Eylem Kaftan | Turkey, 2023, 82'
Sometimes a day feels like 365 hours, Reyhan states to her friend Asya, whom she met in a women’s shelter in Istanbul. Asya experienced the same abuse like she did. Then they meet Leyla. The three young women move in together, and piece by piece, they begin dealing with their trauma that has its tentacles stretched all the way to their DNA. For the first time, they experience how it feels to have someone believe their story and be there for them. This is a story of women who will not victimise themselves, but instead want to fight against the atmosphere of fear and bring justice through sisterhood and hope.
Born in Turkey, Kaftan completed a B.A. in Philosophy at Bosphorus University in Istanbul. She completed her M.A in Film and Video at York University, Toronto (Canada) in 2002. Her first documentary, Faultlines, investigates the aftermath of the earthquake which hit Turkey in 1999. Kaftan then wrote and directed Vendetta Song (2005) about her personal journey into the killing of her aunt in a small village in Turkey, winning several awards. Eylem completed her first feature film, called Hive in 2020. Eylem recently finished her new documentary, A Day, 365 Hours, following two young girls who seek justice against their abusive fathers. Its world premiere was at 29th Sarajevo Film Festival. In addition to making films, Kaftan is secretary general of Directors Guild of Turkey and coordinator and instructor for film directing at Beyoğlu Cinema Academy. Kaftan also does jury duty at many important festivals including membership of Oscar committee of Turkey which selects Turkey’s Oscar candidate.
