Uzak Şehir’s International Emmy Nomination: What Mardin’s Hit Means for Buyers
Two of the four shows competing for Best Telenovela at the 54th International Emmy Awards come from one Istanbul production group, and one of them, Uzak Şehir (Far Away), is a Kanal D drama shot among the stone houses of Mardin. The International Emmy nomination for Uzak Şehir, announced in New York on 23 September 2026, puts a Turkish remake of a Lebanese hit up against Brazilian and Spanish rivals for the prize. That matters to anyone buying, programming or co-producing Turkish drama.
Turkish TV journalist Birsen Altuntaş mentioned the nomination on 24 September in a casting item. She reported that veteran actor Taner Turan is joining the series’ third season, which airs on Monday nights on Kanal D. Below we set out what is confirmed, who sells the show abroad and what the nomination means for the international market.
In brief
- Uzak Şehir (international title Far Away) is nominated for Best Telenovela at the 54th International Emmy Awards. The winner will be announced in New York on 23 November 2026.
- The other nominees are Leyla, a second Turkish series from the Ay Yapım group, Brazil’s Garota do Momento and the second season of Spain’s Valle Salvaje. That gives Türkiye two of the four places in the category.
- The series is produced by AyNa Yapım with Ay Yapım, airs on Kanal D and is filmed in the village of Narlı in Midyat, Mardin province.
- Abroad, it has aired on Canale 5 in Italy and on Telemundo in the US. It also opened strongly in Colombia and joined the catalogues of Prime Video in Türkiye and HBO Max.
- Season 3 is on air on Kanal D on Monday nights. Taner Turan joins the cast as Mirza, a powerful tribal chief.
Which Turkish series made the 2026 International Emmy shortlist?
In the Telenovela category, the two Turkish nominees are Uzak Şehir and Leyla, and both come from the Ay Yapım group. The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominations on 23 September 2026. The 54th gala takes place on 23 November 2026 in New York, and the International Emmy World Television Festival runs there from 20 to 22 November.
The four nominees for Best Telenovela are:
| Series | Country | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Uzak Şehir (Far Away) | Türkiye | Kanal D; AyNa Yapım / Ay Yapım; inspired by Lebanon’s Al Hayba |
| Leyla | Türkiye | Ay Yapım; first international adaptation of Globo’s Avenida Brasil |
| Garota do Momento | Brazil | Globo telenovela |
| Valle Salvaje (Season 2) | Spain | Period daily drama |
Both Turkish nominees are remakes of Arab or Latin American formats. Ay Yapım’s earlier telenovela winners, Kara Sevda (2017) and Yargı (2023), were original Turkish scripts.
What is Uzak Şehir about, and who makes it?
Uzak Şehir is a family and clan drama. Alya, a woman raised in Canada, moves to Mardin with her young son to honour her late husband’s wish. There she runs into her powerful in-laws, the Albora family. The series was written by Gülizar Irmak and is produced by AyNa Yapım, the Ay Yapım-linked label led on this project by Kerem Çatay and Lale Eren.
The story is inspired by Al Hayba, the Lebanese-Syrian hit from Cedars Art Production (Sabbah Brothers), which first aired in 2017 on MBC and MTV Lebanon. Al Hayba is about a clan that controls smuggling routes on the Lebanese-Syrian border. The Turkish version moves that tension to south-eastern Türkiye and tells the story through an outsider mother and her son.
| Key facts | Uzak Şehir |
|---|---|
| International titles | Far Away; Lejos de ti (Telemundo, HBO Max Latin American market); Ciudad Lejana (Colombia) |
| Channel | Kanal D (Türkiye) |
| Premiere | 11 November 2024 |
| Current season | Season 3, Monday nights (autumn 2026) |
| Production | AyNa Yapım, Ay Yapım |
| Producers | Kerem Çatay, Lale Eren |
| Writer | Gülizar Irmak |
| Directors | Yıldız Aşanboğa, Emre Aybek, Ahmet Katıksız |
| Music | Atakan Ilgazdağ |
| Based on | Al Hayba (Lebanon, 2017, Cedars Art Production) |
| Location | Narlı village, Midyat district, Mardin province |
| Genre | Family and clan drama |
Who are the faces of Far Away?
