My Happy Family

An 11-year-old boy secretly sets out to make a movie by capturing rare moments of joy in his abusive family as part of a school project to impress the girl he loves.

Azat (11) wants to film his dysfunctional family for a school project to impress his crush. Ignoring his mother Beren's protests, he forges her signature to proceed. After his parents' divorce, Azat's grandfather, Bahadir, becomes his only male role model and collaborator on the project. But Bahadir is soon hospitalized. Azat enlists his estranged aunt Melike to continue filming. Beren discovers Azat's deception and physically assaults him. Azat captures this on film and, accepting his loneliness, submits the footage as his final school project.

Keywords: coming of age, abuse, film-in-film

Director's note:
"My Happy Family" uses a dual visual style to distinguish between the contrasting worlds of family and school. The family scenes, set in the grandfather's house and the hospital, use low-key lighting to create a claustrophobic atmosphere, emphasizing the characters' feelings of confinement. In contrast, the school scenes feature bright, overexposed and desaturated colours with natural lighting, symbolizing the freedom of the protagonist, Azat. Close-ups and crowded frame compositions reinforce the family's oppressive environment, while steadicam shots at school follow Azat's journey toward liberation. Costume and set design reflect the characters' emotions and social status, using matte colours and symbolic tones: blue for Azat's dreams, brown and grey for Bahadır's resignation, purple for Melike's sadness, and red for Beren's anger. Finally, the editing varies to match Azat's emotional states, using long shots for quiet moments and quick cuts for tension.

Producer's note:
"My Happy Family is a compelling narrative that delves deeply into the resilience of youth amidst domestic challenges. This feature film will resonate with two key audiences: young adults and families, especially those who appreciate films that address serious social issues with sensitivity and hope. Because of the film's emotional depth and universal themes, we expect it to stronglyappeal to these groups, providing both insight and inspiration.
"My Happy Family" received production support from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and presale from Turkish TV TRT. We have also applied to the national film funds of Romania and France with our co-producers in those countries. We are still looking for other countries for the co-production. We have previously participated in several co-production markets across the Balkans. However, the Baltic Event represents the exciting region with whom we would like to create our co-operation for co-production.