New Dawn Fades

New Dawn Fades is a co-production involving Turkey, Italy, Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands, brought to life by Vigo Film, with co-producers Slingshot Films, 29P Films, The StoryBay, and Fidalgo Productions. International sales are handled by Heretic.

Turkish writer-director Gürcan Keltek, renowned for his meditative and evocative filmmaking, makes his fiction debut with New Dawn Fades, which is competing at the Locarno Film Festival. The film follows Akın (Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu), a man who struggles to hold on to reality amid a series of psychotic episodes. Set against Istanbul's iconic historical and religious landmarks, the narrative unfolds over 72 hours, depicting Akın's oscillation between brief moments of clarity and a slow descent into delusion and hallucination. Keltek explores the fragile line between sanity and madness, using a documentary-style, introspective approach marked by long takes and a non-linear timeline.

Gürcan Keltek, born in 1973 in Izmir, Turkey, is a director and producer renowned for his distinctive, evocative filmmaking style. Known for his works Meteorlar (2017), Gulyabani (2018), and the upcoming Yeni Safak Solarken (2024), Keltek makes his fiction debut with New Dawn Fades.