Marriage drama "Yellow Letters" wins Berlin Film Festival's top prize

BERLIN— “Yellow Letters,” a drama about what happens to a marriage under extraordinary political pressure, won the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear top prize on Saturday night.

The Turkish-language drama set in Germany stars Ozgu Namal and Tansu Bicer as a married actor and playwright who lose their jobs and have to leave behind their comfortable lives after the husband is targeted by the Turkish state for posting critical content online.

“The real threat is not among us. It is out there. It’s the autocrats. It’s the right-wing parties. It’s the nihilists of our time who try to come to power and destroy our way of living,” said producer Ingo Fliess.

“Let’s not fight each other. Let’s fight them,” he said.

(This story has been corrected to change the attribution to Ingo Fliess from Ilker Catak in paragraph 3)

Earlier this month, Berlin Film Festival marriage drama “Yellow Letters” should serve as a cautionary tale for Western audiences who believe democratic backsliding is a distant concern, not a danger that could emerge at home, said Turkish‑German director Ilker Catak.

The film, which is competing against 21 others for the festival’s top prize, focuses on what happens to a marriage under extraordinary political pressure, Catak told Reuters.

In it, Ozgu Namal and Tansu Bicer star as a married actor and playwright who lose their jobs and have to leave behind their comfortable lives after the husband is targeted by the Turkish state for posting critical content online.

“We always thought in the West that we’re immune to that kind of political repression. And now we’re realizing we’re not,” Catak said, adding it was important to protect democracy.