Kismet: How Turkish Soap Operas Changed the World

Kismet: How Turkish Soap Operas Changed the World
Film poster
Kismet: I zoi san tourkiki sapounopera
Directed by	Nina Maria Pashalidou
Written by	Nina Maria Pashalidou
Produced by	Ana Alexieva, Rea Apostolides, Yuri Averov, Hilal Bakkaloglu, Martichka Bozhilova, Martina Bozhilova, Sinisa Juricic, Nina Maria Pashalidou, Eva Sayre
Starring	Halit Ergenç, Bergüzar Korel, Meltem Miraloglu, Beren Saat, Meryem Uzerli, Songül Öden
Cinematography	Michalis Aristomenopoulos
Edited by	Thodoris Armaos
Music by	Michalis Moschoutis, Spyros Moschoutis
Production companies	Agitprop, Al-Jazeera
Distributed by	CineDoc, Films Transit International, Women Make Movies
Release date	27 March 2014 (2014-03-27)
Running time	58 minutes
Countries	Greece, Qatar, France, Croatia, Bulgaria, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Canada, Finland, Singapore, Cyprus, Hungary
Languages	Turkish, Greek, English, Bulgarian, Arabic
Budget	€227,500[1]

Kismet: How Turkish Soap Operas Changed the World is a 2014 documentary film written and directed by Nina Maria Pashalidou about Turkish television drama series, commonly referred to as Turkish soap operas. It is Pashalidou's second feature documentary.

The film examines the effects that the soap operas have had on the lives of their female viewers from various regions, including the Balkans, the Middle East, and North Africa.^[2] The film uses interviews of women who view the soap operas, as well as those who act, produce, and write the television shows.^[3] The first Turkish soap opera that was aired internationally was Gümüş (also known as Noor in Arab nations) and was met with high viewership mostly due its popularity with women.^[4] Paschalidou depicts the television shows as acting not only as female fantasy represented on screen, but also as a vehicle for societal change.^[2]

• International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), Nominated for Best Mid-Length Doc ^[5][3]
• One World Human Rights International Film Festival, Czech Republic^[6]
• Movies that Matter, Amsterdam^[7]
• Thessaloniki International Film Festival^[8]
• SEOUL International Women’s Film Festival
• Margaret Mead Film Festival^[9]

• “By opening discussion about women’s rights issues and portraying another way of living in traditionally conservative societies, Greek journalist and documentatarian Paschalidou reveals that Turkish soap operas also wield a soft power and influence that is opposed by many.” (Review by Reviewed by Linda Frederiksen, Washington State University)^[10]

• ΚΟΥΝΑΛΑΚΗ, ΞΕΝΙΑ (23 March 2014). "Κισμέτ, η ζωή σαν τούρκικη σαπουνόπερα". Kathimerini (in Greek). Retrieved 13 May 2015.
• "Beren bedava destek verdi Kıvanç ise..." Radikal (in Turkish). 27 April 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
• "Yunan yönetmenden Türk dizileri belgeseli". Internethaber.com (in Turkish). No. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
• Arkouli, Maria (15 October 2013). "A Greek Documentary Sheds Light on the Dark Aspects of Turkish TV Series". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
• Toprak, Cigdem (3 January 2015). "Wie TV-Soaps arabische Scheidungsraten steigern". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 13 May 2015.

• Kismet: How Turkish Soap Operas Changed the World at IMDb