Best Turkish history movies

In 1950, amidst the ravages of the Korean War, Sergeant Süleyman stumbles upon a a half-frozen little girl, with no parents and no help in sight and he risks his own life to save her, smuggling her into his army base and out of harm’s way.

In a small Turkish town, two young tuberculous poets try to survive while publishing their poems. As they both fall in love, their life would never be the same.

Killing The Shadows is a bawdy comic fable set in the Ottoman Empire during the mid-14th century based on two legendary figures in Turkish folkore, the jester Hacivat (Beyazit Ozturk) and the nomad Karagoz (Haluk Bilginer), men who apparently lived and died by their sense of humour.

A feature film that tells the story of the director's grandfather who was forced to leave Crete in the 1920s during the Greek-Turkish population exchange.

Based on a true story set in 1948, customs officer Mehti is faced with the duty of formally setting up the border between Turkey and Syria, dividing his hometown. He is unaware of the pain that will eminently unfold, as families, languages, cultures and lovers are both ripped apart and clash head on in a village once united.

Picking up from the explosive cliffhanger of the sixth episode of the miniseries, the film follows the harrowing coup attempt night of July 15th, and the Police Special Operations and Special Forces heroes who put everything on the line to prevent a cultist takeover of Turkey.

A biopic focusing on to the childhood and the early years of the military career of the founder and the first President of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

In the harsh times of the small time crime in Istanbul, a conscientious police officer Cumali is recognized by the police chief Ziver Bey who sees Cumali as a threat and matches him with Sekerpare, a famous harlot.

Ilyas Bazna works as a butler in the British Embassy in Turkey during WW2. After Bazna starts to work as a German spy he is going to experience a series of unexpected events.

In 1915, two Turks in Australia make a living by selling ice cream. When they hear war has broken out, they decide to go to Çanakkale. Authorities don't let them leave the island, so the two decide to put up a fight in Australia.

The true story of 7 oddly dressed fearless men of ottoman army fight against cruel Vlad.

Kahpe Bizans tells us the story of Yetis Bey (Cem Davran) and his struggle with Byzantian Emperor (Illetyus) in a humorous way.

Remake of a well-known Turkish musical comedy loved by generations, the film is about the adventures of flirtatious Hurmuz in late 1800's Istanbul. Hurmuz who lives in Taskasap, Istanbul has six husbands in a plot to solve her economic problems. She arranges to meet each of her husbands one day of the week. However, suddenly, she falls in love with the town's doctor whom she meets at her husband's barber shop. The doctor falls in love with her too... But, one night all six husbands come home at the same time, and Hurmuz and Safinaz - Hurmuz's "go-between/accomplice/friend" - find themselves in a series of very awkward yet funny situations.

Mustafa Kemal had just begun his journey after proving himself in 1915 at the Gallipoli front. He would go on to face major battles on the eastern front against the Russians and later against the British in Syria, ultimately becoming the only Ottoman officer not to lose a battle during WW1. However, despite all his success, he would encounter an unexpected challenge upon his return to Istanbul.

The suspicious deaths began with the information obtained by MTA engineer Ömer Uçar, who has been a friend of Governor Faruk Yazıcı since childhood, and his colleagues regarding the rich uranium deposit in the region. And the hidden and overt powers behind capital that want this system to continue…

The days when Istanbul was occupied as a result of the Armistice of Mudros after the First World War and the Fenerbahce football team won the "Harington Cup".

After the First World War, the Allies occupy Istanbul. The protagonist, Yandim Ali is a rogue, discharged from the navy, who doesn't believe that the country can be saved, until he meets Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), who plans to start a resistance in Anatolia against the occupying Allies, as well as the collaborators of an Ottoman government, that exists only on paper.

Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) - 1978. Three French journalists are invited by the Khmer Rouge to conduct an exclusive interview of the regime's leader, Pol Pot. The country seems ideal. But behind the Potemkin village, the Khmer Rouge regime is declining and the war with Vietnam threatens to invade the country. The regime is looking for culprits, secretly carrying out a large scale genocide. Under the eyes of the journalists, the beautiful picture cracks, revealing the horror. Their journey progressively turns into a nightmare. Freely inspired by journalist Elizabeth Becker's account in When the war was over.

