Golden Bear to Primetime: Ay Yapım’s Big Bet on Susuz Yaz

In 1964 a black-and-white drama about two brothers fighting over water became the first Turkish film ever to win the Golden Bear in Berlin. Sixty-two years later the same story is coming back as a primetime series. Kanal D has released the first teaser of Susuz Yaz (“Dry Summer”), produced by Ay Yapım, one of Türkiye’s most decorated drama studios. For buyers, distributors and brands, this is not just another new title in the autumn line-up: it is a literary classic with a festival pedigree, a rural setting that has already proven itself abroad, and a producer with two International Emmy Awards for Best Telenovela behind it.

In brief

• Classic IP: the series adapts Necati Cumalı’s story Susuz Yaz; the 1963 film version by Metin Erksan won the Golden Bear at the 1964 Berlin International Film Festival, a first for Turkish cinema.
• Who makes it: Ay Yapım produces for Kanal D; directors are Yusuf Pirhasan and Mehmet Can Bindal, the screenplay is by Sema Ergenekon.
• Where and when: filming started on 7 October 2026 in Adana; the story is set in the fictional village of Çarlak in 1970s Çukurova. The first teaser was released on 26 October. The premiere date has not been announced yet.
• Cast: Mert Ramazan Demir (Osman), Lizge Cömert (Bahar) and Batuhan Bozkurt Yüzügüleç (Hasan) lead a 17-strong ensemble.
• Why it matters: a recognisable title, a universal conflict over water and land, and a producer with a strong export track record make Susuz Yaz an obvious candidate for international catalogues.

What is Susuz Yaz about, and why does a water dispute sell?

Short answer: it is a family drama built around a resource conflict, and that kind of story travels well. Brothers Osman and Hasan farm their land together to make a living. Osman’s love for Bahar shifts the balance between them; he wants to build a new life with her, while Hasan has hidden plans of his own. At the same time, quarrels in the village over shared water and land grow sharper and begin to change both brothers’ lives.

The teaser leans into exactly this tension. Osman declares that he will not condemn anyone to a “waterless summer”, a villager insists that the water belongs to everyone, and the final shot of Osman bringing Bahar home on horseback, watched by Hasan, sets up the triangle that will drive the season. The closing line of the trailer hints that the girl will be “the end of us”.

For international audiences the formula is familiar and easy to market: forbidden or contested love, brothers turned rivals, and a scarce resource that forces every character to choose a side. Water stress is also a topic that resonates far beyond Türkiye, from the Middle East and North Africa to Latin America and Southern Europe.

Who is behind the series?

The key names are already public, and they tell buyers what kind of product to expect.

The cast is large for a period drama. Besides the three leads, it includes Şebnem Bozoklu (Döne), İrem Sak (Yeter), Serpil Gül (Beyaz), Deniz Celiloğlu (Resul), Umut Kurt (Ramo), Şirin Sultan Saldamlı (Fatma), Güneş Sayın (Hatice), Begüm Akkaya (Dilan), Ilgım İpekçi (Elvan), Meriç Rakalar (Müslüm), Özgür Daniel Foster (Murtaza), Kayra Zapçı (Gülşen), Esra Ünnü (Filiz) and Kemal Burak Alper (Cevri). An ensemble of this size signals a long-running weekly series rather than a short limited run, which is the format Turkish broadcasters and their distributors usually sell abroad.

Why does a Golden Bear from 1964 still matter commercially?

Because recognition is the hardest thing to buy, and Susuz Yaz already has it. Metin Erksan wrote and directed the film, which he co-produced with actor Ulvi Doğan. It starred Erol Taş as Osman, Ulvi Doğan as Hasan and Hülya Koçyiğit as Bahar, in her first screen role. The film won the Golden Bear for Best Film in Berlin in 1964, the first time a Turkish production took the festival’s top prize, and Erol Taş was named Best Actor at the Antalya Golden Orange festival.

The film never disappeared from the international conversation. It was restored through Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation and released by The Criterion Collection in its first World Cinema Project set; today it is available on the Criterion Channel and still screens at Turkish film festivals abroad. That means critics, programmers and cinephile audiences in key markets already know the title.

For a distributor, this is a useful hook. A sales pitch can open with “the story behind Türkiye’s first Golden Bear” instead of introducing an unknown brand from scratch. It also helps with press coverage in Europe, where festival heritage carries weight.

What has changed between the film and the series?

