My Name is Happy

Nick Read, Ayse Toprak / 2022 / 82min / UK, Turkey

Hope and happiness can prevail even in the face of extreme adversity.

In co-directors Read & Toprak’s emotional film, Kurdish teenager Mutlu Kaya survives a shooting by a stalker after reaching the finals of Turkey’s Got Talent. Mutlu sustains life-changing injuries and a bullet in her brain. Five years later, escalating attacks on Turkish women again intrude as Mutlu’s carer and sister Dilek is killed by her boyfriend, and a neighbour is murdered by her fiancé. Mutlu relentlessly pursues justice for her sister’s murder, turning to Tik-Tok and her 2 million followers for support. The film celebrates Mutlu’s resilience, strength, and determination, evoking the story of Nobel Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai. It reminds us that hope and happiness can prevail even in the face of extreme adversity.

Twice Colonized

Breaking the Chains of Colonialism.

Aaju Peter is a Greenlandic Inuit lawyer and activist fighting for the human rights of Indigenous peoples of the Arctic. She is also struggling with personal traumas, including the loss of her youngest son. Director Alluna follows Aaju as she launches an effort to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Union and works to bring justice to both Canadian and Danish colonizers. Aaju’s journey takes her back to her origins, as she revisits the places and traumas that shaped her life. The film is an inspiring and emotional exploration of the poisonous effects of colonialism and one woman’s struggle to transform hardship into hope.

Films that showcase the power of human actions to make a positive difference in our world. Through inspiring stories of regeneration farming, indigenous wisdom, historical preservation, environmental conservation, and wildlife protection, each film invites audiences to reflect on the impact of our choices and actions and inspires us to strive for a more sustainable and equitable future for our planet.