Yellow Letters, a film that tells the story of a Turkish man who faces the damaging consequences of making a call for peace on social media is a candidate for the Golden Bear award at the 76th Berlin film festival.

The awards ceremony will be held on February 21.

Filming took place in Berlin and Hamburg, with the two German cities representing Ankara and Istanbul in the movie. Turkish-origin director and screenwriter Ilker Catak grew up in Berlin and Istanbul.

Life starts crumbling overnight

The film story focuses on theatre actress Derya (famous Turkish actress Ozgu Namal) and playwright Aziz (Turkish actor Tansu Bicer), artists who are a celebrated couple from Ankara. They lead a fulfilling life with their 13-year-old daughter Ezgi until Aziz posts a critical comment on social media at the premiere of their new play.

Overnight, their life starts to crumble as they find themselves targeted by the state. They lose their jobs and their home. They move to Istanbul to stay temporarily with Aziz's mother.

Video: Trailer.

While Aziz ekes out a living with odd jobs and holds to his convictions, Derya is reduced to taking parts in TV shows. An increasing distance opens up between them and their daughter until they are forced to choose between their values ​​and their shared future as a family.

Berlinale under fire as usual

The Berlin film festival has this year once again come under fire. Its policy against publicly adopting anti-Israel stances has drawn criticism.

Film jury members refused to answer questions put to them on Palestine at press conferences. Consecutive questions on the matter were not allowed. Solidarity was on the other hand expressed for the people of Iran and Ukraine. Ecological awareness was high.

Indian author Arundhati Roy, who was to participate in the festival with her film entry In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones in the classics category, declared she was withdrawing from the Berlinale as a response to the jury’s policy on questions about Palestine.

A visa application by Sudanese filmmakers Mohammed Alomda, Amjad Abu Alala and Paula Thabet, meanwhile, was rejected over cited immigration risks. They were to participate in the festival with their movie Blue Card.

Another Turkish director Emin Alper is also competing for the Golden Bear with his film Salvation.