My Name is Happy

The film tells the inspirational story of a Kurdish teenager, Mutlu Kaya, from a remote community in Southeast Türkiye. Aged 19, stardom beckoned when she reached the finals of Türkiye’s Got Talent. Days later she was shot by a man trying to abduct her. Mutlu survived, but with life-changing injuries and a bullet in her brain. 5 years later, still recovering, the reality of escalating attacks on Turkish women intrudes: her carer & sister Dilek is killed by her boyfriend, and a neighbour is murdered by her fiancé. Despite her life-changing injuries, Mutlu relentlessly pursues justice for her sister, supported by her ever-present family. She depends on them to eat, to walk, to wash. To articulate her powerful sense of injustice, Mutlu turns to TikTok and her 1.8 million followers, and asserts her independence by writing a passionate, personal protest song. The film ends by celebrating Mutlu’s determination, as she finally records again.