In a small patriarchal village, Halime and her friend Gönül bring women together through an
unexpected initiative organizing a women-only shooting competition that quietly challenges
long-standing norms. What begins as a simple idea gradually creates a space for connection,
courage, and collective presence
Morteza Atabaki is an Iranian photographer and documentary
filmmaker based in Istanbul. He began in theatre as Ali Rafiei’s stage
design assistant, later photographing and designing posters for more
than one hundred productions and receiving festival awards. In 2011,
he collaborated with Abbas Kiarostami on photography and exhibition
projects. After moving to Turkey in 2013, he worked in film
photography and behind-the-scenes documentaries, including a
six-hour documentary on Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s The Wild Pear Tree. His
first short documentary, Alien (2017), received the Jury Prize at the
Leipzig Film Festival. From 2019 to 2025, he collaborated with Netflix
as a photographer and behind-the-scenes documentary filmmaker.
• Winner of the Best Film Award in the New Perspectives
Section at the Istanbul International Film Festival
• Winner of the Best Editing Award at the Istanbul
International Film Festival
• Winner of the Young Audience Award at Pordenone Docs
Fest
• Selected among the Top 5 Audience Favorites at Hot
Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
• Selected among the Top 10 Audience Favorites at
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam