Inter Medya, Rise Studios team up for Turkish drama coproduction pact

Can Okan and Amanda Turnbull at the Red Sea International Film Festival

RED SEA: Turkish production and distribution company Inter Medya has inked a strategic coproduction alliance with Palestine 36 prodco Rise Studios to make a new drama series, Caged Love.

Under the agreement, the partners will coproduce the premium Turkish drama, also known as Tutsak Sevda. Production is scheduled to begin in January 2026, with casting underway and the international rollout strategy currently in development. Inter Medya will serve as executive producer and will oversee global distribution.

The series tells the story of a young woman who is falsely accused of a crime and forced to flee, adopting someone else’s identity to protect a little girl who has no one else to turn to.

“We are excited to launch this strategic partnership with Rise Studios,” said Can Okan, founder and CEO at Inter Medya, from the market floor of the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), where the company is exhibiting this week.

“Our shared vision and commitment to creating content with true global reach give us full confidence that this collaboration will produce a high-calibre project. This co-investment marks an important step in strengthening our joint capacity to develop premium, globally competitive productions.”

Amanda Turnbull, founder and CEO of Rise Studios, added: “This partnership reflects Rise Studios’ commitment to investing in stories with global resonance, that are grounded in emotion and designed to travel. Caged Love is the first step in what we believe will be a powerful and long-term collaboration.”

Alongside coproducer Philistine Films, Rise Studios was part of the production team for Palestine 36, Annemarie Jacir’s acclaimed film about the 1936 Palestinian revolt. The film is Palestine’s official submission to the 98th Academy Awards and stars Hiam Abbass, Saleh Bakri, Yasmine Al Massri and Jeremy Irons.

Launched by Turnbull in 2022, Rise Studios specialises in storytelling from the Middle East and North Africa, and its other titles include movie Once Upon a Time in Gaza (Netflix/Shahid), documentary It’s OK Elissa (Netflix), thriller All But Divorced (Amazon Prime Video); and dramas Forgetfulness (Amazon Prime Video) and A Nose & Three Eyes. Caged Love is the company’s first Turkish content.