# Leylak (film)

Leylak is a 2021 short drama film directed by Scott Aharoni and Dennis Latos and starring Nadir Sarıbacak. The film was written by Mustafa Kaymak. Leylak was shot and edited during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the film is set. Actor Colman Domingo serves as an executive producer.
The film held its world premiere at the 20th Annual Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2021, where it won Special Jury Mention in the Best Narrative Short category.

## Cast

* Nadir Sarıbacak as Yusuf Çelik
* Isabella Haddock as Renk Çelik
* Gamze Ceylan as Tulay Çelik
* Samrat Chakrabarti as Abdul
* Tony Naumovski as Markus
* Ibrahim Traore as Ibrahim
* Max Schuster as Cemetery Worker
* Mark Lyons as Cemetery Worker
* Onur Usluca as The Digger
* Louis Pearlman as The Digger
* Joseph Fernandez as The Digger

## Production
### Development and pre-production

During 2020, Aharoni & Latos reached out to Kaymak to conceptualize the film's story, using the emotional and mental impact of the pandemic on society, particularly in its setting of New York City, as the basis. The film is told within a 24 hour period, done to heighten the tension of the plot and intensify the situation the characters face in the midst of the pandemic. Aharoni further explained this, by saying: "We didn’t want the film to remain relevant for this year, or the next, but for many years to come – to remind us all that through grief and hardship, there will always be light at the end of the tunnel."

### Filming

Principal photography took place throughout August 2020. Laura Valladao, known for her work on Kevin Wilson Jr.'s Academy Award-nominated short film My Nephew Emmett, served as cinematographer.

## Release

The film had its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2021 and played a successful run on the film festival circuit.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Film Festival | Recipients | Result |
| 2021 | Special Jury Mention - Narrative Short Film | Tribeca Film Festival | Leylak | Won |
| 2021 | Best Short Film - International Competition | Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Best Actor - International Competition | Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia | Nadir Saribacak | Won |
| 2021 | Best Short | Indy Shorts International Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Best International Short Fiction | Galway Film Fleadh | Leylak | Won |
| 2021 | Flickers' Youth Film Jury Award | Rhode Island International Film Festival | Leylak | Won |
| 2021 | Grand Prize - Best Short | Rhode Island International Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Kathryn Tucker Windham Storyteller Award | Sidewalk Film Festival | Leylak | Won |
| 2021 | Best Narrative Short | Port Townsend Film Festival | Leylak | Won |
| 2021 | Best Short Film | HollyShorts Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Best of the Fest - Best Short Film | Breckenridge Festival of Film | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Best Short Film | LA Shorts International Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Jury Prize - Best Short Drama | Woods Hole Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Festival Director's Choice Award - Best Actor (Short Youth) | Woods Hole Film Festival | Isabella Haddock | Won |
| 2021 | Best Short Film | Maine International Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Jury Award - Best Short Fiction | Tirana International Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Best Performance - Narrative Short | Tacoma Film Festival | Nadir Saribacak | Won |
| 2021 | Grand Jury Prize - Best Narrative Short | Nashville Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Best Dramatic Short | New York Shorts International Film Festival | Leylak | Won |
| 2021 | Festival Prize - Best Short Film | Boston Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Best Narrative Short | Indie Memphis Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Grand Jury Award - Best Narrative Short Film | Newport Beach Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Special Jury Award - Best Narrative Short | Savannah Film Festival | Leylak | Nominated |
| 2021 | Pronck Shorts Competition Award - Best Short Film | Leiden International Film Festival | Leylak | Won |