Serial Cook

Sofra Sırları, written and directed by Ümit Ünal and starring Demet Evgar, is a black comedy that screened at the 37th Istanbul Film Festival, where it won Ünal Best Screenplay and Evgar Best Actress. The script's roots trace back to 2005, when an early version titled Sultan Mutfakta was set among a Turkish community living in England; Ünal met a British producer in 2006 through Vedide Kaymak, organizer of the London Turkish Film Festival, and tried developing the project there. The screenplay is said to be based on something that happened to a real woman living in England, though Ünal rewrote the story, relocating it to present day Turkey after Demet Evgar came on board. Who it's for: anyone curious about a Turkish black comedy developed in different forms over more than a decade, eventually winning both screenplay and acting prizes at a festival. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a quickly written and shot film, since the script's roots trace back thirteen years to a different country and a different lead character.