Red Zed Films and October Films’ documentary “My Name Is Happy” will have a limited U.K. theatrical run from May 21.
Directed by Ayse Toprak (“Mr Gay Syria) and Emmy and BAFTA nominated Nick Read (“Bolshoi Babylon”), the film follows Mutlu Kaya, a Kurdish woman and promising singer from southeastern Turkey whose dreams were about to come true in 2015 when she reached the finals of “Turkey’s Got Talent.” Days before the final she was gunned down by a man whose marriage proposal she had refused. She survived – with a bullet in her brain. After years of rehabilitation from life threatening injuries, the family was again struck by violence. This time, Mutlu’s carer, her sister Dilek, did not survive a murder attempt by another jilted suitor.
The film observes the close-knit musical family through their turbulent ordeals, their struggle to recover, and their fight for justice and the rights...
Directed by Ayse Toprak (“Mr Gay Syria) and Emmy and BAFTA nominated Nick Read (“Bolshoi Babylon”), the film follows Mutlu Kaya, a Kurdish woman and promising singer from southeastern Turkey whose dreams were about to come true in 2015 when she reached the finals of “Turkey’s Got Talent.” Days before the final she was gunned down by a man whose marriage proposal she had refused. She survived – with a bullet in her brain. After years of rehabilitation from life threatening injuries, the family was again struck by violence. This time, Mutlu’s carer, her sister Dilek, did not survive a murder attempt by another jilted suitor.
The film observes the close-knit musical family through their turbulent ordeals, their struggle to recover, and their fight for justice and the rights...
- 4/26/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
At age 19 Mutlu Kaya overcame the trauma of attempted murder – but her story illuminates male violence in Turkey
Born and raised in Ergani, a small town in southeast Turkey, Kurdish singer Mutlu Kaya had the opportunity of a lifetime when, at the age of 19, she advanced to the final round of a popular TV talent show. Blessed with a melodic voice, Mutlu (whose name means happiness) was on the cusp of fame when a jealous ex-boyfriend shot her in the head out of jealousy over her burgeoning career. Following the aftermath of the horrific incident, Nick Read and Ayse Toprak’s inspirational yet sobering documentary confronts the shocking prevalence of femicide in Turkey.
Examining the conservative attitudes that exist in Mutlu’s local community, My Name Is Happy shows how patriarchal oppression is systematically established as the norm. Mutlu, for example, comments that, unlike other families who live in the same conservative neighbourhood,...
Born and raised in Ergani, a small town in southeast Turkey, Kurdish singer Mutlu Kaya had the opportunity of a lifetime when, at the age of 19, she advanced to the final round of a popular TV talent show. Blessed with a melodic voice, Mutlu (whose name means happiness) was on the cusp of fame when a jealous ex-boyfriend shot her in the head out of jealousy over her burgeoning career. Following the aftermath of the horrific incident, Nick Read and Ayse Toprak’s inspirational yet sobering documentary confronts the shocking prevalence of femicide in Turkey.
Examining the conservative attitudes that exist in Mutlu’s local community, My Name Is Happy shows how patriarchal oppression is systematically established as the norm. Mutlu, for example, comments that, unlike other families who live in the same conservative neighbourhood,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
In May 2015, 19-year-old Kurdish aspiring singer Mutlu Kaya was shot in the head by a man whose marriage proposal she refused. The femicide attempt came after dozens of death threats related to the young woman’s successful participation in Turkey’s equivalent to “Got Talent,” which granted her country-wide notoriety.
Co-directed by BAFTA and Emmy-nominated Nick Read and Ayse Toprak (“Mr Gay Syria”), “My Name Is Happy” — which has HiddenLight’s Siobhan Sinnerton as a consultant executive producer — has its world premiere on Nov. 12 at IDFA as part of the festival’s Frontlight section. October Films is the lead producer, while Red Zed Films is the co-producer, and Autlook Filmsales handles world sales.
The story centers on Mutlu’s rise as an activist and TikTok star following the femicide of both her sister and a close neighbor. Through the social media platform, where she has over a million followers, the...
Co-directed by BAFTA and Emmy-nominated Nick Read and Ayse Toprak (“Mr Gay Syria”), “My Name Is Happy” — which has HiddenLight’s Siobhan Sinnerton as a consultant executive producer — has its world premiere on Nov. 12 at IDFA as part of the festival’s Frontlight section. October Films is the lead producer, while Red Zed Films is the co-producer, and Autlook Filmsales handles world sales.
