What Is Your Favorite Turkish Drama?
The award-winning film “Hesitation Wound” by acclaimed filmmaker Selman Nacar will be screened at Duke.
It must have been the late 2000s when I returned to Istanbul for winter break. My plane landed during the evening rush hour, so I stocked up on snacks, ready for the long ride home through the city’s notorious traffic. But to my surprise, the streets were empty — a sight I had never witnessed growing up in this restless metropolis.
The taxi driver soon solved the mystery: Ezel, a new television drama, was airing that night, and everyone was glued to their screens. The show followed a young man betrayed by his closest friends who seeks justice on his own terms. It became a nationwide phenomenon, launching a wave of justice-seeking dramas — an especially resonant theme in a country whose legal system has long been tested.
The appeal of Turkish dramas quickly spread beyond national borders. Their universal emotional core — family ties, love, betrayal and moral conflict — combined with cinematic storytelling and lush production, captured audiences worldwide. In Latin America and the Middle East, viewers often recognize echoes of their own cultures on screen. In some countries, entire channels now broadcast Turkish series exclusively.
On Nov. 21, the Duke community is invited to learn more about how Turkish storytelling is shaping global screens at a screening of the award-winning film “Hesitation Wound” by acclaimed filmmaker Selman Nacar. The Turkish Program is hosting Nacar, the creator and director of the recent Netflix series “Istanbul Encyclopedia, who will participate in a discussion following the screening.
Turkish TV exports reached $250 million by 2015, and their success, particularly in the Middle East, stems from their moderate religious tone, family-centered narratives, and emotionally rich scripts. Over the past two decades, these long-format shows — often running two hours per weekly episode — have evolved from local favorites into powerful tools of cultural diplomacy and global soft power.
When “The Protector,” the first Turkish Netflix series, premiered in 2018, it marked a new era. Turkish storytelling had entered global platforms while retaining its local voice. The series follows a Marvel-like hero tasked with saving Istanbul from ancient forces — not with futuristic gadgets, but with a magical Ottoman shirt that channels his ancestors’ powers. Even as it embraced global fantasy tropes, The Protector remained deeply rooted in Turkish culture and mythology. Since then, Netflix has released new Turkish series nearly every month.
Today, Turkish television dramas are among the most-watched cultural exports in the world. According to Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, they now reach audiences in over 150 countries and approximately 750 million viewers through platforms like YouTube and Netflix.
Film Screening and Discussion with Director Selman Nacar
The Turkish Program at Duke University will host acclaimed filmmaker Selman Nacar, creator and director of the recent Netflix series Istanbul Encyclopedia, for a screening of his award-winning film Hesitation Wound on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 7 P.M. at the Rubenstein Arts Center.
