Water Also Burns (Su da Yanar)

Water Also Burns is a 1987 Turkish-German political drama directed by Ali Özgentürk and written by Işıl Özgentürk. It follows an idealistic young director who wants to make a film about the life of Nâzım Hikmet. Struggling to find funding in the oppressive atmosphere that followed the September 12 coup, he battles censorship and countless obstacles while turmoil in his private life darkens his inner world.

The film stars Tarık Akan, Şahika Tekand and Nathalie Duverne, with Meral Çetinkaya, Suna Selen and Hikmet Karagöz among the supporting cast. After opening the Tokyo Film Festival, it was banned shortly after its release and its copies were confiscated; the ban was lifted only after Özgentürk's acquittal, earning it the reputation of a film erased from Turkish cinema history.