Features a mustached villain, who is the leader of a Viking clan that worships an octopus god-monster. The Vikings wish to kidnap a beautiful girl to sacrifice her to their demigod, but the heroic Tarkan, aided by his dog, Kurt, is there to save the day.

A friendship started in childhood in Thessaloniki firstly turned into being comrade in arms and then a half-century brotherhood and fraternity following the same ideals until the death upon proclamation of the Republic; Ataturk & Salih Bozok Veda Ataturk (The Farewell Ataturk) is the story of a brotherhood, portrayal of milestones in Ataturk's life and the story of a commander commanding a generation that challenged the death to save the homeland.

Corporal Muhsin is a sharp shooter who previously fought in the Balkan War. When mobilization is declared again, he joins the war alongside his brother Hasan. The two brothers support each other in the fight against the enemy.

Depiction of the life of the legendary Muslim Serdar of Malatya, Battal Gazi.

Tarkan who is a fearless and loyal warrior of Attila the Hun enters into a bloody struggle to capture the sword of God Mars which is believed to promote ownership of whole world whom possess.

Ali is 18. His feet are firmly off the ground. The very idea of marriage seems like a game. But the bride's parents are ready and willing. Business ventures will be set up between the families; the arrangement will pay off all round. Ali, meanwhile, is more interested in playing with puppets and dressing up as a rooster for the travelling theatre. His fiancée has only so much patience... So what should his parents do? What was that? Hire a Borrowed Bride? Meaning exactly what? Well just that: borrow a bride, as the title of the film suggests......

In the last years of the Ottoman Empire, a poor little Anatolian town named Saripinar is hit by a minor earthquake which has neither destroyed nor left it with many casualties. However, a telegraph sent to the central government exaggerates the situation and mentions that the governor of the town has been severely wounded, making the event a nationwide matter.

During the sea battle which took place between the Ottoman Empire and the Italians, a ship which had been seized in the Mediterranean Sea is brought to Istanbul, and a young wounded lady named Francesca, the daughter of the killed Captain, becomes a slave for Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi.

When the calendars showed the 1950s, curiosity and interest in space had reached new heights, and many countries from Europe to Asia, led by the United States and the Soviet Union, had launched space programs and entered into fierce competition to reach beyond the unknowns of the sky. By 1957, the Soviet Union had become the first country to launch a rocket into space with Sputnik, followed by the United States as the second to make history. During these years, high school students and their friends living in Bandırma were inspired by Sputnik to pursue their dreams of space exploration. Despite lacking a space program, government support, or financial resources, they established the "Bandırma Rocket Club" with the aim of launching a rocket into space.

During the Turkish artistic revolution of the 1930s, a group of pioneers staged Özsoy Opera, the first opera in the history of Turkish Republic.

Büre Bey's son Bamsı Beyrek and Bican Bey's daughter Banuçiçek are betrothed, but they do not know each other. They meet while hunting separately and engage in a wrestling match. As a result of Bamsı Beyrek being taken prisoner, they are separated for many years.

Vandal king Attila's trying to save his son kidnapped by Tarkan and stories of friends.

A story of the impossible love between one of the Sultan's concubines and one of his eunuchs in a harem at the end of the Ottoman Empire.

Atilla the Hun, Tarkan its power in order to bring the sword to the floor at the pursuit of the enemy's appointed.

From the famous Turkish journalist, Can Dündar narrates the last 300 days of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The documentary features the stories and mails from the friends of Atatürk who is the founder of Turkish Republic and also led the Turkish army in the Turkish War of Independence

Filmed on location in the West Bank in the immediate aftermath of the Gaza genocide that began on October 7, this documentary sheds light on the alleged support provided by the Israeli state and army to radical groups. Through the perspectives of both perpetrators and witnesses, it recounts the terror and land theft carried out by radical illegal settlers against Palestinians.

