What remains

Genre: Drama

Language: Turkish

Subtitles: English, French

Format: 2K

Sound: 5.1

Duration: 120 min

Countries: Turkey, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, France

Year: 2025

SYNOPSIS

What Remains tells the story of poetess Elif’s (38) courageous journey, breaking out of this oppressive world order. Focusing on the microcosmos of Elif’s family in Istanbul, the film follows a poetess’ journey as she breaks free from suffocating memorized routines and gets back in touch with her inner voice, her conscience and presence. Being in a love/hate relationship with her hometown Istanbul, Elif feels stuck in this daily cycle wearing on. Unable to create and slowly losing her “appetite for life”, in a manner of speaking, she tries to keep her head above water.

CREDITS

Writer: Yeşim Ustaoğlu

Director: Yeşim Ustaoğlu

DOP: Kiril Prodanov

Composer: Şevket Akıncı

Cast: Öykü Karayel, Metin Akdülger, Ali Kayra Kul, İlyas Salman

Produced by Yeşim Ustaoğlu (Ustaoğlu Film Production).

Co-produced by Tarantula Luxembourg, Cité Films (France) et RFF International (Bulgaria).

DIRECTOR

After making several award – winning shorts in Turkey, Yeşim Ustaoğlu made her feature film debut with 1994’s ‘The Trace’ (İz). The film was presented at numerous international festivals, including. Moscow and Gotenburg and won the Best Film Award at Istanbul Film Festival. Yeşim Ustaoğlu received international recognition for her 1999 film, ‘Journey To The Sun’ (Güneşe Yolculuk) which competed in Berlinale and received the Blue Angel Award (Best European Film) and the Peace Prize before sweeping the Istanbul Film Festival by winning Best Film, Best Director, the FIPRESCI Prize and the Audience Award. Launching her own production company Ustaoglu Film in 2003, her third film, ‘Waiting for the Clouds’ (Bulutları Beklerken) premiered in 2014 Berlinale Panorama and was awarded NHK Sundance – International Film-maker’s Award. Ustaoğlu’s fourth feature, ‘Pandora’s Box’ (Pandora’nın Kutusu, 2008) premiered in Toronto (TIFF) and won Golden Shell for the Best Film and Silver Shell for the Best Actress Award in San Sebastian FF.