Woody Allen’s €12M Madrid Film Hires a Producer From Türkiye
A Turkish name has landed in the credits of Woody Allen’s 51st feature. Istanbul-based producer Emre Oskay has joined the director’s new Madrid film as an executive producer, entertainment journalist Birsen Altuntaş reported on 10 November 2026. Oskay visited the set in the Spanish capital, where shooting of the €12 million romantic comedy is underway, and met the leadership of one of the film’s three production companies. For Türkiye’s film industry, the news matters less as celebrity gossip and more as a signal: Turkish producers are moving from servicing foreign shoots to sitting at the financing table of international auteur cinema.
In brief
- Turkish producer Emre Oskay is now an executive producer on Woody Allen’s 51st feature, a romantic comedy shooting in Madrid under the working title Wasp 2026.
- The film has an estimated budget of about €12 million, of which €3 million comes from the Madrid City Council and the Community of Madrid as sponsorship.
- It is a co-production of Wanda Visión (Spain), Gravier Productions (Allen’s company, New York) and 3SIX9 Studios; international sales are handled by WestEnd Films and Daresay.
- Oskay’s track record runs through festival cinema: Inflame (Kaygı), Noah Land (Nuh Tepesi), Who Killed Lady Winsley?, Nezouh, The Witness and The House With No Address.
- Our take: for Turkish companies, executive-producer credits on international titles are becoming a door to global sales networks, co-production funds and festival markets.
Who is Emre Oskay, and why does Woody Allen need a Turkish producer?
Short answer: Oskay is a producer from Türkiye’s independent and co-production scene, and executive producers on films of this kind usually bring financing, partners or market access. The source report does not say what exactly Oskay contributes, so we will not guess at the size of his stake.
What is public is his filmography. According to Cineuropa, Oskay is credited as co-producer on Inflame (Kaygı, 2017) by Ceylan Özgün Özçelik, as line producer on Who Killed Lady Winsley? (2018) by Hiner Saleem, and as producer on The House With No Address (2024). His name also appears in the credits of Noah Land (Nuh Tepesi, 2019) by Cenk Ertürk, Nezouh (2022) by Soudade Kaadan and The Witness (2024) by Nader Saeivar. These are films built on international co-production logic: several countries, festival premieres, world sales agents.
In other words, Oskay is not a newcomer to Allen-style financing. Mid-budget European auteur films are typically assembled from a puzzle of public money, tax incentives, presales and private equity. An executive producer is often the person who brings one of those pieces.
What do we actually know about Woody Allen’s 51st film?
Short answer: it is an ensemble romantic comedy set in Madrid, with a working title, an international cast and a budget of around €12 million. The final title has not been announced.
The film was presented in Madrid on 1 October 2026 in the presence of Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida, Euronews reported. Shooting began on 5 October and was planned for about six weeks, at more than 30 locations in Madrid and Aranjuez. Euronews describes it as a contemporary comedy mixing romance, intrigue and infidelity in a diplomatic setting.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Woody Allen |
| Working title | Wasp 2026 (final title not announced) |
| Allen’s feature count | 51st |
| Genre | Ensemble romantic comedy |
| Shooting | From 5 October 2026, about six weeks; Madrid and Aranjuez |
| Budget | About €12 million |
| Public money | €3 million from the Madrid City Council and the Community of Madrid |
| Producers | Wanda Visión, Gravier Productions, 3SIX9 Studios |
| Executive producer from Türkiye | Emre Oskay |
| Cinematographer | José Luis Alcaine |
| Cast | Marton Csokas, Jemima Kirke, Jakob Oftebro, Peter Vives, Alexi Wasser |
| International sales | WestEnd Films and Daresay |
| Spanish distribution | Wanda Visión |
Why is Madrid paying €3 million to appear in a comedy?
Short answer: because a Woody Allen film is a tourism advertisement that travels to dozens of markets. The public money is structured as sponsorship tied to promoting the city: according to Euronews and Production List, the deal requires “Madrid” to be in the final title and the city to be clearly recognisable on screen.
Allen has used this model before. Vicky Cristina Barcelona was partly backed by Catalan institutions, and Midnight in Paris, To Rome with Love and Rifkin’s Festival (shot in San Sebastián) all turned cities into protagonists. The Madrid deal also drew criticism in Spain over the use of public funds, which shows the trade-off clearly: cities buy global visibility, and the producer reduces risk.
