Wildfire smoke over forested mountains

FROM ASHES

In the wake of Türkiye’s 2021 wildfires, two communities stand at different edges of the same crisis, one fighting to survive the flames, the other learning how to live after them.

Across a burning landscape, From Ashes traces what it takes to protect, rebuild and endure as fire reshapes the future of life and livelihood.

GEZ.STUDIO © 2026 All Rights Reserved

EPISODE 1

Land of the Honey Bug

Synopsis

After the fires, a beekeeper returns to a vanished forest and a tradition pushed to its limits.

As the fragile ecology behind the world’s rare pine honey begins to unravel, a community searches for a way forward in a landscape that no longer sustains them.

Details

Director-Editor
Lewis Levent
Producers
Lewis Levent, İlkay Bilgiç, Canay Atalay
Executive Producer
Julian Oliver
Production Company
Gez Studio
Year
2021–2025
Country
Türkiye
Language
Turkish, English
Runtime
73 mins
Status
Post-Production

Film stills

From Ashes Part I — film still 1
From Ashes Part I — film still 2
From Ashes Part I — film still 3
From Ashes Part I — film still 4
From Ashes Part I — film still 5
From Ashes Part I — film still 6
From Ashes Part I — film still 7
From Ashes Part I — film still 8

Trailer

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EPISODE 2

The Mountainside of Ormana

Synopsis

As wildfire closes in on a remote mountain village, residents are left to face it alone.

In the absence of support, they turn to instinct, knowledge and each other, revealing what survival demands when the fire reaches your doorstep.

Details

Director-Editor
Lewis Levent
Producers
Lewis Levent, İlkay Bilgiç, Canay Atalay
Executive Producer
Julian Oliver
Production Company
Gez Studio
Year
2021–2025
Country
Türkiye
Language
Turkish, English
Runtime
55 mins
Status
Post-Production

Film stills

From Ashes Part II — film still 1
From Ashes Part II — film still 2
From Ashes Part II — film still 3
From Ashes Part II — film still 4
From Ashes Part II — film still 5
From Ashes Part II — film still 6
From Ashes Part II — film still 7
From Ashes Part II — film still 8

Trailer

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From Ashes Director's Note

In 2021, when Türkiye experienced its most severe wildfire season on record, I began documenting the aftermath independently, returning over multiple years to the regions most affected. The land of Anatolia is part of my own heritage, shaping both my perspective and my responsibility in telling this story.

As a British-Turkish director, I am closely connected to the culture while also positioned to carry these stories beyond it. This allowed me to build lasting relationships with communities across the fire zone, while engaging with researchers and forestry institutions working to understand the fires and their ecological consequences. Over time, I came to be trusted as a bridge through which both lived experience and the knowledge surrounding the fires could be carried beyond the country itself.

From Ashes developed through this sustained presence. The films observe fire not only as an event, but as a force reshaping land and livelihood, with the cinematography and narrative shaped by a personal familiarity with the culture and landscapes in which they unfold.

From Ashes — director's note — film still 1
From Ashes — director's note — film still 2
From Ashes — director's note — film still 3
From Ashes — director's note — film still 4
From Ashes — director's note — film still 5
From Ashes — director's note — film still 6
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