10 Best Turkish Movies to Watch

By Vlad Zakh · April 20, 2026

Turkey Drama slow and atmospheric thought provoking

Turkey’s international reputation rests heavily on Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose patient, dialogue-heavy dramas have won Cannes’ top prize, but the range beneath him runs from a banned prison epic to a beloved 90s crime classic. Climates tells a crumbling relationship across three seasons, The Edge of Heaven crosses two families’ lives between Germany and Turkey, and A Tale of Three Sisters returns three sisters to their mountain village. My Father and My Son sets a family rift against the 1980 coup. Yol, Mustang, Uzak, The Bandit, Winter Sleep and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia round out the list.

A Tale of Three Sisters (2019)

TMDB ★ 7.0

Three sisters, each sent away as a child, return as adults to their rural mountain village.

Directed by Emin Alper · 1h 48m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Climates (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A crumbling relationship told across three different seasons and cities.

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan · 1h 38m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Edge of Heaven (2007)

TMDB ★ 7.5

Two families' lives cross between Germany and Turkey after a series of deaths.

Directed by Fatih Akin · 2h 02m

Where to watch

Stream: Strand Releasing Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Babam ve Oğlum (My Father and My Son) (2005)

IMDb ★ 8.2

A rift between a father and son plays out against the backdrop of the 1980 military coup.

Directed by Çağan Irmak · 1h 52m

14 wins & 7 nominations

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Uzak (Distant) (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A photographer's solitary routine is disrupted when a jobless cousin moves in.

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan · 0h 42m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Yol (1982)

TMDB ★ 7.7

Five prisoners on furlough confront how much their lives have changed, in a film banned in Turkey for years.

Directed by Yılmaz Güney & Şerif Gören · 1h 50m · Rated PG

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Mustang (2015)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Five orphaned sisters are confined at home as their guardians arrange their marriages one by one.

Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven · 1h 37m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Cohen Media Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Eşkıya (The Bandit) (1996)

TMDB ★ 8.0

An outlaw released after 35 years in prison finds the world completely changed.

Directed by Yavuz Turgul · 2h 08m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A search for a buried body stretches into an all-night existential road trip.

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan · 2h 43m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Apple TV Store

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Winter Sleep (2014)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A former actor turned hotel owner in rural Anatolia confronts the emptiness and pretension of his own life.

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan · 3h 16m

Where to watch

Stream: Kino Film Collection · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

10 Best Turkish Movies to Watch

A Tale of Three Sisters (2019)

Climates (2006)

The Edge of Heaven (2007)

Babam ve Oğlum (My Father and My Son) (2005)

Uzak (Distant) (2002)

Yol (1982)

Mustang (2015)

Eşkıya (The Bandit) (1996)

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)

Winter Sleep (2014)

You might also like

6 Best Cannes Palme d'Or Winners of the 2010s

60 Best Foreign Language Films of All Time

10 More Best Turkish Movies

11 Best Bangladeshi Movies to Watch

12 Best Belgian Movies to Watch

12 Best Icelandic Movies to Watch