Ahead of the UK premiere of THE TURKISH COFFEE TABLE at FrightFest Halloween, director Can Evrenol reflects on the challenges of screen adaptation, tackling dark subject matter and the anticipation of the biggest home release of his career.
What drew you to remake The Coffee Table into The Turkish Coffee Table?
Most of my short & feature films are about family, the social claustrophobia of the family, mostly there’s a baby, usually there’s death in the family and mostly there’s a key scene around the dinner table! It was a match made in heaven for me. (Or hell, for that matter!)
How did you balance preserving the tone or key themes of the original with infusing your own creative voice?
I just treated it as a cultural translation where I had full creative licence. The story felt like it was bound to go even deeper and crazier once set up in Turkey, because of the madness of modern Turkey.
What was your approach to casting, especially around the lead roles and any roles that might evoke comparisons to the original?
I wanted to do this with a Turkish comedy star. Just like Adam Sandler doing Uncut Gems. But I didn’t think any of the comedy stars in Turkey would be interested in such a dark experiment of the human soul - until I met Alper Kul! He was amazing. So was Algı Eke who plays the wife.
Were there moral or censorship constraints that shaped your creative decisions?
None. I went as dark or as funny as the original did - if not more. I think I did push the envelope a bit more, with full respect and in awe of the original.
Given your past films like Baskin and Saýara, what thematic throughlines or obsessions do you see connecting them to The Turkish Coffee Table?
Family. Dark fate. Social claustrophobia. Sudden mood changes.
How do you anticipate different audience reactions, between those who know the original and those seeing your adaptation fresh?
I hope those who’ve seen the original will be happily surprised by the acting, the cinematography, and the ending of our film. Also, the music. But mostly the sterile weirdness of the whole thing. It’s a bold remake, in tone.
What was the most difficult scene to shoot, and how did you overcome those difficulties?
The very first scene when our lead character is confronted with the death of his baby. That was the day when we all thought, ok this will be the bomb! The actor was positively very worried to get it right. He had never done such a dark scene in his storied career.
What can you tell us about the films planned release?
This will be the biggest home release of my career. It’s exciting. It will be on theatres across the country. People will be shocked! - and double shocked to find themselves laughing at this.
Finally, what’s next?
I am currently on the post-production of my first non-genre feature film which I shot over the summer in my own neighbourhood with an extremely tight crew and non-professional (but amazing) actors. It’s a strictly +18, erotic, punk, and emotional love letter to French New Wave; titled “Beril_XXX”.
THE TURKISH COFFEE TABLE is showing at The ODEON Luxe West End on Sat 1 November at 6.40pm and 7.10pm, as part of FrightFest Halloween 2025. Can will be attending.
