Since Netflix is enjoyed by subscribers all around the world, it makes sense that Netflix is boosting its production of international films and series, including loads of exciting new content from Turkey.
Pelin Distas, Netflix’s director of original content for Turkey, is certainly excited about the upcoming Turkish Originals landing next year. He said:
“We believe that Turkey is one of the major creative centers for great storytelling that resonates around the world. Therefore, ramping up our investment with our new originals makes us extremely excited. We’re proud to continue creating global opportunities for the talented artists of this great country, and sharing their authentic stories with our members in Turkey and around the world.”
This article covers all of the Turkish movies and series that we expect to land on Netflix in 2021. Of course, the pandemic has created a lot of disruption in the entertainment industry (along with everywhere else). So, if any of the following titles end up pushed back into 2022, you’ll have to cut us a little slack.
Turkish Original Movies Coming in 2021
Azizler
Discontent Aziz is heading towards a mid-life crisis. His relationship has stagnated, his job sucks, and his family has taken over his home. All he wants is a little peace and relaxation. In an attempt to get out of this rut, Aziz ends up sucked into a web of lies.
You don’t have to wait long for this one: Azizler is landing on Netflix on January 8, 2021. The cast includes Engin Günaydin (Galip Dervis), Haluk Bilginer (Alex Rider, Halloween) and Binnur Kaya (The Red Room). The movie is created by famed Turkish director, The Taylan Brothers.
Struggle Alley
Set in an impoverished neighborhood in Istanbul, Struggle Alley follows a kindly waste collector, Mehmet. As a former street child, Mehmet has a soft spot for the area’s many homeless children. When he discovers an eight-year-old boy hiding in his co-worker’s trash sack, Mehmet makes it his business to reconnect the child with his family.
Mehmet is played by Çağatay Ulusoy, who stars as the main role in the Turkish Netflix Original, The Protector.
Struggle Alley premieres on Netflix on March 15, 2021.
Debut Turkish Original Series Coming in 2021
50M2
After betraying his bosses, a disgraced hitman takes on a new identity. He hides in plain sight, posing as the son of the late owner of a vacant tailor’s shop. Of course, we’re sure some drama is sure to catch him up eventually.
Engin Öztürk (The Protector) stars in the title role.
50M2 lands on Netflix on January 27, 2021.
Club / Kulüp
After her release from prison, seamstress Mathilda works in a nightclub to make ends meet. As well as dramas with her controlling boss and creepy patrons, Mathilda must also rebuild her fragile relationship with her daughter.
This period drama is set in the 1950s. Directed by Zeynep Günay Tan and Seren Yüce, it stars popular Turkish actors Gökçe Bahadır (Kendi Yolumda) and Barış Arduc (Çukur).
Erşan Kuneri
This Netflix Original comedy series is set in the heady days of the 1970s adult movie industry, and features a character that eagle-eyed viewers may recognize.
Erşan Kuneri was created by Turkish comic Cem Yılmaz, and first appeared in the 2004 sci-fi comedy, GORA. Now, he’s back for his own eight-episode sitcom.
The series is created and directed by Cem Yilmaz, who also stars in the title role.
Fatma
Fatma is another original Turkish crime piece heading to our screens in 2021.
While searching for her missing husband, ordinary and unassuming cleaning lady, Fatma, unexpectedly commits a murder. And because she’s so ordinary and unexpected, she might just get away with it.
Hot Skull / Sicak Kafa
This thrilling sci-fi drama is based on the novel of the same name by Afsin Kum and will have you on the edge of your seat in 2021.
Here’s a synopsis we found on Futon Critic:
In a world shaken by an epidemic of madness that spreads through language and speech, a former linguist Murat Siyavus who has been at a long lasting hideout, is the only person mysteriously unaffected by this disease. Hunted by the ruthless Anti-Epidemic Institution, Murat is forced to leave the safe zone and flee within the flames and ruins of the mysterious streets of Istanbul, where he searches for the secret of his “hot skull” – a lasting mark of the disease.
Midnight at the Pera Palace
Here’s another dramatic adaptation to check out in 2021. This one is inspired by the nonfiction book of the same name by Charles King, which explores “the birth of modern Istanbul.”
The Netflix drama series follows a young journalist, Esra, who is assigned a piece on the historic Pera Palace Hotel. However, when she visits the iconic site for research, she finds that one of the rooms is a portal. Esra is somehow transported back to 1919, thrust into the middle of a political conspiracy against the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Forty Rules of Love
Based on Elif Shafak’s 2009 novel of the same name, Forty Rules of Love is heading to Netflix sometime in 2021.
Described as “a novel within a novel”, it tells the parallel stories of the 13th-century Islamic scholar, Rumi, and lonely housewife, Ella. The book sold 850,000 copies in Turkey and has been translated into 37 languages worldwide. We only hope the Netflix Original will be a hit, too!
The Uysals / Uysallar
Feeling the need for space, architect Oktay Uysal starts living a double life as a punk, away from his family. Little does he know that the other members of his household are also leading their own secret lives.
The screenwriter for The Uysals is Hakan Gunday, and the director is Onur Saylak. The pair have collaborated previously, on the Turkish TV drama, Persona.
Returning Turkish Original Series Coming in 2021
The Gift / Atiye
The third and final season of The Gift is due to land on Netflix sometime in late 2021.
Painter Atiye heads to an archaeological site at Göbekli Tepe after a mysterious artifact, buried for thousands of years, is somehow tied to her life and livelihood. Unsurprisingly, this discovery throws Atiye’s life into turmoil.
Love 101
Popular YA series Love 101 is due to return for a second season at some point in 2021.
The first series saw a group of students at an Instanbul school risk expulsion due to their poor behavior. Their kindly teacher is the only reason they’re allowed to stay, but there’s a chance she may move away. The students hatch a plan to make her fall in love and subsequently stick around.
What Turkish movies and series are you looking forward to in 2021? Let us know in the comments!
