Es Film

What Es Film does

Es Film is a private Turkish media production company founded in 2014 and based in Istanbul. It produces scripted television series, digital-platform series, feature films, and documentary series for broadcasters and platforms including TRT 1, Kanal D, tabii (TRT), DMAX, and TRT Belgesel. Its portfolio includes historical and biographical period dramas such as Filinta, Payitaht: Abdülhamid, Barbaroslar, and Mavera; action and aviation series such as Hür and İsimsizler; documentaries such as Gümrük Muhafaza Türkiye and Yüzyılın Komploları; and the feature film Osmanlı Subayı (The Ottoman Lieutenant).

The company’s production capability is not a software platform; its defensible assets are production execution, physical sets, access permissions, rights and format relationships, and an accumulated content library. Examples include a 300,000 m² period-Istanbul backlot for Filinta, reconstructed 16th-century war galleys for Barbaroslar, filming Hür with real fighter jets at Eskişehir 1st Main Jet Base Command, and adapting Warner Bros. Discovery’s Border Control format for Gümrük Muhafaza Türkiye.

Es Film monetizes through B2B content production and licensing rather than consumer pricing. Revenue mechanics include production fees and licensing royalties from Turkish broadcasters and digital platforms, theatrical and international distribution for feature films, and documentary or format adaptations. The company has disclosed scale indicators including 500+ prime-time episodes, 900+ hours of produced work, distribution in 100+ countries, and 130M+ viewers, but no revenue, funding, or ownership economics.

Name

Es Film

Legal name

ES FİLM A.Ş.

Website

https://esfilm.com.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Es Film is an Istanbul-based private production company creating scripted series, films, and documentaries for Turkish broadcasters, streaming platforms, and international buyers, with output spanning period dramas, action, aviation, family comedy, and documentary formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television and Film Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Live-Action International/Co-Production & Service Production (MPADABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Live-Action TV Movies, Miniseries & Specials Production (MPADABAD)

Keywords

• Television series production
• Feature film production
• Period drama series
• Documentary production services
• International format co-production

Headquarters

HQ city

Besiktas

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Television Series Production: Es Film produces TV series for Turkish broadcasters (TRT 1, Kanal D), earning production fees and licensing revenue. Series span multiple seasons with recurring revenue through ongoing production contracts.
2. Feature Film Production: Produced theatrical feature films including Turkish-American co-productions, generating revenue through theatrical distribution deals and international sales.
3. Documentary Production: Produces documentary series for channels like DMAX and TRT Belgesel, including format adaptations from international brands like Warner Bros' Border Control.
4. Digital Platform Content: Produces content for digital streaming platforms including tabii (TRT's platform) and international digital platforms.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Es Film is a B2B film and television production studio that produces prime-time television series, feature films, and documentary content for sale to Turkish broadcasters (TRT 1, Kanal D), digital streaming platforms (tabii), and specialty documentary channels (DMAX, TRT Belgesel). The studio specializes in large-scale period dramas, action and aviation series, crime dramas, family comedies, and international format adaptations, and also develops Turkish-American co-productions for theatrical release. Its production assets include a 300,000 m² purpose-built Ottoman-era backlot, reconstructed historical vessels, and access to live military aviation assets.

