Directors Jan Hellwich and Samet Yalcin won a Gold this year for their passion project Turkish Oil Wrestling. Here they both talk about becoming friends during their studies, the almost two year long shoot, and casting your grandfather in your short film.
Firstly, congratulations on your YDA win! What does this mean to you both?
Thank you so much! This win really means a lot to both of us. The project took a huge amount of sweat, belief, and love from everyone involved, so to have that effort recognised in this way is deeply rewarding.
What have your directing journeys looked like and what brought you two together to create Turkish Oil Wrestling?
We come from quite different creative backgrounds, Jan has a strong visual foundation, having worked as an Art Director for major fashion brands, while Samet comes from a more narrative-driven path as a trained screenwriter. We met during our studies and have been best friends ever since.
What really connects us is a shared curiosity and love for different cultures. With Samet’s Turkish roots, we saw a unique opportunity to explore and portray an aspect of that culture in a deeper, more meaningful way through Turkish Oil Wrestling.
Where did your idea for the film come from? How did you both balance your creative visions for the project?
With wanting to create a film together about the Turkish culture we’ve held our eyes open and when we stumbled upon an image of an oiled up wrestler we were immediately fascinated. Striking aesthetics, an unusual approach to masculinity and a rich tradition made the subject super appealing.
When it comes to balancing our creative visions, it’s true that finding the middle ground in a collaborative process isn’t always easy. But it helps a lot that our different strengths actually complement each other well. Putting egos aside and trusting each other is key and most of the time we were on the same page anyways. Also that we’ve been friends for so long certainly helps.
How long did it take you to make it, and what was the most challenging aspect of its creation?
It was quite a process. This project stretched over the span of almost two years, from the first concept all the way through shooting and post-production.
The toughest part was finding the film’s true voice. Our original script’s tonality was going in a very different direction than what we landed on in the end. It was only after our research trips to Turkey, speaking directly with wrestlers and local experts, that our perspective shifted. We began to understand the deep meaning, spiritual connection, and rich tradition the sport holds for the people who practice it.
Could you tell us about the casting process and how you chose your key actors?
The casting process unfolded very naturally. When Samet’s grandfather spoke about oil wrestling with such excitement and wit, it was immediately clear he belonged in the film. He’s been a fan since childhood and has attended countless tournaments over the years. Honestly, we barely had to direct him, he simply brought his true passionate self.
The rest of the cast consisted of real wrestlers. Working with actual wrestlers was essential for us, not just to keep the film authentic, but to allow the documentary layer to shine through the narrative.
Turkish Oil Wrestling won the Passion Project category – why would you say this was a passion project for you?
It was a passion project in every sense. There was no commercial agenda and no real deadline, just a fascinating subject we felt hadn’t been explored in this way before. That freedom sometimes slowed things down, but it also gave us room for curiosity, experimentation, and genuine joy in the process. In many ways, it deepened our love for filmmaking, because it was free from pressure and purely driven by the story we wanted to tell.
What does the future hold for you?
We’re both involved in individual projects but we’re also developing our next project together: a series that we’re really excited about. It’s still early days, but it’s already shaping up to be something special.
Interview by Daniel Huntley shots
