The Last Nomadic Tribe of Anatolia
GUARDIANS of ANATOLIA follows a Sarıkeçili Yörük family on a long distance seasonal migration through the Taurus Mountains. Through an intimate, immersive lens, the film reveals a way of life shaped by movement, interdependence, and deep connection to land. As external pressures intensify, this ancient rhythm persists—fragile, embodied, and profoundly present.
How We Filmed: Passion Behind the Lens, Crafting with Heart
In the spring of 2018 I joined a Sarıkeçili Yörük family on their migration, living and sleeping in their tents. With just my mom and dad as my crew, we traveled from the lowlands to the high pastures of the Taurus Mountains. This intimate journey revealed to me the deep connection between the Sarıkeçili Yörüks and nature, showing how their harmonious lifestyle shapes their world and ours.
— Elif Koyutürk Hazen, Director & Cinematographer
Meet the Team
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Elif Koyutürk Hazen
Director & Cinematographer
A Turkish filmmaker and cinematographer exploring land, memory, and women-led traditions across Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and West Asia. Her work is rooted in immersive, lived storytelling. She is a recipient of the Mountainfilm Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship and the 5Point STIO Grant, with international exhibitions and collaborations including Sony, Fujifilm, and Vogue. She is currently developing The Story of the Lost Goddess.
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Liz Cardenas
Lead Producer
A Film Independent Spirit Award Winning Producer listed on the 2019 LATINXT, Liz Cardenas was a producer on Augustine Frizzell’s Never Goin’ Back (Sundance 18') and David Lowery’s A Ghost Story (Sundance 17'), starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck, both released by A24, among many others. A former journalist, she was raised in Texas by her father who immigrated to US from Mexico.
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Elle Toussi
Producer
An Award-winning Iranian-American journalist and producer. Her investigative work is seen in NY Times and BBC Panorama. In 2020, she created a series starring Leslie Jordan expanding her world into animation. She serves as the chair for the SPJ International Community and Chairwoman of the board of the Freelancers Union. She is first generation Iranian-American based out of Southern California.
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Baktash Ahadi
Executive Producer
Baktash Ahadi is an Emmy Award–winning filmmaker, producer, and storyteller whose work explores the human condition through stories of resilience, identity, and belonging. His films have premiered at leading festivals including Tribeca, SXSW, and Telluride, and have received multiple Emmy Awards, Peabody Awards, and Academy Award shortlist recognition.
Director’s Statement
We are living in a time of rapid technological evolution, yet there is a growing longing to reconnect—with land, with origin, with a deeper sense of belonging.
When I discovered that nomadic communities in my own country were still living this way—not as history, but as a present reality—I felt an urgency to witness it. This film became both a personal exploration and a responsibility: to hold space for a way of life that continues to exist, yet is increasingly under threat.
I did not want to explain or frame this world from a distance. I wanted to be inside it—to move with them, to feel their rhythms, and to allow the audience to experience their life without mediation.
What emerged was not just a portrait of a community, but a reflection on how we define belonging. In modern systems, belonging is often tied to ownership. But here, it is built through movement, continuity, and relationship.
This film is not about offering answers. It is about creating space—to observe, to feel, and perhaps to question the structures that shape our own lives.
— Elif Koyutürk Hazen, Director & Cinematographer
