Nurgül Yesilçay - who is a big star in her native Turkey - had doubts about taking on the part of Ayten as she wasn't sure how audiences would react to seeing her as a revolutionary lesbian.
Most of the police officers in the film are real.
Shot in 44 days.
Baki Davrak was cast very late into proceedings and subsequently missed Akin's standard three-week rehearsal period. To bring him up to speed, Akin took him on a trip to Turkey.