Loya, a young Turkish storyteller battling cancer, fights for her life and her land that is destroyed by a Canadian gold mining company operated by her birth father.
Based on survival and resistance through the eyes of a young dreamer, Loya is a feature-length drama that creates a dialogue about family, deforestation, climate emergency, and connections to the land.
The film stars Cansu Tosun, Moe Dunford, Alya Soygur, Baris Celiloglu, Ahmet Varli, Cemal Hünal, Mijo Jurišić, Gizem Erman Soysaldi, Tayfun Yilmaz, Müge Duygun, and Gulfem Kose.
"We were happy to join this debut feature from award winning writer/director Sibel Guvenc as we recognised a deeply local story told through an intimate and sensitive child’s perspective. Set and filmed in Turkey, the film is shaped by Sibel Guvenc’s Canadian-Turkish background, which bridges cultures, exploring the fragile relationship between humans and nature. Environmental destruction is never treated as an abstract or distant issue; instead, it quietly but profoundly enters private lives, affecting health, family dynamics, and the sense of safety. At its core, the story reflects the quiet conflict between everyday survival and the long-term consequences of exploiting nature. This approach strongly aligns with the kind of socially engaged, character-driven projects we consistently support", producer Anita Juka from Croatian 4Film told FNE.
Loya is a coproduction between Canada (Kybele Films), Ireland (Samson Films) and Croatia 4Film, made with the support of Telefilm Canada, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, the Canada Film Production Tax Credit, and the Canada Council for the Arts, as well as with private investment. The producers are Sibel Guvenc, Munire Armstrong, David Collins, and Anita Juka.
"We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Telefilm on a third project, following Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool (2023) and Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day (2024)”, Juka, who is also the director of Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day, added.
Loya was developed through a rigorous international development process, including a selection for the Cannes Film Festival ImpACT Lab, the JETS coproduction initiative at the Berlinale, the Whistler Film Festival Producers Lab and Power Pitch, and the Netflix Canadian Pitch Day. It was also named a Second Rounder in Drama at the 2024 Austin Film Festival Script Competition.
The filming took place in Artvin (Turkey) from 21 September to 14 October 2025.
As a Cannes ImpACT Lab (Marché du Film, 12 – 20 May 2026) selected project, Loya is planned for a submission to A-list film festivals, in line with the completion of its postproduction.
Production Information:
Producers:
Kybele Films (Canada)
Samson Films (Ireland)
4Film (Croatia)
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Credits:
Director: Sibel Guvenc
Scriptwriter: Sibel Guvenc
DoP: Michael Lavelle
Editor: Oleksiy Buyanov
Composer: Brandon Roberts
Cast: Cansu Tosun, Moe Dunford, Alya Soygur, Baris Celiloglu, Ahmet Varli, Cemal Hünal, Mijo Jurišić, Gizem Erman Soysaldi, Tayfun Yilmaz, Müge Duygun, Gulfem Kose