This is the glorious story of the Hittites - the most powerful people in the Near East of their time. Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons, "The Hittites" brings the fascinating history of this mighty empire to life with expert interviews, stunning cinematography, dramatic reenactments, and visual effects. Highlights include a breathtaking recreation of the controversial battle of Kadesh that decimated the armies of Egypt's Pharaoh Ramesses II. Based on the actual words of the Hittites, deciphered from ancient clay tablets excavated in the 20th century, their story unfolds as beautifully as it written almost 3500 years earlier.

Kemal a simple teacher arrives in a remote village to start a new school and teach the young ones, when he gets there he faces a strong opposition to his idea by the village master. Kemal with the help of few villagers tries to fight back the ignorance and oppression to give a hope for the poor people of the village.

Atilla the Hun gives a Silver Saddle to Altar as a gift. The intention of Kostok is the get rid of the Huns and seize the valuable saddle. Little Tarkan's foster mother is forced to leave him in a cave. His cry attracts the attention of a wolf, who raises Tarkan like his own cub.

The epic tells about the life and heroic deeds of Koroghlu (literally "son of the blind man") as a hero of the people who struggled against unjust rulers, defending his clan or tribe.

Shadows and Faces tells the story of a young girl who is separated from his shadow puppetry performer father during the ethnic conflict between Cypriot Greeks and Cypriot Turks in 1963.

Tarihci Dede is giving information to a couple of children about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's success and his way to shape todays Turkey.

Story of the famous Malkocoglu family who served Ottoman Empire in various military ranks.

We follow the story of Yunus, who lives in one of the Anatolian villages ravaged by war and violence, and his transformation into Yunus Emre, a figure of global significance whose thoughts and poems blend love and passion. His great regret at choosing to console himself with wheat will drive him to seek answers. This quest will be so profound that he will set out on the road, bidding farewell to everyone he loves, especially his beloved Balım Kız. On his journey to attain the greatest love of all, Divine Love, he will seek guidance from all the saints of Anatolia, unaware that what he seeks is already within him.

When the king is murdered, his baby son and heir is hidden in the forest where he is abducted and raised by a pride of lions. As an adult he uses his beastly strength and claw-like hands to take revenge against the new king and his armies.

A look inside the story of two newlyweds who are parted from each other and spend the next half-century of their lives trying to reunite.

The period after the Sultan Mehmed II (the Conqueror) conquered Constantinople, moving towards Europe in the fifteenth century , and Sultan Mehmed's determination to spread Islam in Europe by the superb morals of Muslims then.

Ertem Egilmez's period drama about National Forces in the Turkish War of Independence.

Eleni is in love with a young and handsome Turk, Sedat (Tolgahan Sayışman), who also lives on Büyükada with his father, horse carriage driver Halil. These two have been sweethearts since their childhood, and now in college they have decided to further their relationship by tying the wedding knot. The only problem is that Eleni's father does not even know that these wild kids are hitched, since Eleni anticipated that the rich Stavro would never consent to her marrying a Turkish boy from a poor family. Sedat continuously pushes Eleni to tell Stavro of their plans, but the fragile girl can't summon up her courage. Meanwhile, in the background, the relationship between the Greeks and Turks of Cyprus is getting tenser by the day, affecting the situation of the Greek population in Turkey. On March 16, 1964, İsmet İnönü and the Cabinet come to a decision that all Turkish citizens of Greek descent must migrate to Greece.

The Ottoman Empire through the eyes of an abstract sultan, who is unknown even to his own people, who always delegates his responsibilities to the wrong people around him due to his incompetence in state affairs, and who knows nothing about war.

The life of Vecihi Hürkuş, the first Turkish pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft during World War I and the War of Independence, is being brought to the big screen. Vecihi Hürkuş, who pursued his passion for flying at the age of 16, dedicated his life to manufacturing aircraft and training new pilots.

