When honour killings are mentioned on the news, it’s normally in terms of women who have supposedly ‘dishonoured’ their family by falling in love with the wrong person or refusing to marry the person their family dictates. However a new Turkish movie, ZENNE Dancer, hopes to highlight the problem of gay honour killings and homophobia in the country.
Co-directors Mehmet Binay and Caner Alper (who came out as a gay couple of 14 years at the film’s premiere) took inspiration from the tragic death of 26-year-old Ahmet Yildiz, a close friend, who they claim was murdered in 2008 by his own father for being gay. CNN reports that Yildez was fatally injured after being attacked while leaving a cafe near the Bosphorus strait. The 26-year-old was studying physics and had represented his country in a LGBT gathering in San Francisco in 2007. Court records have identified Yildez’ father as the main suspect although he remains at large.
Alper said before he died, Yildiz often spoke about receiving death threats from his family, who were trying to “cure” him of his homosexuality. The filmmakers said they hoped their film would force Turkish society to debate hate crimes that target victims based on gender, religion, ethnicity or sexual identity. “Death and murder is still on the agenda of our country. We can’t get rid of this mentality,” said Binay. “People need to tolerate each other. They need to understand that different identities can live next to each other without disturbing each other.”
While Yildez’s murder became the first gay honour killing publicised in the country, it’s certainly not the first ever. A recent case of a transsexual murdered by her brother has also highlighted the issue.
However, Binay points to what he calls remarkable progress for minority rights in Turkey over the last decade. He said: “All sorts of minorities including gays and lesbians are demanding their rights. They want recognition, they want protection by the state. They want to be able to live, first of all, and not be murdered.”
ZENNE Dancer has found success at film festivals, including winning five awards as Turkey’s Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.
You can find out more about ZENNE Dancer at its official website and watch the trailer below.
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