What Remains: Yesim Ustaoglu brings Istanbul family drama to San Sebastian competition
A blocked poet walks out on her Istanbul life in What Remains (Artakalan), Turkish filmmaker Yesim Ustaoglu's new entry in competition at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
The film follows Elif and Mehmet, a married couple in Istanbul raising their young son Selim, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Elif is a respected poet stuck in a creative rut. Mehmet is a musician who has been laid off from his day job as a music teacher.
Elif decides to break free from a suffocating domestic life in an attempt to rediscover her creativity, the Reporter noted in its San Sebastian clip preview. The story stays close to the family as that decision reshapes daily life for all three. It runs at 2 hours 6 minutes.
Ustaoglu is credited as director-screenwriter. The cast lists Oyku Karayel, Metin Akdulger, Ali Kayra Kul and Ilyas Salman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
San Sebastian lists the film as an Official Selection in competition, meaning it is in line for the festival's top awards. It was named among the late additions to the competition line-up alongside new work from Pablo Larraín, Mike Leigh and Benjamín Naishtat, according to Variety. Ustaoglu knows this stage well. She won the 2008 Golden Shell, San Sebastian's top prize, with Pandora's Box, according to Screen Daily.
On the business side, The Match Factory has acquired international sales rights, the right to sell the film to distributors country by country, as reported by Screen Daily. That deal was announced ahead of the festival. Sales of this kind decide where a festival title is seen next.
The Reporter published its review on 23 September 2026, following an exclusive clip reveal on 21 September. For audiences, this is the first detailed look at the characters. Elif's search for a way to write again drives the plot.
