A Turkish Affair, Hüseyin Aydin Gürsoy's debut feature, hits cinemas on August 12, 2026. This political thriller follows Lionel Erdogan as a lawyer whose ascent confronts his origins, his family, and a corruption scandal.
Mathieu Mustafa Duman has distanced himself from the Turkish community he grew up in. Determined to make partner at a prestigious Paris-based business law firm, his path takes a turn when Abdullah, a young Turkish man facing hardship, asks for his help. The lawyer is drawn into a case that could topple the position he has built for himself.
The Mathieu Dilemma draws on the director Hüseyin Aydin Gürsoy’s personal story. Born in Turkey and arriving in France at the age of three, the filmmaker grew up straddling two cultures. At 21, he Frenchified his first name in the hope of reducing the discrimination that could hamper his career. The distance this created from his roots becomes the film’s starting point.
The filmmaker relocates this experience into the corridors of economic and political power. A corporate power broker forces Mathieu to manage his public image, while his family and Abdullah pull him back toward a community he has gradually drifted away from. The thriller translates this unstable, running-away stance into forward momentum, with each compromise further exposing the character.
Lionel Erdogan stars as Mathieu opposite Metehan Aygün, who plays Abdullah. Charles Berling portrays Claude Delval, the seasoned mentor before whom the lawyer seeks some form of paternal recognition. Lubna Azabal, Maud Wyler, Lou Howard and Sedef Ecer complete the cast of this script by Hüseyin Aydin Gürsoy, written with Ludovic du Clary.
Emrah Kaptan's original score accompanies the character's dual belonging by pairing, notably, the guitar with the saz, a traditional Turkish instrument. Produced by Les Films du Clan and distributed by Paname Distribution, Une affaire turque blends French and Turkish and is rated all audiences.
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