1986)
105 min | Drama, Thriller
7 year old Umur falls in love with his much older aunt in the midst of political upheaval and dysfunctions of his family.
Director: Halit Refig | Stars: Müjde Ar, Yasar Alptekin, Mehmet Akan, Ayse Demirel
Votes: 1,599
64. Yoksul (1986)
77 min | Comedy, Drama
Yoksul is a well-meaning man who works as a tea maker. The owner of tea house takes advantage of his good intentions. At same office block a girl whom Yoksul love, plays with Yoksul's good ... See full summary »
Director: Zeki Ökten | Stars: Kemal Sunal, Sehnaz Dilan, Yaman Okay, Kerem Yilmazer
Votes: 3,084
65. Dügün (1973)
84 min | Drama
A story of a family of six who are coming from Urfa tries to survive economically in Istanbul.
Director: Lütfi Ö. Akad | Stars: Hülya Koçyigit, Ahmet Mekin, Kamran Usluer, Erol Günaydin
Votes: 1,050
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