On Sunday 19 March, the European Endowment for Democracy co-hosted the screening of Turkish documentary “This Is Not Me”, by Jeyan Kader Gülşen and Zekiye Kaçak at Cinema Galeries in Brussels.
The screening was part of the 2023 edition of L’Heure D’Hiver, a film festival focused on Middle Eastern cinema organised by Cinema Galeries, which this year was dedicated to the city of Istanbul.
“This Is Not Me”, produced with EED support, tells the stories of three homosexual men, Mustafa, Mehmet and Yusuf, who give up their daily lives to immigrate to Istanbul. Caught between two worlds and forced to lie because of their family pressure and their conservative culture, Mehmet and Yusuf, who are family men, maintain secret relationships with their male lovers. Mustafa is in a relationship with Mehmet and has maintained this love story for 15 years.
The screening was followed by a Q&A with the two directors, who discussed how having to hide their sexual orientation is a sadly common occurrence for many LGBT+ individuals in Turkey, and so is having to lead a double life due to societal pressure.
On Sunday 4 June, EED welcomed the celebrated Turkish writer, human rights defender, and ex political prisoner Aslı Erdoğan to Brussels for a screening of the documentary Incomplete Sentences by Adar Bozbay, produced with EED’s support.
'Incomplete Sentences' is a feature documentary on the literature and life story Aslı Erdoğan. It follows her from Istanbul to Frankfurt, where she now lives in exile following her unlawful detention in Turkey.
Aslı faces many hardships living in exile, which affect her health and keep her away from writing. The documentary follows Aslı to different places in the world in an attempt to hear her silence.
The screening was followed by a Q&A session with Aslı, where she discussed the outcome of the elections in Turkey, the rising support for populist, authoritarian leaders across the globe, and Aslı’s experiences as a writer in exile.