For Türkiye this is a familiar debate. Istanbul has long been a filming location for international productions, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism runs incentives for foreign productions. The Madrid model, where a city directly sponsors an auteur film in exchange for the city’s name in the title, is a more aggressive version of destination marketing.
Who are the partners Oskay is now working with?
Short answer: a Spanish distributor, Allen’s own company, a young international studio and two sales agents. That is the network that matters for a Turkish producer.
- Wanda Visión is a Madrid production and distribution company; it is also releasing the film in Spanish cinemas.
- Gravier Productions is Allen’s long-standing New York production company.
- 3SIX9 Studios was launched at Cannes; its producing partners include Daya Fernández, actor Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break) and entrepreneur Alois Rubenbauer. In January 2026 Deadline reported on its slate, including a Woody Allen film, a John Boyega horror project and an Arnaud Desplechin feature, alongside the launch of a Silver Screen Global Fund. According to Birsen Altuntaş, Oskay met Daya Fernández during his set visit.
- WestEnd Films and Daresay handle worldwide sales together. Decine21 also lists Screen Capital and Never Summer Range as supporting the film.
Is this a new trend for Turkish producers?
Short answer: yes, the direction is clear, even if each case is different. Turkish companies are increasingly present in international credits not only as service providers for shoots in Istanbul or Cappadocia, but as co-producers and financiers.
Several factors push this. Turkish series are among the world’s most exported scripted content, which has given Turkish producers relationships with distributors, streamers and sales agents. Festival cinema from Türkiye regularly appears in Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto, often as minority co-productions. Turkish producers also know how to work with European co-production funds. An executive-producer credit on a Woody Allen film is a visible step in this direction: it places a Turkish name next to established European and American partners on a title that will be sold at major film markets.
What does this mean for buyers, festivals and partners?
Short answer: a new contact point between Türkiye and the European auteur market. For distributors and festival programmers, it is a reminder that Turkish producers can be partners on international titles, not just suppliers of local content.
| Who | What changes | Practical step |
|---|---|---|
| Turkish producers | A precedent of a Turkish executive producer on a top-tier international auteur film | Study the financing structure: city sponsorship, tax incentives, sales agents |
| Foreign producers | Turkish partners as a source of co-financing and access to the Türkiye market | Look for partners with festival track records and co-production experience |
| Distributors in Türkiye | A Turkish link to an Allen title | Watch the film’s sales at upcoming markets |
| Cities and tourism boards | The Madrid model of sponsoring an auteur film | Compare with existing location incentives in Türkiye |
Our take
Our take: This is a small piece of news with a big subtext. Turkish producers have learned to sell series to more than 170 countries; the next step is to own a share of international films. An executive-producer credit on Allen’s 51st film gives Emre Oskay, and by extension the Turkish co-production scene, access to a network of European distributors, sales agents and financiers. For Turkish production companies, the lesson is practical: international credits are built through festival co-productions and long relationships with sales agents, not one-off deals. For foreign producers, Türkiye is worth considering not only as a location, but as a source of partners. We will follow the film’s title, release date and sales announcements.
FAQ
What is the title of Woody Allen’s new film?
The final title has not been announced. The working title is Wasp 2026; under the sponsorship deal, the final title must include the word “Madrid”.
What role does Emre Oskay have?
He is an executive producer. The source report does not disclose the size of his contribution.
When will the film be released?
No release date has been announced. Shooting started on 5 October 2026 and post-production is planned in Madrid and New York.
Who distributes the film?
Wanda Visión releases it in Spain; WestEnd Films and Daresay handle international sales.
Which Turkish films has Oskay worked on?
Among others, Inflame (Kaygı), Noah Land (Nuh Tepesi), Who Killed Lady Winsley?, Nezouh, The Witness and The House With No Address.
Sources
- Birsen Altuntaş, report on Emre Oskay joining Woody Allen’s new film, 10 November 2026
- Euronews, Woody Allen unveils new film in Madrid backed by nearly €3 million in public money, 1 October 2026
- Decine21, Woody Allen in central Madrid and Aranjuez
- Production List, Wasp 2026 production listing
- Cineuropa, Emre Oskay filmography
- Ground News / Deadline, 3SIX9 Studios reveals slate, January 2026
This article is for information purposes only. It is based on public reports; figures on budgets and public funding are given as reported by the sources and may change.
