Dying to Divorce

Filmed over 5 years, Dying to Divorce takes viewers into the heart of Turkey's gender-based violence crisis and the political events that have severely eroded democratic freedoms. Through intimately shot personal stories, the film gives a unique perspective on the struggle to be an independent woman in modern Turkey. More than one in three Turkish women have experienced domestic abuse and the number of femicides is rising. But some Turkish women are fighting back. Ipek Bozkurt, a courageous lawyer, is determined to challenge this misogynistic trend by putting abusive men behind bars. Working with a group of activists, Ipek fights to get justice for two survivors of horrific assaults: Arzu, married at 14 and Kubra, a successful TV presenter. Ipek struggles not only against a biased legal system but an increasingly repressive government. After an attempted coup, there is an unprecedented crackdown on dissenting voices, leaving Ipek, like thousands of other lawyers, fearing imprisonment. (Dartmouth Films)