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Award-winning Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan has started preparations for his new film "Pale Sun" (Yorgun Gunes), following the global success of his latest feature "About Dry Grasses" (Kuru Otlar Ustune) in 2023.
Filming is scheduled to begin in early summer 2026 and continue through August in Türkiye. The project has already drawn attention for both its cast and its international backing.
According to Beyazperde, the film will star Pinar Deniz, Osman Sonant, and Altan Erkekli, bringing together a well-known cast for what is expected to be an intimate family drama.
The project is backed by Arte France Cinema and co-produced by Memento Production (France) and NBC Film (Türkiye).
"Pale Sun" centers on Sabri, a man living alone in the suburbs of Ankara. He travels to a seaside town after his daughter invites him to stay with her and her young son.
What begins as a quiet family visit soon changes. Tensions emerge as long-suppressed emotions and unresolved conflicts surface between father and daughter.
The film will explore "the distance that time and silence create between people, through a father-daughter relationship woven with love and weariness," according to production details.
The story focuses on emotional distance, generational conflict and the impact of the past on present relationships.
Ceylan is known for slow-paced storytelling and psychological depth. He is expected to approach the film through his characteristic visual style and restrained dialogue.
Ceylan’s films often take place in rural Anatolia, where isolation and landscape play a central role.
With "Pale Sun," the director shifts to a seaside town, which marks a notable change in setting and visual tone.
Film circles have pointed to this shift as one of the most anticipated aspects of the project.
While the setting changes, the focus on silence, memory, and human relationships remains consistent with his earlier work.
Nuri Bilge Ceylan is one of Türkiye’s most internationally recognized filmmakers, known for his minimalist style and character-driven narratives.
Born in Istanbul in 1959 and raised partly in rural Canakkale, he initially studied engineering before turning to cinema. His early work began with photography and short films, including "Cocoon" (Koza), which became the first Turkish short film selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
He gained international recognition with "Distant" (Uzak) in 2002, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes.
His later films continued to receive major awards:
His most recent film, "About Dry Grasses" (Kuru Otlar Ustune), premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where Merve Dizdar won Best Actress.
Ceylan remains a leading figure in contemporary world cinema, known for exploring isolation, morality, and human relationships.
Filming for "Pale Sun" (Yorgun Gunes) will take place between June and August 2026 in Türkiye.
Casting is currently underway as production teams prepare for the summer shoot.
Given Ceylan’s strong connection with the Cannes Film Festival, industry observers expect a possible premiere at Cannes in 2027, although this has not been officially confirmed.
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