Product overview

Es Film is a Turkish television and film production company founded in 2014, based in Istanbul. The company operates as a design and storytelling studio producing content across multiple formats: television series (9 productions), digital platform series (1 production), feature films (1 production), and documentary series (2 productions), with 2 projects currently in development. The production portfolio spans historical period dramas (Filinta, Payitaht: Abdülhamid, Barbaroslar series, Mavera), action and military series (Hür, İsimsizler), crime dramas (Halka), family comedies (Aslan Ailem, Zeyrek ile Çeyrek), feature films (Osmanlı Subayı), and documentaries (Gümrük Muhafaza Türkiye, Yüzyılın Komploları). Es Film has produced over 500+ episodes and 100+ documentary chapters totaling 900+ hours of content, distributed across Turkish broadcasters (TRT 1, Kanal D, tabii, DMAX, TRT Belgesel) and international digital platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Filinta An Ottoman-period crime drama series (56 episodes, 2014-2016) set in 19th-century Istanbul. Produced for TRT 1 as Es Film's inaugural series, filmed at a purpose-built 300,000 m² period Istanbul backlot.
• Payitaht: Abdülhamid A biographical period drama series about Sultan II. Abdülhamid (154 episodes across 5 seasons, 2017-2021), produced for TRT 1. Directed by Serdar Akar.
• Barbaroslar: Akdeniz'in Kılıcı A period action series (32 episodes, 2021-2022) about the Barbaros brothers in 16th-century Mediterranean waters. Produced for TRT 1 with historically reconstructed war galleys.
• Hür A modern aviation series (10 episodes, 2023-2024) following Turkish Air Force pilots, produced for tabii (TRT's digital platform). Filmed using real fighter jets at the 1st Main Jet Base Command in Eskişehir.
• Barbaros Hayreddin: Sultanın Fermanı A period action series (20 episodes, 2022-2023) continuing the Barbaros franchise, depicting Grand Admiral Barbaros Hayreddin's Mediterranean campaigns under Suleiman the Magnificent. Produced for TRT 1.
• Mavera: Hâce Ahmed Yesevî A biographical period series (26 episodes, 2021) about the Turkic Sufi poet and mystic Khoja Ahmad Yasawi. Produced for TRT 1.
• Halka A crime drama series (19 episodes, 2019) that broke from classical detective patterns, produced for TRT 1.
• İsimsizler An action-drama series (27 episodes, 2017) depicting the fight against terrorism and homeland defence. Produced for Kanal D.
• Aslan Ailem A family and romantic comedy series (31 episodes, 2017-2018) adapted from the Korean format Ojakgyo Brothers. Produced for TRT 1.
• Zeyrek ile Çeyrek A period comedy spin-off (29 episodes, 2015) from the Filinta universe, centered on 1860s Istanbul constables. Produced for TRT 1.
• Osmanlı Subayı (The Ottoman Lieutenant) A Turkish-American feature film (2017) directed by Joseph Ruben, set in Anatolia on the eve of World War I, starring Sir Ben Kingsley, Josh Hartnett, and Hera Hilmar.
• Gümrük Muhafaza Türkiye A reality documentary series (78 episodes, 2025-2026) following Turkish customs enforcement at border crossings. Adapted from Warner Bros. Discovery's international Border Control format. Produced for DMAX.
• Yüzyılın Komploları A 10-episode documentary series (2021) examining historical conspiracies from the deposition of Sultan Abdülaziz through the exile years of Sultan Abdülhamid II. Hosted by Osman Sonant. Produced for TRT Belgesel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130M+ viewers reached globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ay Yapım: Turkey's most prominent independent television production company, producer of flagship period dramas like Muhteşem Yüzyıl and modern series across TRT 1 and other Turkish broadcasters — the closest direct competitor to Es Film in the high-end Turkish prime-time space.
• MF Yapım: Established Turkish production house producing long-running series and feature content across broadcast and digital — directly comparable to Es Film in scale and broadcaster relationships.
• Karga Seven Pictures: Istanbul-based film and television production company producing both domestic Turkish content and international co-productions, comparable to Es Film's cross-border production model.
• Tims Productions: Turkish production company behind Diriliş: Ertuğrul and other large-scale Ottoman/Turkish historical epics for state broadcasters, competing with Es Film for TRT 1 primetime period-drama commissions.
• O3 Medya: Turkish production company producing major prime-time series across broadcasters including TRT — competes with Es Film for premium Turkish drama slots.

Broad incumbents

• Endemol Shine / Banijay: Global format and production group; Banijay's Endemol Shine operates the global Border Control franchise that Es Film licenses — directly relevant as a format-rights counterparty and as the broader international format-distribution model Es Film sells into.
• ITV Studios: Global production and distribution arm of ITV with a similar model of producing premium scripted content for both domestic and international platforms — a mature peer benchmark for Es Film's production-and-distribution ambitions.
• Studio Dragon: Korea's largest drama production studio and a model for high-volume, internationally distributed premium TV production — relevant benchmark for Es Film's ambitions in exportable scripted content.
• BBC Studios: International broadcaster-producer with a global scripted catalog and format licensing business — comparable as a benchmark for how Es Film could monetize formats and an international library at scale.

Regional players

• BKM (Beşiktaş Kültür Merkezi): Turkish production and exhibition company producing theatrical features and series for the same broadcaster ecosystem Es Film serves, with overlapping talent pool and broadcaster relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/esfilmcomtr
• Facebookfacebook.com/esfilmcomtr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Es Film