TURKISH GENRE CINEMA

TURKISH GENRE CINEMA

6 films in this collection

Exploring the vibrant, chaotic, and imaginative world of Turkish cult cinema from the 1950s to the 1980s. From legendary superhero adaptations and low-budget horror to subversive cult classics and avant-garde gems, this season celebrates the unbridled creativity of Turkey's genre filmmaking history.

The Nickel is proud to present this season in collaboration with Pera Museum Film and Video Programmes and Sinematek/Sinema Evi, programmed by Gülçin Kaya Üstündağ. Art by Dominic Hicks.
THE FEMALE HAMLET

THE FEMALE HAMLET

(1976, Turkey, Metin Erksan)

86 mins18
A young woman named Hamlet returns home after studying drama in America to discover that her father has been murdered by her uncle, who has married her mother. After seeing her father’s ghost and learning the truth behind the crime, Hamlet decides to pretend madness in order to uncover the conspiracy and take revenge.

Metin Erksan’s adaptation transforms Shakespeare’s tragedy into a surreal Turkish revenge drama, replacing the Prince of Denmark with a female protagonist and relocating the story to a contemporary Turkish setting. Blending melodrama, experimentation, and elements of Yeşilçam cinema, the film offers a highly unconventional interpretation of one of literature’s most famous revenge stories.

Upcoming Screenings

AAHHH BELINDA

AAHHH BELINDA

(1986, Turkey, Atıf Yılmaz)

100 mins18
A young theatre actress named Serap agrees to appear in a television commercial for a shampoo called Belinda. During the production, she suddenly finds herself transported into the life of the character she was portraying, becoming Naciye, a housewife with two children. Unable to convince those around her that she is actually an actress named Serap, she struggles to understand her new reality and find a way back to her former life.

A surreal blend of comedy, fantasy, and social satire, the film uses its body-switching premise to explore identity, gender roles, and the expectations placed on women in Turkish society. Its shifting between performance and reality creates an unusual and often unsettling examination of how easily personal identity can be shaped by external roles.

Upcoming Screenings

THREE GIANT MEN

THREE GIANT MEN

(1973, Turkey, T. Fikret Uçak)

81 mins18
A crime wave terrorises Istanbul, and the police call in two unlikely heroes to stop the gang responsible: American superhero Captain America and Mexican masked wrestler Santo. Their investigation leads them to a criminal organisation headed by a ruthless villainous version of Spider-Man, who is involved in a series of violent crimes and sinister schemes.

One of the most infamous examples of Turkish exploitation cinema, Three Giant Men is an unauthorised superhero mash-up that combines comic-book characters, crime melodrama, and action spectacle in typically wild 1970s Turkish genre fashion. Its bizarre reinterpretation of familiar heroes, homemade effects, and complete disregard for established comic-book continuity have made it a cult favourite among fans of “Turksploitation.”

Upcoming Screenings

BADI AKA TURKISH E.T.

BADI AKA TURKISH E.T.

(1983, Turkey, Zafer Par)

77 mins18
A young boy discovers a friendly alien who has arrived on Earth and forms a bond with the strange visitor. As the alien attempts to survive in an unfamiliar world, the pair must avoid those who want to capture and study him, leading to a series of adventures involving friendship, curiosity, and the encounter between humans and an outsider from another planet.

A classic piece of Turkish genre cinema, Badi reflects the wave of local science-fiction and fantasy productions that reinterpreted popular international films through limited budgets and local filmmaking traditions. Its affectionate alien-child relationship and homemade effects have given it a cult reputation among fans of Turkish exploitation and “Turkish knockoff” cinema.

Upcoming Screenings

DRACULA IN ISTANBUL

DRACULA IN ISTANBUL

(1953, Turkey, Mehmet Muhtar)

102 mins18
A young lawyer travels from Istanbul to Romania to complete a legal transaction with the mysterious Count Dracula, despite warnings about his host's sinister reputation. After returning home, he discovers that Dracula has followed him to Istanbul, where the Count begins preying on those closest to him, prompting a desperate effort to stop the vampire before more lives are lost.

While closely following the broad outline of Bram Stoker's novel, the film relocates the action to contemporary Turkey and adapts the story through Ali Rıza Seyfi's unauthorized 1928 novel Kazıklı Voyvoda. It is notable for introducing several elements that later became closely associated with Dracula on screen, including prominent fangs and the Count scaling the walls of his castle.

Upcoming Screenings

No upcoming screenings

ŞEYTAN AKA TURKISH EXORCIST

ŞEYTAN AKA TURKISH EXORCIST

(1974, Turkey, Metin Erksan)

100 mins18
A 12-year-old girl named Gül becomes possessed by Satan after experimenting with a Ouija board. As her condition worsens and medical explanations fail, her desperate mother turns to a psychiatrist and an experienced exorcist, who join forces in an attempt to save the girl through a dangerous ritual.

As an unofficial Turkish adaptation of The Exorcist, the film closely mirrors the broad structure of William Friedkin's original while relocating the story to contemporary Turkey. Despite its modest production, it has become a cult curiosity for its earnest reinterpretation of a landmark horror film within the context of 1970s Turkish genre cinema

Upcoming Screenings

No upcoming screenings