Im toten Winkel

In a remote town in northeastern Turkey, a German film crew attempts to shoot a documentary, while a Turkish surveillance agent grapples with seemingly mystical forces that haunt his young daughter. As their stories intertwine, a complex web of conspiracy unfolds. Strange incidents overshadow the filming of a German film crew in northeastern Turkey: In a Kurdish village, an old woman keeps the memory of her son, who disappeared 25 years ago, alive with a ritual. Kurdish interpreter Leyla, who is also the tutor of Turkish girl Melek, is on site. When the child is haunted by mysterious visions, her father Zafer puts himself in mortal danger out of fear for his family. The fateful encounter between these people develops a destructive force. Told in three chapters and from multiple perspectives, a gripping political thriller unfolds. IN THE BLIND SPOT (IM TOTEN WINKEL) celebrated its world premiere at the 2023 Berlinale in the renowned Encounters section, where it was awarded the Ecumenical Jury Prize. The film was also well received at other festivals, such as the Istanbul Film Festival and the Munich Film Festival, and received the German Film Critics' Award for Best Screenplay. Produced by Mitosfilm in co-production with ZDF and Arte, the film captivates with its haunting imagery, precise staging, and strong cast, including Katja Bürkle, Ahmet Varli, and Hakan Atalay. Ayşe Polat has created a captivating piece of political cinema that, beyond the individual fates of its characters, raises the question of how memory and truth can survive in the shadow of state power—a quiet but lasting blow against forgetting.