Elbow

Elbow (German: Ellbogen) is a 2024 coming-of-age drama that marks Aslı Özarslan's feature directorial debut. Co-written by Özarslan, the film adapts Fatma Aydemir's novel of the same name, winner of the Franz-Hessel-Preis and the Klaus-Michael Kühne prize, and was realized as an international co-production between Germany, Turkey and France.

The film tells the story of Hazal, a 17-year-old German-Turkish girl in Berlin searching for her own path. Her only wish for her 18th birthday is to escape the daily grind and party with her friends, but a fatal incident turns her life upside down and forces her to flee to Istanbul. Shot in German and Turkish, the film traces her journey of self-discovery across both countries. It had its world premiere on 17 February 2024 in the Generation 14plus section of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Crystal Bear for Best Film; Özarslan was also nominated for the GWFF Best First Feature Award at the festival.