By Tim Molloy
February 20, 2026
Nadir Sarıbacak, the co-director, co-writer and star of the painfully truthful new drama Gazelle, knows his subject matter well: Like Yakup, the man he plays in the film, he hastily emigrated from his native Türkiye to the United States because of a volatile political situation at home.
Sarıbacak had a hard time adjusting to his new life, but Yakup has an even harder one: He has left his wife and daughter behind, and works tough under-the-table jobs, far removed from his old career as a music teacher. Sarıbacak and Gazelle co-writer Ayhan Hulagu, who also emigrated from Türkiye to the U.S. and also acts in the film, drew on their own challenges and the even more intense struggles of fellow Turkish-American immigrants.
Gazelle is one of the highlights of the stellar Sedona International Film Festival, which begins this weekend. Though it unsentimentally tracks every aspect of Yakup’s life — his claustrophobic sleeping arrangements, hidden cash, and frantic phone calls home — it also tells a universal immigrant story with no sugar coating. It settles into the grit of its northern New Jersey and New York City setting, and a world that feels at once too small and too big.
The film, co-directed by Samy Pioneer, is too respectful of the audience to spell things out. But its relevance is obvious in the modern United States, even if you aren’t familiar with Turkish President Erdogan’s crackdown on his critics.
Gazelle has earned many accolades on its festival run, including an Audience Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival, which, like Sedona, is one of our 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee. Ahead of the film’s Sedona screenings, we asked Sarıbacak and Hulagu about the experiences that informed Gazelle, valuing truth over fantasy, and the allegory that gives the film its title.
Nadir Sarıbacak and Ayhan Hulagu on Making Gazelle
MovieMaker: I love how you use the allegory of the gazelle to suggest hope even when all seems lost. How did you come upon that symbol?
Nadir Sarıbacak: The first few years after I came to the United States were very difficult for me, as they are for many people. During that anxious and depressive period, I came across this story. Interestingly, this seemingly simple story helped heal me, at least a little. As a human being, there comes a point when you feel you can’t carry certain things anymore, and the burdens I had taken on felt too heavy. I kept this meaningful story in the back of my mind and told myself that if I ever made a film, I would build it around this story. When the time was right, I shared it with Ayhan.
Ayhan Hulagu: This gazelle story was a small social media post. In that video, an African-American imam was telling the story of a pregnant gazelle trapped in the forest, feeling helpless and cornered. My own father is also an imam, and when we were children, he used to tell us moral stories. This story spoke not only to my childhood but also to my present situation.
At the time, I was working in different jobs outside my profession and felt emotionally stuck and helpless. The way the gazelle ignored everything around her and focused only on giving birth felt deeply meaningful and poetic to me. Once she focused on that, things slowly began to fall into place. I tried to carry that lesson into my own life. Just as the gazelle’s story inspired us, it eventually formed the backbone of Gazelle.
MovieMaker: This film is sad almost from beginning to end, though there are glimmers of hope. Were you ever tempted to make the story happier for the sake of pleasing audiences, even if it may have made the story less true?
Ayhan Hulagu: When we were writing the film, our motivation was never to make an “immigrant film” or a “social issue film.” What excited us was writing a psychological drama centered on a human being—something people from different parts of the world could watch and see a part of themselves in. When the Canadian audience in Vancouver gave the film an award, that meant a lot to me in that sense.
Since the camera moves closely with Yakup, we do tire the audience by placing them inside that atmosphere — I accept that. I personally enjoy films that make me actively follow the story rather than passively watch it, and perhaps that’s how we built the world of this film. Could there have been more hope? Of course. That would have made me happy too.
MovieMaker: Both of you, like your protagonist, moved from Türkiye to the United States, though of course I have no idea if you were forced to flee because of political repression or were separated from your families. How autobiographical is this? How much did you draw from people you know? I have read that Nadir was censored for expressing concern about Türkiye.
Nadir Sarıbacak: Ten years ago, I came to the United States for a vacation with my children, but because of the political chaos in Türkiye, I was unable to return and had to urgently decide to build a life here. Thankfully, unlike Yakup, I did not leave my family behind.
However, as an immigrant, I experienced serious psychological challenges and traumas of my own. Some friends around me, unfortunately, went through very painful situations and deep anxieties regarding their families. Compared to what they were going through, I often felt it would be disrespectful to voice my own complaints. When Ayhan and I began writing the screenplay, we built it mainly on their stories, blending them with our own struggles to create this film.
Ayhan Hulagu: I came to the United States in 2017, and after receiving an artist visa, I decided to stay permanently. I founded a theater company and began performing solo plays. I’ve taught as a guest lecturer at universities such as Princeton, Cornell, Stanford, and Harvard. That process made my own mental transition as an immigrant much easier.
I didn’t live through what Yakup experienced, but I witnessed many similar stories in my social circle. The stories I heard affected me deeply. I knew how difficult it was to adapt as an immigrant, but when family becomes part of the equation, the process becomes far more complicated.
The interviews we conducted, our observations, and the emotional experiences shared by people around us gave us a great deal of insight into understanding Yakup. We gathered pieces from real life and assembled them like a puzzle to create the full picture.
MovieMaker: Ayhan, you were a puppeteer — how does that affect your writing?
Ayhan Hulagu: I see what we do as storytelling. Sometimes in the theater it’s just a handkerchief or a stick; sometimes in film it’s characters and an atmosphere we imagine. The form changes, but the essence remains the same. The relationship a puppeteer builds with a puppet doesn’t feel very different to me from the relationship an actor builds with a character. I’m moved by stories that activate the audience’s imagination, and I like creating work with that same sense of honesty.
MovieMaker: Do you see similarities between the current situation in Türkiye and the U.S.?
Nadir Sarıbacak: Sometimes, when I follow daily political developments in America, I do feel concerned. On the other hand, the United States has a deeply rooted Constitution. I believe it protects individual rights and freedoms and will not be easily changed — and I hope and pray that remains true.
Ayhan Hulagu: At times, when I watch the news, I feel a sense of déjà vu. I sincerely hope that everything evolves in a positive direction.
MovieMaker: Finally, what are you looking forward to about playing Sedona?
Nadir Sarıbacak: First of all, it will be my first time in Sedona, which is exciting in itself. Also, in Sedona, Gazelle will be watched mostly by American audiences rather than Turkish viewers. That excites me because I’m very curious about their emotional response. I truly wonder what kind of connection they will form with the film.
Ayhan Hulagu: Unfortunately, because of my theater performances, I won’t be able to be in Sedona. I hope it will be a wonderful festival for you and for my team. I’m very curious about how the festival audience will receive the film. Even though I won’t be there in person, my heart will be there.
Gazelle plays Tuesday and Thursday at the Sedona International Film Festival.
Main image: Nadir Sarıbacak as Yakup in Gazelle. Courtesy of Roaring Cat Films.
