PRESS

We’ve seen hopeful renditions of the fortunate pilgrim’s journey, the immigrant who comes to the land of milk and honey, and in it, washing away the tortures and the torments of an oppressive homeland. Such is the nature of directors Samy Pioneer and Nadir Saribacak’s Gazelle, written by Saribacak and Ayhan Hulagu.

More than 50,000 audience votes were cast at the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), where Gazelle—the debut feature by acclaimed Turkish actor Nadir Sarıbaca—won the Vanguard Audience Award.

Nadir Sarıbacak ve Ayhan Hülagu ile Vancouver’da buluştum. Hem birlikte yazdıkları Gazelle filmini hem de kendi göç öykülerini konuştuk. Sizlere selamları var. “Biz iyiyiz, merak etmeyin” diyorlar

“Çirkin Ördek Yavrusu”, Studio Garage’ın dokunuşuyla gölge ve kuklaların büyülü dünyasında yeniden hayat buluyor. Dışlanan bir ördeğin güçlü bir kuğuya dönüşümünü anlatan bu oyun, aslında hepimizin yolculuğuna ayna tutuyor.

n the last two decades, numerous films have delved into the challenging decisions people make to leave their country and loved ones to escape political persecution. Gazelle follows this theme through the story of Yakup, a doting father and a beloved music teacher, who is compelled to leave his wife and five-year-old daughter behind in Türkiye to seek asylum in New York.

The U.S. administration claims the immigration process is accessible to all, but the world knows otherwise. Gazelle exposes a broken system that breeds exploitation and worsens the lives of desperate people, which is why the film must be widely seen across the U.S.