The essentials stay: the brothers Osman and Hasan, Bahar between them, and the fight over water. But the series makes several choices that matter for the product:

The move to Çukurova is the most interesting commercial decision. The fertile plain around Adana has become a recognisable brand in Turkish drama: rural sagas set there, such as Bir Zamanlar Çukurova, travelled widely. TRBW Creative recently covered another bet on the same region, NOW’s Adana Ayazı, which also starts filming this autumn. Two new Adana-set series in one season show that broadcasters see the region as a proven export setting.

Why is Ay Yapım the producer buyers will watch?

Ay Yapım has one of the strongest international track records in Turkish television. Founded by Kerem Çatay in 2005, the Istanbul company has made dozens of series and films. Its catalogue includes Yaprak Dökümü, Aşk-ı Memnu and Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne? for Kanal D, Ezel, Kara Sevda, Medcezir, İçerde and Çukur, as well as streaming work such as Netflix’s Aşk 101 and Disney+’s El Turco.

Several Ay Yapım titles became export benchmarks:

• Kara Sevda won the International Emmy for Best Telenovela in 2017.
• Yargı, also a Kanal D series, won the same International Emmy category in 2023.
• Telemundo bought the script rights to Aşk-ı Memnu and remade it as Pasión Prohibida.

The Kanal D and Ay Yapım partnership is therefore not new. Aşk-ı Memnu, Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne? and Yargı were all born from it, and all three became international calling cards for Turkish drama. A literary adaptation from the same team arrives with high expectations.

How does Susuz Yaz fit Kanal D’s autumn strategy?

Kanal D is filling its schedule with distinctive, author-driven projects rather than pure romantic comedies. A few days ago the channel released the teaser of OGM Pictures’ Karakuyu, which TRBW Creative analysed in “24 Actors, One Well”. Both series share a rural setting, a large ensemble and a story about land and inheritance. Together they suggest a clear programming line: strong drama with Anatolian roots, the kind that performs at home and is easy to position for international buyers who already associate Turkish series with family sagas.

The key unknown is the slot. Turkish primetime is famously unforgiving: weak ratings can end a series after a handful of episodes, as we described in our piece on early finales in Turkish TV. A premium title like Susuz Yaz will need a slot where it can build an audience over several weeks.

Our take: what this means for buyers, platforms and brands

Our take: Susuz Yaz is one of the most export-ready announcements of the season, and international partners should track it from the first episodes.

• Distributors and buyers in MENA, Latin America, the Balkans and Central Asia should ask for early screeners and episode counts once the premiere date is set. The Golden Bear heritage gives a ready-made press angle.
• Streaming platforms could pair the series with the restored 1964 film in a “classic and remake” package for cinephile and diaspora audiences.
• Remake and format buyers should note that the story works without Turkish-specific references: two brothers, one woman, scarce water. Ay Yapım already sold Aşk-ı Memnu as a script for a remake.
• Brands and regional partners in Adana and the Çukurova region can expect the same kind of “screen tourism” interest that earlier Çukurova dramas created for villages, mansions and cotton fields.
• Risk to watch: the Turkish ratings race. Until the slot and the first weeks of audience data are known, deals for later seasons carry uncertainty.

FAQ

When does Susuz Yaz premiere on Kanal D?

The premiere date has not been announced yet. Filming began in Adana on 7 October 2026, and the first teaser was released on 26 October 2026.

Is the series based on a true story?

It adapts Necati Cumalı’s literary work Susuz Yaz. The village of Çarlak in the series is fictional.

Who plays the leading roles?

Mert Ramazan Demir plays Osman, Lizge Cömert plays Bahar and Batuhan Bozkurt Yüzügüleç plays Hasan.

Did the original film win awards?

Yes. Metin Erksan’s Susuz Yaz won the Golden Bear at the 1964 Berlin International Film Festival, the first Turkish film to do so. Erol Taş won Best Actor at the Antalya Golden Orange festival.

Where can international viewers see the 1964 film?

The restored film was released by The Criterion Collection in its World Cinema Project set and is available on the Criterion Channel in selected territories.

Who produces the series?

Ay Yapım, founded by Kerem Çatay, the studio behind Aşk-ı Memnu, Kara Sevda and Yargı.

Sources

• Birsen Altuntaş: Susuz Yaz’ın ilk tanıtımı yayınlandı (26 October 2026)
• Milliyet: Susuz Yaz: plot, cast, filming
• Milli Gazete: Susuz Yaz: adaptation and 1963 film
• Küre Ansiklopedi: Susuz Yaz (film)
• The Criterion Collection: Dry Summer
• Wikipedia: Ay Yapım

This article is for information only. Production details, premiere dates and cast may change; check with the broadcaster and the producer before making business decisions.