The submission form is available on the official IRC 2026 website .
The movie is about a married couple who pretend to be strangers meeting for the first time in New York City, in a desperate attempt to see if they can fall in love with each other again and save their failing marriage.
Later, under the soft illumination of a streetlamp in Karaköy, I realized Istanbul doesn’t ask to be conquered. It asks to be returned to. “Last Call for Istanbul” is less an ending than a promise: you’ll be back, or you’ll carry it with you—its tastes, its sounds, its stubborn ability to make a goodbye feel like a beginning.
The emotional depth of "Last Call for Istanbul" is significantly amplified by its soundtrack. The score, composed by Sertaç Özgümüş, blends contemporary orchestral arrangements with ambient electronic textures to mirror the characters' internal conflicts. The album weaves themes of longing, euphoria, and melancholy to underscore the fleeting nature of the characters’ night together. Last Call for Istanbul
The minarets of Süleymaniye, once proud and tall Now silhouetted against a fading wall The Golden Horn's waters, a sheet of molten gold As the sun dips low, the city's secrets unfold
At first glance, the title is a literal plot device. The story follows Serin (Beren Saat) and Mehmet (Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ), two married individuals from Istanbul who have a chance encounter at JFK Airport in New York. When Serin’s luggage is accidentally taken by another passenger, she and Mehmet—who is also stranded—agree to spend the night together in the city that never sleeps before returning to their ordinary lives the next day. The "last call" initially refers to the final opportunity for these two strangers to explore their instant chemistry before leaving for Istanbul.
"5 Reasons Why the Kıvanç & Beren Reunion is the Romance Event of the Year." The submission form is available on the official
Positive reviews praise its originality and depth. DMTalkies described it as a film that "needs to be watched twice," acknowledging that its layered storytelling rewards a second viewing. The Envoy Web lauded the leads as "absolutely charming", and a Letterboxd review called it a "warm and cute romantic movie" with "strong chemistry between the leads". Many viewers appreciated the film's commitment to and its unexpected plot development.
Last Call for Istanbul resists the Hollywood ending. Serin and Mehmet do not leave their spouses. Instead, they return to the airport and board the next flight to New York—separately. The last shot shows Mehmet looking at his wedding ring, then out the window at Istanbul shrinking below. This is not a failure of romance but a success of maturity. The city gave them permission to feel, but not permission to destroy. The paper’s thesis holds: the film argues that some “last calls” are not for boarding a new relationship, but for listening to the one already inside you. Istanbul remains on the horizon, a beautiful, untaken alternative—an essential reminder that the most important journeys never require leaving home; they require, for one night, missing the plane.
An examination of why the story takes place in New York City rather than Istanbul. It asks to be returned to
A paper focusing on the "mature chemistry" between the leads 15 years after their iconic pairing in Aşk-ı Memnu Points of Interest
Unlike films that treat adultery as a moral failing, Last Call frames it as a symptom of emotional sleepwalking. Serin’s regret is not for kissing Mehmet, but for having spent years curating a life (her marriage, her career) that pleases others’ aesthetics while ignoring her own emotional composition. Mehmet’s regret is artistic: he photographs the city daily but has stopped seeing it, much like he has stopped seeing his wife.