Movies like Istanbul Holiday (1968)
The best movies like Istanbul Holiday (1968) are Ali and Nino (2016), Midnight Express (1978) and America America (1963). If Istanbul Holiday hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMidnight Express (1978)7.4/10 from 1,980 votes
- NewestYellow Letters (2026)Released 2026
Ali and Nino (2016)
Muslim prince Ali and Georgian aristocrat Nino have grown up in the Russian province of Azerbaijan. Their tragic love story sees the outbreak of the First World War and the world’s struggle for Baku’s oil. Ultimately they must choose to fight for their country’s independence or for each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMidnight Express (1978)
Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of a country. The courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmerica America (1963)
A young Anatolian Greek, entrusted with his family's fortune, loses it en route to Istanbul and dreams of going to America.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThree Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
A solitary scholar discovers an ancient bottle while on a trip to Istanbul and unleashes a djinn who offers her three wishes. Filled with reluctance, she is unable to come up with one, so the djinn tries to inspire her with his stories.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hunting Party (2007)
A young journalist, an experienced cameraman and a discredited reporter find their bold plan to capture Bosnia's top war criminal quickly spiraling out of control when a UN representative mistakes them for a CIA hit squad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Promise (2016)
Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, a love triangle develops between Mikael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated artist Ana, and Chris, a renowned American journalist based in Paris.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thief of Bagdad (1924)
A nameless thief falls in love with the Caliph of Bagdad's daughter. The Caliph will give her hand to the suitor that returns with the rarest treasure after seven moons. The thief sets off on a magical journey while, unbeknownst to him, another suitor, the Prince of the Mongols, is not playing by the rules.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Am David (2003)
A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a compass to help get him there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thief of Bagdad (1940)
When Prince Ahmad is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar, he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu to win back his royal place, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWedding Association (2013)
Ismail's son, Tarik returns to his village after long years of being away and announces that he is engaged to a Latvian woman named Nugesha and although he doesn't have the means for it, Ismail still wants to be the one who pays for the expenses of the wedding. Several problems ensue as he tries to make sure that there is enough money for the wedding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOnce Upon a Prince (2018)
Susanna gladly accepts help one day from handsome stranger Nate at her parents’ garden store in small-town Georgia. Sparks between them fly, but when a photo of them gets leaked to the press, Susanna is in for the shock of her life when Nate is called back home by his mother… For his coronation as the King Nathaniel of Cambria!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Beautician and the Beast (1997)
A New York City beautician is mistakenly hired as the school teacher for the children of the president of a small Eastern European country.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYellow Letters (2026)
The marriage of Derya and Aziz is under pressure after losing their jobs because of state arbitrariness and moving to Istanbul to live with Aziz's parents. They and their 13-year-old daughter Ezgi have to redefine their way of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFor Love and Honor (2007)
Ali Osman is a former bully of city of Istanbul. But lately he gives up bully and starts to operate a synthetic pitch. He often meets his old friends, former bullies, too. One day Ali Osman receives a news which is related with his previous passionate life. Then the whole action stats as a chain of events.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this10 to 11 (2009)
Mithat passionately collects newspapers in his Istanbul flat. The other tenants ridicule him and he lives a lonely life. As the building is to be renovated, Mithat develops a friendship with concierge Ali, another loner, who helps him save his collection. They involuntarily change each other’s fate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisŞendul Şaban (1985)
She works as a factory worker alongside Şaban Ali. One day, they are fired for asking their boss for a raise. They search for work for a long time but cannot find any. Necla tells Şaban that it is easier for women to find work, and the couple make a bet. The next day, Necla starts working as a secretary. The roles at home change. Necla becomes the man of the house, and Şaban becomes the woman of the house. However, the couple is unhappy because of Necla's long working hours.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArabian Adventure (1979)
An evil caliph offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to a prince if he can complete a perilous quest for a magical rose. Helped by a young boy and a magic carpet, Prince Hasan has to overcome genies, fire-breathing monsters, and treacherous swamps to reach his prize and claim the hand of the Princess Zuleira.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMuslum (2018)
A biopic about the Turkish vocal artist Müslüm Gürses. Born into a poor household, Muslum found his redemption in music from the initial trauma that lingered over his musical and personal life as internalizing the grief. He rose through his ashes of shattered dreams like a phoenix. He walked in darkness, sang songs filled with sorrow which stirred people's souls and created a cult following. They were calling him "Baba" (The Father).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Princess Diaries (2001)
A socially awkward but very bright 15-year-old girl being raised by a single mom discovers that she is the princess of a small European country because of the recent death of her long-absent father, who, unknown to her, was the crown prince of Genovia. She must make a choice between continuing the life of a San Francisco teen or stepping up to the throne.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAladdin (2019)
A kindhearted street urchin named Aladdin embarks on a magical adventure after finding a lamp that releases a wisecracking genie while a power-hungry Grand Vizier vies for the same lamp that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Istanbul Holiday?
The closest matches to Istanbul Holiday are Ali and Nino (2016), Midnight Express (1978) and America America (1963). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Istanbul Holiday?
Start with Ali and Nino (2016), the closest match to Istanbul Holiday.
What is the highest-rated movie like Istanbul Holiday?
Midnight Express (1978), rated 7.4/10 by 1,980 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Istanbul Holiday?
Yellow Letters (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Istanbul Holiday chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Istanbul Holiday, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.