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The Tulip Era

A bold producer battles her father, fame, and a rogue Korean star to save a doomed Turkish TV epic.

synopsis

The Tulip Era is a melodramedy set in the high- stakes world of Turkish TV. 25-year-old Aylin has just outmanoeuvred her powerful father Sinan to become producer of The Tulip Era, a struggling Ottoman epic. Her bold pitch to save the show hinges on hiring Korean drama star Suzie to boost ratings, only Suzie proves as unpredictable as the gamble itself. And just like the Sultan in the show they’re making, Sinan has never cared about the concerns or expectations of his “subjects,” pushing for the show’s demise and setting up a ruthless tug-of-war between father and daughter, family and business. As Aylin takes bolder steps to counter her father, the show’s ensemble of fading stars and ambitious newcomers is swept into the struggle, their livelihoods tied to its survival. The set becomes a battlefield of clashing cultures, egos, and desires, where love and loyalty emerge in the unlikeliest places. The real Tulip Era, an 18th-century period of excess and misguided battles, ended in rebellion. Now the question is, will this one?

Director’statement

The Tulip Era uses the decadent 18th-century Ottoman period of excess and backlash as a lens to explore timeless dynamics of ambition, power, and human folly. On the set of a costly Ottoman epic, failing ratings turn the production into a battleground: aging stars clinging to fame, producers bleeding money, hungry newcomers fighting for a break, and a crew whose livelihoods hang by a thread. It takes a family to survive, even if it’s a found family on set rather than blood. Our Turkish/Australian collaboration naturally confronts cultural clashes and differing TV traditions. The Tulip Era’s hedonism provides the perfect show-within-a-show to explore history repeating itself. This is an underdog story. Think Ted Lasso with sharper teeth or Glow but lighter. Like Veneno, it’s an ensemble where ambition collides with collective struggle. Each character fights for their place in a world that overlooks them, and desperation drives momentum. Their battles echo broader pressures: legacy versus innovation, survival versus spectacle, the old guard versus the next generation.

TFL PROGRAMME:
SeriesLab 2025

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