2022 Winner

Dying to Divorce

Dying to Divorce Ltd, Aldeles, Tigerlily Productions, Freak Productions

UK, NORWAY

- Social Issues & Current Affairs

Following the court cases handled a Turkish feminist advocacy group, the film closely captures how women are being systematically failed at every institutional level. Married off according to traditional custom at the age of 14, Arzu was shot multiple times by her husband after asking for a divorce, leaving her paralysed. In another case, Kubra, a former Bloomberg news presenter, was hit repeatedly on the head by her husband, causing a brain haemorrhage. Despite the cruelty of these attacks, the Powerfully interweaving the intimacy of these stories with the fevered rallies for President Erdogan, who has openly criticised the feminist movement, the documentary paints a bleak picture of Turkish women’s rights. Still, at a time when lawyers are being arrested and killed, the courage of Ipek Bozkurt, a feminist attorney highlighted in the film, is exceptionally moving. The film might begin in the dark, but it is looking towards a more hopeful light.' The Guardian