23/02/2026 - The documentary-maker is making the leap to fiction with a production involving France, Germany, Belgium and Turkey and sold by The Party Film Sales

Director Ahmet Necdet Çupur (© Lucie Baudinaud)

Today will see the first clapperboard slamming in Antakya, Turkey, on Pastoral Pathways, the first fiction feature film by Ahmet Necdet Çupur who garnered copious acclaim for his documentary, Les Enfants Terribles [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which scooped the Special Jury Prize in the Visions du Réel Festival in 2021.

The cast stars Turkish talent Öyküsu Özyürek, Durukan Çelikkaya and Bedirhan Avci, alongside French actress Sultan Ulutaş (whom we only just saw in Berlin in Yellow Letters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ilker Çatak
film profile]).

Written by the director himself, the story takes us to southern Turkey. Sixteen-year-olds Nara and Raken dream of leaving their village to pursue their studies, despite the reluctance of those around them. But their desire for independence is stymied by a mysterious phenomenon: a number of children, including Nara’s little sister, fall into an inexplicable sleep from which no-one can awaken them.

Pastoral Pathways is being produced by French firms Les Films de l’Altaï (Tania El Khoury) and Micro Climat (Thomas Carillon), in co-production with Germany’s Niko Film (Nicole Gerhards), Belgium’s Solaris Productions (Natacha Hostyn) and Turkey’s Liman Film (Nadir Öperli). The feature film also enjoys support via the French-German Co-Production Mini-Treaty, as well as from the CNC’s Aide aux Cinémas du Monde fund, Eurimages, the regional funds MOIN (Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein) and Nordmedia, and Europe Creative MEDIA Co-Development. The 28-day film shoot will continue in Turkey until early April with Lucie Baudinaud (Nino [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pauline Loquès
film profile]) heading up photography. World sales will fall to The Party Film Sales while the film’s release in French cinemas is entrusted to Jour2Fête.

For the record, Les Films de l’Altaï previously produced The River [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Ghassan Salhab (selected in competition in Locarno 2021) while Micro Climat recently co-produced Justa [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Teresa Villaverde (hitting French cinemas on Wednesday this week).

(Translated from French)