HONOUR KILLING

Sengül’s dad killed her boyfriend

When Sengül Güvercile was 14 years old, her secret boyfriend was killed by her family, because the relationship outraged the family honour: In this documentary Sengül makes a journey back to Turkey to confront her father with his actions. She hasn’t seen him since he was sentenced to 16 years of prison and afterwards deported from Denmark.
Though her journey, we get the horrifying story about the brutal slaughtering of Sengül’s first and forbidden love; a heart breaking story about a family from a small and poor village in Eastern Turkey, who settled down in Denmark in 1976 but maintained old Turkish traditions. The story is told by Sengül and her younger brother, Erkan, who was chosen to do the killing, because he was only 13 at that time and hence too young to go to prison. Through Erkan we hear the story of a child, who by taking the gun for the first time feelt his fathers love. He did shoot but couldn’t fulfil the mission.
When Sengül finally finds her father in Turkey she boldly confronts him with the misery he has caused in her life. But after all her father is also a victim of an ancient culture and Sengül realizes that she has to forgive him to move on with her life.

Release year:

2004

Director:

Miki Mistrati & Ida Wohlert

Running length:

42 minutes

Production company:

Bastard Film

 

Categories:

• People & Culture