Brother’s Keeper (2021) director Ferit Karahan elicits incredible performances from İlhan Şen, Demet Özdemir, Kaan Yildirim and Sarp Bozkurt as once-tight siblings torn asunder by family secrets buried in this mesmeric, intergenerational epic from the Kurdish visionary. All aching heart, half-glimpsed ghosts and astonishing cinematography, it’s a sublime gift.

2026
Djinn Wedding
Djinn Wedding
Australian Premiere.
Director
Runtime
132 Minutes
Country
Türkiye
Classification
Unclassified 15+
When we first meet Deniz, Ceren, Halit and Yasin, the ebullient siblings run freely around a remote Anatolian village they insist is prowled by dinosaurs. Grown-up stuff like a disputed claim over their ramshackle home, oppressive patriarchal structures or the thin veil between life and death do not trouble them. Everything changes when a shimmering meteor crashes and, shortly afterwards, a beloved family member passes. When we rejoin them, all grown up, Deniz (İlhan Şen) reluctantly returns from his studies by a fraught train journey. Summoned by his sister, Ceren (Demet Özdemir), she feels trapped by her impending wedding, featuring a single take as breathtaking as Scorsese’s GoodFellas. Labourer Halit (Kaan Yildirim) begrudges being left behind to look after Yasin (Sarp Bozkurt) and their ailing father. Embracing the mythic and the mundane, award-winning Kurdish filmmaker Ferit Karahan (Brother’s Keeper, 2021) teases what may have caused the rift that rumbles between them. As bodies both celestial and mortal fall, you may catch yourself wondering: Are there dinosaurs out there?
Toronto
Film Credits
Director
Ferit Karahan
Year
2026
Country
Türkiye
Language
Turkish
Subtitles
English
Type
Feature Fiction
Program Strand
World Cinema
Producer
Berkin Kaya, Kanat Doğramacı & Gülistan Acet Karahan & Ferit Karahan
Writer
Ferit Karahan
Cinematographer
Serdar Özdemir
Editor
Ahmet Boyacıoğlu, Ferit Karahan, Marco Spoletini, Mustafa Umut Ay & Yusuf Ziya Kaya
Cast
Demet Özdemir, İlhan Şen, Kaan Yildirim & Sarp Bozkurt
Music
Noyan Coşarer
Genre
Cinephile, Drama & Family
