The Oth­er Side of Istan­bul

“The Other Side of Istanbul” offers never-before-seen insight into the diversity of the gay experience in Turkey and the difficulties of homosexual self-discovery in a predominately homophobic society where “other” sexual orientations are hidden, repressed, or met with hostility. The film, the latest documentary from director Döndü Kilic, explores how the members of Turkey’s LGBT community defend their rights more confidently as the accessibility of information via new media expands, as they adopt more Western lifestyles and attitudes, and as the debate over Turkish admission to the European Union grows fiercer. Much like us, the world grows smaller each and every day for the Turkish men encountered in this film, but unfortunately, unlike many of us, each of these men must live in a land where some fear change and will stop at nothing to keep things the way they are. Istanbul is a city of stories, just when you think you know them all, you get a glimpse of “The Other Side of Istanbul.”.