Inhospitable at the best of times, the snow-covered mountainscapes of Eastern Anatolia constituted a fatal frontier for many war exiles after the battle of Sarikamish in 1915, and provides a canvas laced with beauty and threat for this bone-chilling survival yarn, the superb debut feature of Alphan Eşeli. Starting out with three characters – a refugee mother and daughter and their grizzled guide – the film traces their daunting trek across this barren terrain to safety, with the Russians encroaching and other stragglers, including a pair of wounded, frostbitten Ottoman soldiers, all orbiting the same burnt-out village they find in their path. Puncturing its aura of ghostly impasse with some shocking narrative reversals, and constantly prickling with the mutual dread of strangers in gruelling extremes, the movie stakes out hugely credible ground next to established Eastern Front war classics (In the Fog, Come and See) while remaining thoroughly its own beast. (Source: LFF programme)

When a nationalistic wealthy landowner's idealist son falls for a non-muslim prostitute, he finds himself in a conflict between his feelings and politics under the shadow of the events of September 6th-7th in 1955, the Istanbul Pogrom.

Şefik, a successful soldier, is one of the leading figures of the Committee of Union and Progress. When Abdulhamid II declares a constitutional monarchy, Şefik and his friends go to Istanbul. They plan to closely monitor the events unfolding there. However, it is here that Şefik will part ways with the society.

On August 10, 1978, a coffeehouse frequented by leftists in Ankara was raided. Even the strict rule in the country could not prevent this and similar atrocities. A few hours after the incident, which would later be known as the Balgat Massacre, the police detained many young nationalists in the surrounding neighborhoods whom they believed to be connected to the incident. Among those detained was Mustafa Pehlivanoğlu, who was only 20 years old at the time. Mustafa's detention marked the beginning of a legal battle for his mother, Zeynep, and his father, Ahmet Bey. Years later, Mustafa Pehlivanoğlu was sentenced to death by a court established by the September 12 Military Coup and was executed one morning without his parents even knowing about it...

Set in 1981, the movie tells the story of Kars after the 1980 coup d'état. At that time, the region was covered in snow for months, and in addition to the many problems brought about by the coup, it was impossible to find coal. Coal was a blessing that only privileged people and some state institutions could access. Serhat, Gürbüz and İbo, three close friends, start looking for coal instead of playing games during the report card holiday following the coup. Their struggle for heating, one of their most basic needs, will turn into a story of solidarity that will shape their childhood.

We have a topic that has always been on the agenda of Turkey and the world, which we have been discussing for nearly 40 years: Cyprus. To foreigners, Cyprus is known as an innocent little island under Turkish invasion. Everyone forgot the bloody events of the past. What about us? Do we know? No. Especially the younger generations, who have come to the point of governing the country today, do not know where this country has gone through regarding Cyprus. However, we are now approaching a road junction in Cyprus. I will tell you the story of Cyprus in this documentary. This is a very bloody and sometimes very sad story...

The Serbian state is a friend of the Ottoman Empire, but the Byzantine Empire wants to destroy this friendship. To this end, the Byzantine knight Nicholas will marry the daughter of the Serbian king and has also kidnapped the Ottoman artillery commander. Malkoçoğlu takes action to rescue the artillery commander and prevent the marriage.

Will Salur be able to rescue his loved ones who have been taken captive by the bad guys? Will the captive tribe be able to defeat the bad guys? In Salur Kazan: The Reluctant Hero, the fairy tales we all know are presented to us again in a humorous and modern language.

Based on a real life story of sufi dervish Somuncu Baba, who lived in Aksaray in Turkey.

Sadık Pasha is a pleasure-loving and pious pasha who lives in a luxurious Ottoman mansion with his three wives. The balance of the mansion, already full of intrigue with three women, is completely disrupted when he wants to take a fourth wife, thinking that he needs to continue his lineage because he has no children.

Pilot Captain Salih Ekrem is a young air officer and one of the first Ottoman pilots.

During the years when World War I began to turn the Ottoman Empire's territories into a war zone, the pain of a great love story that unfolded in southeastern Anatolia and present-day Syria burned as fiercely as the war itself in the hearts of those involved. Mahmut leaves his home, abandoning everything—including the person he loves—because he refuses to commit murder. After being caught up in the relentless war raging across Anatolian lands and fighting for years in the struggle for liberation, he sets out to return home. His sole desire is to reunite with the one he was forced to leave behind and to seek revenge for the injustice he suffered years ago.