‘Yellow Letters’ Director İlker Çatak on Political Repression of Artists: ‘You Have It in the U.S. Too. Look at What Happened to Jimmy Kimmel!’

İlker Çatak, who was born in Berlin to Turkish parents, is back at the Berlinale with “Yellow Letters,” which unlike his last film — the Oscar-nominated Germany-set “The Teachers’ Lounge” — takes place entirely amid political repression in Turkey, even though it was shot in Germany.

The timely political drama stars Turkish actors Özgü Namal (Derya) and Tansu Biçer (Aziz) as an artists’ couple whose marriage implodes after they lose their jobs due to their political views.

Çatak speaks to Variety about how political repression in the arts is not just a Turkish problem these days.

What drew you to this story in which authoritarian political pressure disrupts a marriage?

I’ve always wanted to make a film about marriage. I’m living in a marriage with a painter — who happens also to be my co writer on this film — and we were always fascinated by films such as “Marriage Story” [by nm0000876 autoNoah…