Happy Valentine’s Day!
In my mind Turkey is always romantic, full of big love, big fights, a little sappy. I still believe that Turkey is the country where the greatest love stories are spun, but they also create the saltiest tears. Thus what could be better than watching some Turkish movies or series on Valentine’s Weekend?! If you have time, make some cucumber hummus or salty cookies – and then enjoy the snacks and the movies from your sofa. And in case you don’t feel like watching big romances, I have also chosen other genres. I also watch all of these films and series when I miss Turkey even more than average.
on Netflix:
1. Aşk Tesadüfleri Sever – Love Likes Coincidences
Özgür and Deniz are both born on the same day in the same hospital in Ankara. Through many coincidences they meet again and again and their lives become entwined. This is my favorite Turkish movie.
2. The Protector
This a series. Two seasons have already been published. On Netflix all episodes are dubbed.
Hakan finds out that he is the Protector. He needs to save Istanbul from the Immortal. Luckily there are several people helping him.
3. Rise of Empires: Ottoman
This mix of documentary with reenacted scenes is all about Mehmed II’s conquering of Constantinople in 1453.
4. The Water Diviner
Joshua travels from Australia to Turkey in 1919 to find his three sons who are believed to be dead after the Battle of Gallipoli from 1915 to 1916.
I would like to add that the police headquarters in Istanbul were filmed in the school I used to work in.
5. 3 Türken und ein Baby (3 Turks and a Baby)
Three adult Turkish brothers live together in German city Frankfurt am Main. Their bridal shop is about to go bankrupt. The youngest brother, Celal, receives the task to sell some family jewelry. But then he runs into his ex girlfriend, who just then has an accident – and he comes home with her baby, but no money.
The comedy is available in German with English subtitles.
6. Diriliş: Ertuğrul – Resurrection: Ertugrul
This a historical fiction and adventure TV series about the history of the tribe of the Oghuz Turks. They were mostly Muslim by the 12th century. The series centers around the life of Ertuğrul, the father of Osman I, who was the founder of the Ottoman Empire.
on Amazon Prime:
7. The Last Schnitzel
A short movie set in a dystopian future. Earth is dying and all chickens died out more than 200 years ago. But when the president of The Grand Turkish Republic demands a schnitzel, his assistant Kamil must find a solution.
8. Tarlabaşı ve ben – Tarlabaşı and Me
A documentary about a man who, after getting out of prison, decides to change his life and moves to the Istanbul neighborhood called Tarlabaşı. There he is confronted with gentrification, the Gezi Park protests in 2013, and the fear to have to go back to jail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8R7gP_DTNU
on Youtube:
9. Muhteşem Yüzyıl – The Magnificent Century
This is a historical fiction TV series about the life and reign of Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (1494 – 1566) and his wife Hürrem Sultan. The official production has published almost all of the 139 episodes on Youtube and they all come with English subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiffTi-qKCk
elsewhere:
10. Mordkommission Istanbul
This is a German Turkish TV series. You can find several episodes in the ARD Mediathek. They are all about police inspector Mehmet Özakin and his colleague. They investigate murder cases.
Besides that their police station was also in my previous school (and filmed there every summer when I still worked there), all episodes include beautiful pictures of Istanbul.
© janavar