‘YEMEK THE MOVIE’ ANCHORS ITS NARRATIVE TONE WITH IPEK EPÇAÇAN AS RÜYA

A Turkish-British co-production bridging London and Turkey brings a delicate balance of dark drama and persistent hope to the big screen.

Yemek The Movie has unveiled its lead character, Rüya, played by Ipek Epçaçan—the first cast member officially signed to the multi-director feature. Director and writer Ebru Cengiz Ergen highlights Epçaçan’s performance as the stylistic anchor for the entire film’s acting tone.

Rüya’s journey begins with humiliation: after fleeing a televised cooking competition in shame, she isolates herself to pursue “the meal of her life.” Struggling through panic attacks and failed attempts, her obsession turns her kitchen into an existential battleground.

“Rüya was a tightrope walk,” explains Ergen. “Lean too far into comedy and she becomes a caricature; lean too far into drama and you lose her quirky insistence on living. Ipek captured that balance flawlessly within the boundaries I set.”

International Co-Production Mechanics

The feature connects cinematic talent across borders. London-based FabUK Production co-produced the film in tandem with FabUK Film in Turkey, while integrating crew and team members from Moving Image Tottenham for the London scenes.

Produced by Ebru Cengiz Ergen, Cem Kaplan, Ali Kaygısız, and Cüneyt Tüfekçioğlu, with distribution partnered by Cinemy Academy, Yemek The Movie weaves together disparate character arcs across multiple cities into a singular, compelling cinematic spine.