A Turkish court has temporarily blocked the release of the horror film Rum Yetimhanesi (Rum Orphanage) after a legal challenge from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul.
The film, co-directed by Anastasiya Budakva and Cem Kaymakci, was set to premiere this month but faced objections over its unauthorized use of the Patriarchate’s name, religious symbols, and a historic Greek Orthodox orphanage on Buyukada island.
The Patriarchate argued that the film’s depiction of the Prinkipo Orphanage—a six-story wooden structure of cultural significance—as a haunted site with satanic imagery misrepresents its legacy and risks inciting hatred. The complaint highlighted the replacement of a Christian cross with a “T” in the title and unpermitted drone footage of the site as particularly offensive.
On April 7, the Court of Industrial and Intellectual Property Rights granted an injunction, citing the film’s unauthorized use of the orphanage’s likeness and potential to disturb public order and religious sensitivities. Kezban Hatemi, legal advisor to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, led the filing.
The Prinkipo Orphanage, designed in 1899 by Alexandre Vallaury, originally intended as a luxury hotel but was donated to the Patriarchate after failing to open. It housed over 5,800 Greek children from 1903 to 1964, closing amid Turkey-Greece tensions. Seized by Turkish authorities in 1997, ownership was restored to the Patriarchate in 2010 following a European Court of Human Rights ruling. Restoration efforts continue. [Combined reports]
Source: ekathimerini.com