As We Breathe | Aldığımız Nefes by Seyhmus Altun

Şeyhmus Altun's debut feature, "Aldığımızı Nefes" (The Breath We Take), will have its world premiere in Toronto 2025 and its European premiere at the San Sebastián Film Festival.

The film, which will premiere in the Discovery section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, will premiere in Europe at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. 

These two prestigious festivals are known for discovering new talent and fostering powerful stories. "Aldığımızı Nefes" brings the story of hope and resilience of a child forced to grow up at an early age to the international stage.

Seyhmus Altun was born in Diyarbakır, Turkey and currently lives in Copenhagen. He graduated from Istanbul Bilgi University’s Cinema and Television Department. He has directed the short film All the Light We Cannot See (19) and the television series Esik (21). As We Breath (25) is his feature debut.

As We Breathe | Aldığımız Nefes by Seyhmus Altun [1]

TIFF TORONTO,CANADA / WORLD PREMIERE

Turkey, Denmark | 2025 | 95m | Turkish

When a chemical fire spreads smoke across her village, young Esma must help her father manage new and old troubles in this brutal and powerful look at a rural Anatolian family.

In an Anatolian village, young Esma’s family is shaken after a horrific fire in the chemical plant where her father Mehmet (Hakan Karsak) works. Amidst the dense fog of smoke writhing its way across the area, families are being evacuated, with children falling ill, and economic hardship from the plant’s sudden closure will plague all. As Esma (Defne Zeynep Enci) observes her father's struggle to keep his family safe despite his continuing refusal to evacuate their family home, her perspective shifts as to the real cause of the strife.

A jarring take on a coming-of-age tale, emanating from a child’s wide-eyed perspective of adult complications, As We Breathe steadily builds thick tension, bookended with brutal moments of unexpected violence. Anchored by powerful work from Karsak, matched with a prodigious performance from new face Enci, the father/daughter dynamic hypnotically shifts between charming and harrowing. Expertly assisted by director of photography Cevahir Şahin (About Dry Grasses, TIFF ’23), director Șeyhmus Altun deftly conveys the seeming senselessness of the world when seen through a child’s eyes.

Enci’s instinctual and deliberate performance adds authenticity to this story, which originates in Altun’s own childhood. With moments of sweetness to balance the bitter, the film is punctuated with a pulsing score that steadies the laughter of Esma’s little brothers and highlights her dual roles as caretaker and child herself. Though perhaps wise beyond her years, Esma is not impervious to the leaden plume of smoke descending on her home, one that eventually takes a toll on her mind as much as it might on her body.

DOROTA LECH

CREDITS:

Directed by Seyhmus Altun; Cinematography by Cevahir Sahin; Editing by Evren Lus; Executive Producer: Fevziye Hazal Yazan; Producers: Fevziye Hazal Yazan, Seyhmus Altun. Johanna Sveinsdottir; Production Companies: Jurnal Kolektif, Punktur Pictures; Production Designer Sevi Sevgi; Costume Designer: Cigdem Ulusu; Screenplay: Seyhmus Altun; Sound: Dogukan Cicek; Original Score: Artem Litovchenko; Cast: Hakan Karsak, Defne Zeynep Enci

Publicists: ZB Medya Iletisim, Batuhan Zumrut
International Sales Agent: ArtHood Entertainment GmbH [2]
Franz-Mehring-Platz 1 10243 Berlin / Germany
E: info@arthoodentertainment.com / T: +49 30 25561165

[1] A filmmaker with a degree in Cinema and Television from Istanbul Bilgi University, combining strong technical skills with creative vision. With extensive experience in film direction, video editing, and shooting, expertise spans both commercial and narrative projects. Co-founded Mental Film in 2018, focusing on independent creative vision and producing multiple award-winning projects.

Specialized in commercial directing, with a proven track record of crafting narratives that align with brand objectives while maintaining high production values. Proficient in scriptwriting, with the ability to develop original content that engages diverse audiences. Experienced in all stages of production—from conceptualizing and shooting to editing and final delivery—ensuring seamless project execution and high-quality results.

A standout achievement includes the debut feature film Memento Non Mori, currently in post-production. Written and directed, the film was supported by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism's First Feature Fiction Film grant and featured in the Work-in-Progress sections at the San Sebastián Film Festival and Antalya Film Festival, where it won the WIP Award."

Seyhmus Altun was born in Diyarbakır, Turkey and currently lives in Copenhagen. He graduated from Istanbul Bilgi University’s Cinema and Television Department. He has directed the short film All the Light We Cannot See (19) and the television series Esik (21). As We Breath (25) is his feature debut.

[2] ArtHood Entertainment GmbH is a Berlin-based world distributor of arthouse and auteur cinema with a special focus on European films as well as innovative works from all over the world. The focus is on the commitment to artistically sophisticated cinema with social relevance and an unmistakable narrative signature.

The company's goal is to facilitate access to the European and international market for emerging filmmakers worldwide while creating spaces for creative and intercultural exchange.

The sister company ArtHood Films is a dynamic production company that is characterized by its openness to diverse topics, talents and production styles. It maintains close cooperation with filmmakers from Europe, the Middle East and beyond and sees itself as a bridge between international narrative worlds and the German and European film industry.

Said Nur Akkus

CEO & Producer

akkus@arthoodentertainment.com

Said Nur Akkus is the founder of the German-Turkish world distributor ArtHood Entertainment and the film production company ArtHood Films. He was born in Turkey in 1986. He has been living in Berlin since 2011. In his role as producer, film executive and head of production, he has realized a variety of internationally acclaimed, award-winning films. Among others, he was head of production for the documentary THE LEGEND OF THE UGLY KING (2017) about the work of Turkish-Kurdish filmmaker Yilmaz Güney, which premiered at the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival and received the "Öngören Prize for Democracy and Human Rights" at the Film Days Turkey-Germany in Nuremberg. He served as producer for the "Best Film" winner of the Olhares Do Mediterráneo ÖTEKILER (2016) by Ayse Polat.