Monday 17 August saw six weeks of filming kick off on Thank You Charlotte, the third feature - after Happy New Year London (2007) and Cici (2022) - by Turkish playwright Berkun Oya who’s mostly well known and acclaimed for his TV series, which include Ethos (Bir Başkadır – broadcast on Netflix in 2021).

The cast is led by Juliette Binoche (awarded the Best Supporting Role Oscar in 1997 and nominated for Best Actress in 2001; crowned Best Actress in Cannes in 2010, as well as in Berlin in 1997 and in Venice in 1993; honoured with the Best Actress César in 1994 and nominated a further ten times, including in 2023 for Between Two Worlds, and on top form this year in Queen at Sea).

She’s joined by Nina Meurisse (awarded the 2025 Best Supporting Role César for Souleymane’s Story, nominated for the Best Acting Revelation César and Lumière trophies in 2020 thanks to Camille, and recently acclaimed in Julian and in the series Dark Hearts) alongside Omar Kentar.

Written by the director, the story revolves around Charlotte who’s volunteering for an NGO on the Greek island of Lesbos. She’s thanked for her contribution out of the blue, but she doesn’t realise she’s supposed to leave there and then. Meanwhile, a young refugee comes into her life, rocking her certainties and values…

Thank You Charlotte is being produced by Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo and Eliott Khayat on behalf of Parisian firm Haut et Court (who are also distributing the movie in French cinemas), in co-production with Germany’s if... Productions (Yellow Letters, The Teachers’ Lounge), Greece’s Neda Film, Turkey’s Krek Film and French outfit Pio&Co. The feature has been pre-purchased by Canal+, Ciné+ OCS, Arte/BR and ERT, and enjoys further support from Eurimages, the Hellenic Film Commission, Ekkomed, Pictanovo, WindTech and the SOFICA companies Entourage and Cinémage. Shooting on the movie will continue until 23 October with Evgenia Alexandrova (awarded multiple trophies for The Secret Agent) heading up photography. World sales are entrusted to Playtime.