The series is led by Sinem Ünsal and Ozan Akbaba, with a large ensemble of established Turkish character actors around them.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Sinem Ünsal | Alya Smith Albora |
| Ozan Akbaba | Cihan Albora |
| Müfit Kayacan | Ecmel Albora |
| Gonca Cilasun | Sadakat Albora |
| Alper Çankaya | Şahin Albora |
| Ferit Kaya | Demir Baybars |
| Kuzey Gezer | Deniz Cihan Albora |
| Taner Turan (Season 3) | Mirza, a regional tribal chief |
In spring 2025, at the 11th Ayaklı Gazete TV Stars Awards, Uzak Şehir won Best Series in a public vote. Akbaba and Ünsal won Best Actor and Best Actress at the same event. For season 3, Mehmet Korhan Fırat and Onur Özaydın have also joined the cast. Some of Özaydın’s scenes were planned to be shot in Budapest in August 2026.
How well has the series performed at home and abroad?
Uzak Şehir is one of Kanal D’s strongest recent titles. Its numbers abroad are also unusually good for a Turkish drama. Its 18th episode, broadcast on 17 March 2025, gave Kanal D its highest ratings in about 15 years. In April 2026, Prime Video added the series in Türkiye, with new episodes available the day after their TV broadcast.
International results reported by Turkish media in August 2026:
- Italy: Canale 5 began airing Far Away on 3 June 2026 in the afternoon. It opened at a 21.4% share, rose to a record 26.8% and averaged around 1.92 million viewers with a 22.9% share.
- Colombia: As Ciudad Lejana, it opened with a 50.2% share and a 4.0 rating. Local reports called it the strongest daytime launch of the year and the best Turkish series opening of 2026 up to that point.
- United States: Telemundo aired season 1 as Lejos de ti for the US Hispanic audience from October 2025 to February 2026.
- HBO Max: In July 2026 the platform added Lejos de ti to its telenovela line-up. Señal News did not list the territories.
Who is selling Far Away to international buyers?
International sales are handled by MADD Entertainment, the distribution company of the Ay Yapım group. Ay Yapım says the group has the largest distribution network of any Turkish company and reaches more than 150 countries. At Content Americas in January 2025, a few months after the Turkish premiere, MADD announced commitments for Far Away in Israel, the MENA region, Romania, Russia and the CIS, and Spain.
This matters for buyers. The rights holder is a production-led distributor with a deep Turkish catalogue, not a channel’s sales arm. Packages could therefore include other Ay Yapım titles such as Leyla, Gaddar or Medcezir.
Has a Turkish series ever won the International Emmy for telenovela?
Yes, twice, and both times the producer was Ay Yapım. Kara Sevda (Endless Love) became the first Turkish series to win an International Emmy in November 2017. Yargı (Family Secrets) won Best Telenovela in November 2023, beating Brazilian contenders. Separately, Haluk Bilginer won Best Performance by an Actor in 2019 for Şahsiyet.
Ay Yapım calls itself the most internationally awarded Turkish production company and says it is the only one with three International Emmys. It is also a corporate member of the International Academy, as Birsen Altuntaş points out in her report. With two of the four nominations in 2026, the group is guaranteed at least an even chance in the category.
Why does Mardin matter for this series?
Mardin gives the series a look that no Istanbul set can copy. The terraced honey-coloured stone town overlooks the Mesopotamian plain, and the show is filmed in Narlı village in the Midyat district. Most Turkish dramas sold abroad are set in Istanbul’s mansions and offices. Far Away instead sells a regional, almost Western-like world of clans, land and honour. This explains why it can travel to Arabic-speaking markets that know Al Hayba and to Latin American audiences used to rural family sagas.
For producers scouting south-eastern Türkiye, Far Away is now a current reference for an internationally sold series made there. In 2026 the production also shot scenes abroad, in Budapest, which shows that a regional drama can still add international locations.
What does the nomination mean for buyers and platforms?
Our take: We see four practical points.