The story centers on Mutlu’s rise as an activist and TikTok star following the femicide of both her sister and a close neighbor. Through the social media platform, where she has over a million followers, the...
- 11/12/2022
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
81 more titles have been added to the festival programme.
Bella Ciao, a documentary about the anthem that symbolized the Italian partisans’ fight against facism in the Second World War, is one of 81 new titles added to the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) programme.
Directed by Giulia Giapponesi, Bella Ciao will have its international premiere at IDFA, having first played at Italy’s Bari International Film Festival in March.
Scroll down for the Luminous, Frontlight feature additions
Adapted from Italian folk tune ‘Mondine’, the song ‘Bella Ciao’ has experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent weeks, partly as a show of...
Bella Ciao, a documentary about the anthem that symbolized the Italian partisans’ fight against facism in the Second World War, is one of 81 new titles added to the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) programme.
Directed by Giulia Giapponesi, Bella Ciao will have its international premiere at IDFA, having first played at Italy’s Bari International Film Festival in March.
Scroll down for the Luminous, Frontlight feature additions
Adapted from Italian folk tune ‘Mondine’, the song ‘Bella Ciao’ has experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent weeks, partly as a show of...
- 10/11/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – The Chicago International Film Festival is a competitive fest, and the 53rd edition presented its awards on October 20th, 2017, at the AMC River East Theatre in Chicago. The winner of the Gold Hugo as Best Film was “A Sort of Family” (Argentina), directed by Diego Lerman.
The 53rd Chicago International Film Festival Awards Night was October 20th, 2017
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
The awards event was hosted by entertainment reporter Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times and FOX32. Presenters included Artistic Director Mimi Plauché, programmers Anthony Kaufman and Sam Flancher, plus various jury members. Local treasures Chaz Ebert of RogerEbert.com and Festival Founder Michael Kutza joined in as presenters. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named for the mythical God of Discovery.
International Feature Film Competition
“A Sort of Family,” Directed by Diego Lerman
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The Gold Hugo...
The 53rd Chicago International Film Festival Awards Night was October 20th, 2017
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
The awards event was hosted by entertainment reporter Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times and FOX32. Presenters included Artistic Director Mimi Plauché, programmers Anthony Kaufman and Sam Flancher, plus various jury members. Local treasures Chaz Ebert of RogerEbert.com and Festival Founder Michael Kutza joined in as presenters. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named for the mythical God of Discovery.
International Feature Film Competition
“A Sort of Family,” Directed by Diego Lerman
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The Gold Hugo...
- 10/21/2017
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Meda Or The Not So Bright Side Of Things takes best director and best actor.Scroll down to see the full list of winners.
Ana Urushadze’s Gerogia-Estonia drama Scary Mother has won the top prize at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival, which concludes today (Aug 18).
The film took the Heart of Sarajevo for best feature film, which comes with a financial award of €16,000. It stars Nata Murvanidze as a 50-year-old housewife who experiences family struggles as she tries to complete her first novel.
The main competition saw Romanian director Emanuel Pârvu take the Heart of Sarajevo for best director for his film Meda Or The Not So Bright Side Of Things, which comes with €10,000.
Best actress went to Ornela Kapetani for Daybreak and best actor went to Şerban Pavlu for Meda Or The Not So Bright Side Of Things.
The jury, led by Michel Franco and featuring Mark Adams, Gordan Bogdan...
Ana Urushadze’s Gerogia-Estonia drama Scary Mother has won the top prize at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival, which concludes today (Aug 18).
The film took the Heart of Sarajevo for best feature film, which comes with a financial award of €16,000. It stars Nata Murvanidze as a 50-year-old housewife who experiences family struggles as she tries to complete her first novel.
The main competition saw Romanian director Emanuel Pârvu take the Heart of Sarajevo for best director for his film Meda Or The Not So Bright Side Of Things, which comes with €10,000.
Best actress went to Ornela Kapetani for Daybreak and best actor went to Şerban Pavlu for Meda Or The Not So Bright Side Of Things.
The jury, led by Michel Franco and featuring Mark Adams, Gordan Bogdan...
- 8/18/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
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