Script Pool Film

A Smile Worthwhile

Country
Estonia, Turkey
Language
English, French, Turkish
Project Status
Pre-production
Logline

A novice lawyer gets in serious trouble for impulsively laughing at officers in contempt of law and order. She becomes a dissident hero doomed to self-exile, headed for the cradle of democracy.

Synopsis

A novice attorney, Zeynep, while defending a group of pottymouth protesters, cannot hold herself and laughs at policemen as they repeatedly ask if a slogan was chanted at a protest. Because of her impulsive laugh, she gets crucified and goes behind the bars for "insulting national values". A French documentarist with Turkish origins, Adrianne, follows her story to catch a leap in her career. How could somebody get arrested for laughing? Unaware of the levels that the political tension has reached in the country, she also gets arrested for planning a coup on twitter. A year later, they find each other in France. Adrianne has become famous, she has her own show on TV. Zeynep is at first greeted like an apostle of democracy. But soon she realises that as a refugee, she only has to visit new courthouses, until she loses her every last identity.

Original title
Gülüşün Ömre Bedel
Looking for
Co-Producer, Development and Production Funds, Script Development Programmes.
Director
Sefa Öztürk
Screenwriter
Sefa Öztürk
Producer
Ekin Çalışır
Production
Purple Pigeon Productions OÜ
Contact name
Ekin Çalışır
Contact email
ekin@purplepigeonp.com
Contact web
purplepigeonp.com
Screenwriter, Director
Sefa Öztürk

Sefa Öztürk is a script writer and second-time feature film director from Turkey. Her focus is on women’s stories that break the traditional narrative. She started her film career in 2004 working as assistant director and scriptwriter on TV comedies and movies. She wrote and directed her first feature, Trust (2018) that competed in international and national festivals. In 2018, she co-founded the platform Women with Movie Cameras (WMC) for creatively supporting female directors. Most recently, she directed a comedy stand-up series for a digital platform. Trust (2018) 98' Sofia IFF, International Competition International Antalya FF, International Competition Antakya IFF - Best Script Award Flying Broom Int Women FF- Competition FIPRESCI Award Award The Backyard (2011) Short Animated Konya IShort FF, Best Short Film Del Garda FF, Short Film Competition Adini Sen Koy (2016) TV Drama series TRT Writer of ep 1-26

Producer
Ekin Çalışır

Purple Pigeon Productions was founded by Turkish producer Ekin Calisir in 2018 in Tallinn, Estonia, to bring together their experience in the European market with their skills and network in the Global South. Purple Pigeon produces films by female and LGBTQ+ directors from the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Ekin Çalışır is an alum of Sundance Institute and Tribeca Film Institute with the multi award-winning feature length documentary she produced, Mr Gay Syria (2017), directed by Ayse Toprak. Mr Gay Syria won the Human Rights Award in Sarajevo FF, Silver Hugo at Chicago IFF and had NYC prem at MoMA Directors' fortnight 2018. Previously, Ekin produced and directed documentaries for networks like TRT, Al Jazeera, Nat Geo TV, Arte Germany and The Guardian.

Production company
Purple Pigeon Productions OÜ

Purple Pigeon Productions was founded by Turkish producer Ekin Calisir in 2018 in Tallinn, Estonia, to bring together their experience in the European market with their skills and network in the Global South. Purple Pigeon produces films by female and LGBTQ+ directors from the Middle East and Eastern Europe.