- Proof for programmers. The series has an Emmy nomination plus Italian and Colombian ratings. That gives acquisition teams solid evidence for daytime and access-prime slots in Europe and Latin America, where Turkish drama has already shown it can perform.
- Remakes are now prize material. Both Turkish nominees are adaptations, of a Lebanese drama and a Brazilian telenovela. This suggests the Turkish industry can turn foreign formats into exportable series. That is a useful signal for format owners looking for Turkish co-production or adaptation partners.
- Library value. With three seasons and the series still running, the episode count is growing. Broadcasters that need long-running stripped drama get volume with a recognisable title.
- Location leverage. The series puts south-eastern Türkiye on screen. Mardin as a filming base and the “Far Away” look may interest regional film commissions, tourism advertisers and service producers.
The award itself is not decided yet. Even so, the nomination puts Far Away and its producers in front of New York buyers during the festival week in November.
How big is the Turkish drama export business behind this?
According to official Turkish figures reported in August 2026, the country’s annual drama exports have passed 1 billion dollars, up from about 10 million in the early 2000s. Turkish series reach audiences in more than 170 countries, and Türkiye ranks among the top three drama exporters alongside the US and the UK. Emmy nominations like this one are part of how the industry keeps its prices and visibility high in competitive markets.
FAQ
When are the 2026 International Emmy winners announced?
At the 54th International Emmy Awards gala in New York on 23 November 2026.
What is Uzak Şehir called in English and Spanish?
Its international English title is Far Away. On Telemundo and HBO Max it is Lejos de ti, and in Colombia it aired as Ciudad Lejana.
Where is Uzak Şehir filmed?
In Mardin province in south-eastern Türkiye, mainly in the village of Narlı in the Midyat district.
Is Uzak Şehir an original story?
No. It is inspired by the Lebanese series Al Hayba (2017), produced by Cedars Art Production, and was adapted for Türkiye by writer Gülizar Irmak.
Who distributes the series internationally?
MADD Entertainment, the distribution arm of the Ay Yapım group.
Where can I watch it in Türkiye?
On Kanal D on Monday nights, and on Prime Video in Türkiye the day after broadcast.
Sources
- Birsen Altuntaş, “Taner Turan ‘Uzak Şehir’ dizisine geliyor”, birsenaltuntas.com, 24 September 2026: link
- “Türkiye lands two nominations in International Emmy telenovela”, Türkiye Today, 24 September 2026: link
- “Emmy Internacional 2026 tem Garota do Momento e mais produções brasileiras indicadas”, O Imparcial / imirante.com, 23 September 2026: link
- “Uzak Şehir Emmy adayı mı oldu, hangi kategoride?”, Yeni Bakış: link
- Uzak Şehir, Wikipedia (EN): link
- Al Hayba, Wikipedia (EN): link
- “Uzak Şehir, İtalya ve Kolombiya’da zirvede”, CNN Türk, 4 August 2026: link
- “Uzak Şehir’den iki ülkede reyting rekoru”, DHA, 4 August 2026: link
- Kübra Ünlü, “Akdeniz’den Latin Amerika’ya reytingleri silip süpüren Uzak Şehir”, CNN Türk, 5 August 2026: link
- “El drama turco Uzak Şehir se estrena en HBO Max”, Señal News, 8 July 2026: link
- “Uzak Şehir dizisi dijitale taşınıyor”, GZT, 16 April 2026: link
- “Content Americas 2025: Madd announced new global sales”, Señal News, 22 January 2025: link
- “Uzak Şehir’e ‘en iyi dizi’ ödülü”, Cumhuriyet, 19 April 2025: link
- Ay Yapım, About us: link
- “Kara Sevda becomes first Turkish TV series to win an International Emmy”, t-vine, November 2017: link
- “Turkish series Yargı triumphs at International Emmy Awards”, Daily Sabah, 23 November 2023: link
- “Globo’s executives visited the set of Turkish adaptation of Brazil Avenue”, Señal News, 10 September 2024: link
- “Türkiye highlights global reach of Turkish TV series exports”, Yeni Şafak English, 28 August 2026: link
This article is for information purposes only.
