AFIFE JALE

AFIFE JALE, 1987

Turkey | DVD, Color, 89’ | Turkish
Director: Şahin Kaygun
Cast: Müde Ar, Tarık Tarcan, Macit Koper, Alev Sezer

Afife Jale was the first theater actress to take the stage during the Ottoman era when Muslim Turkish women were not allowed to perform in the theater. But her stage career did not last long; following the objections of her environment and of state authorities she would be taken down from the stage. Though she wished to pursue her career despite all the difficulties, due to the intense pressure she felt and her relationships, her mental health deteriorated and she had to spend the remaining days of her life in a psychiatric hospital. This drama was the first film Şahin Kaygun directed and, through a real-life story, touches upon the effects of the oppressive regime on society during the Ottoman era.