00:03Murder, intrigue, love affairs.
00:06I'm dreaming. I'm not dreaming.
00:08When it comes to soap operas, the more absurd and exaggerated, the better.
00:16Though here in Turkey, soap operas are going beyond the juicy drama
00:20for storylines with a social mission.
00:23In Turkey, women face physical violence.
00:26They face with lack of independence.
00:28There is more tragedy for women in Turkey.
00:33Here in Turkey, we will meet some of the most powerful women in media
00:37who are using this over-the-top storytelling
00:40to boldly confront the biggest issues facing women in the Middle East today.
00:44It seems like all women are facing similar issues around the world.
00:54That looks amazing.
00:56Shall we eat here?
00:57Yeah.
00:59We're here in the beautiful city of Istanbul,
01:02discovering what feminism means for Turkish women.
01:06Turkey is known as the media capital of the Middle East.
01:08And in particular, the soap operas have created a phenomenon across the globe.
01:13In 2005, Gamış, a Turkish soap opera with an everyday heroine, burst on the scene and it became a global
01:20hit.
01:42The finale of Gamış reached more than 80 million viewers across the Middle East and North Africa.
01:49The finale of Gamış reached more than 80 million viewers across the Middle East and North Africa.
01:50The band is overwhelming.
01:52We sat in on a scene being filmed for one of the latest series.
02:00This scene is so intense.
02:12We're here to meet Pailin Distes, recently named one of the 20 most powerful women in global TV.
02:18She's the editor-in-chief of Canel Day, Turkey's number one network.
02:23Why do you think it's important to choose stories with strong female leads?
02:28There's more tragedy for women in Turkey.
02:33I think that's why we find those characters more.
02:38They are really heroes if you look from that side.
02:42Can you share more about that as far as there's more tragic stories or more stories of triumph for women
02:49in Turkey?
02:50What are some of the issues women face here in Turkey that you often make stories about?
02:56In Turkey, women face physical violence.
02:59They face with lack of independence and they couldn't live how they want to live.
03:05Because there's so much pressure from the society on the women.
03:20We sat down with Pailin and her colleagues to talk about the impacts of Turkish shows
03:24and how the title characters from the drama Gamouche have inspired women across the Middle East to transform their lives.
03:32What do you think is resonating with women around the world when they watch this show?
03:36I think they just empathize with the character, all females, because it's just very ordinary female.
03:44Just the power and the strongness inside the character made successful.
03:50So Gamouche and the story of this woman, it's more an ordinary woman that possesses extraordinary internal strength.
03:59And that was what resonated with women and really helped them to kind of change their personal situations and pursue
04:05their rights and change their relationship.
04:07So they came to women to change their personal relationship because they have their own promise to change their advance
04:24and theirPPs,
04:26and who can achieve their life, and who can achieve their best life.
04:30Powerful, strong women have a huge effect on this.
04:47In Istanbul, we found another point where the power of the soap opera and the real world
04:53intersect.
04:55One of the hot policy issues here is the inequity in the law regarding femicide.
05:00If a woman is killed by her husband or boyfriend, the killer often goes free.
05:07We met with Fikria Yilmez, an activist with the protest group We Will Stop Femicide.
05:16They hold protests outside the courts when these cases go to trial to shine a light on
05:20the inequalities of the laws when it comes to the murder of women.
05:28Last year, they teamed up with soap opera producers to help them spread their message.
05:33The main actress of this soap opera, she was very touched with what we do.
05:37And there was actually a process of this character who was raped by a man.
05:41So she asked to make like a protestation in the soap opera itself.
05:44This has a big effect.
05:46Because when we say it's something else, but when a woman who is watched by like millions
05:51of people, it has a big effect.
05:53That's the end.
05:55That's the end.
05:56That's the end.
05:57That's the end.
05:57That's the end.
05:57That's the end.
05:58That's the end.
06:03Knowing your power to reach the masses,
06:06do you feel pressure as women to write characters
06:10that truly help women try to become more liberated?
06:30It's my life towards my life.
06:32I remember the values of the community.
06:35A true historical point of view is a very important example.
06:39This is a true story for everyone.
06:41One message is said to me.
06:43Because I'm a very strong person.
06:46I'm a very strong person to write the message.
06:48I'm a very strong person to write the message.
06:52I'm a very strong person to write the message.
06:52If we are brave enough,
06:54we are able to achieve the love,
07:01It seems like all women are facing similar issues around the world.
07:05Yeah, of course the feelings are the same.
07:09The way of acting is different only, but the feelings are the same all over the world.
07:19How do I quantity?
07:21Two to a gun, boom, got it.
07:26The impact isn't just in the mindset of how women perceive their roles.
07:31For some, it's translating into action.
07:34We are headed to the offices of Kadyn Partisi, which is the women's political party here in Turkey.
07:40We're going to sit down with the founding members to discuss what a woman's place is in politics
07:46and to learn more about the issues that women are facing here in Turkey.
07:50Kadyn Partisi is a new political party and one of the few feminist parties in the world.
07:55We sat in on one of their meetings before we spoke to their chairperson, Benal Yazgen, former activist turned politician.
08:04One of the things that we had read about the women's party here is that domestic violence against women is
08:11one of the issues that you're really looking to address.
08:13I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit more about what domestic violence is like in Turkey
08:19for women.
08:20Türkiye'de son yıllarda kadın cinayeti gerçekten sayıları arttı.
08:26Bir taraftan diğer taraftan kadın hareketinin de sürekli kadınlara kendi kadınlarının kendi haklarını anlatmış olması.
08:34Her iki tarafta da bir çelişki yaratıyor.
08:37Kadınlar artık kendi haklarını öğrendiklerinde eşlerinden boşanmak istediklerinde şiddet görüyorlar.
08:44Çalışma hayatından geri çekilmeye başlaması şiddetin de yukarı doğru çıkmasına neden oldu.
08:50Biz kadın partisi olarak kadın erkek eşitliğinin sağlandığında ve kadının yeriyle ilgili erkeklere gerekli eğitim ve ülkeye gerekli eğitimlerin dikkatleri
09:03bunun aşağı doğru çekileceğini ve eşitleneceğini düşünüyoruz.
09:11Mütterler
09:12From the safety of a sound stage and a television set, soap opera storylines will continue to explore topics and
09:19ideas that would otherwise be taboo.
09:22And yet with every person that turns on their television, the message is clear.
09:27Women are finding their voice with protest and politics.
09:32Maybe instead of making a documentary we should be making a soap opera right now.
09:36I think you're on to something.
09:38I think, yeah.
