Steineded How sad is this?

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

l_rawjalaurence ZENNE's real thrust is suggested by an epigraph at the beginning of the film from the thirteenth century mystic Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī attesting to the power of the dance to unify people regardless of age, race or sexuality.Can (Kerem Can) is a dancer at a gay club, whose act quite literally consumes him so that he can forget his troubles outside. They are numerous; not only is he expected to do his military service, but he has to cope with the trauma of losing his father in battle and his brother Cihan (Tolga Tekin) suffering mental disturbance as a result of his army experiences. Can's close friend Ahmet (Erkan Avcı) enjoys the freedom of İstanbul to give full rein to his sexuality, but is shackled by his family living in Urfa in the east of Turkey who expect him to return home and marry a nice girl. In particular his mother Kezban (Rüçhan Çaliskur) has a malign influence over him, even having him shadowed while living in İstanbul.ZENNE looks at the dead hand of tradition, which prevents Can and Ahmet from fulfilling their potential both professionally as well as sexually. They are expected to follow well-trodden paths, even if they are manifestly unsuited for that purpose. The co-directors M. Caner Alper and Mehmet Binay emphasize how restricted their opportunities actually are, despite their apparently free gay sexualities. In the end they have to toe the family or the national line, otherwise they face grave consequences.Yet ZENNE introduces one further dimension to the story in the person of Daniel Bert (Giovanni Arvaneh), a German photographer domiciled in İstanbul who is trying to come to terms with his own personal trauma experienced in Afghanistan. As a photographer he takes a scopophilic interest in Can's lifestyle - so much so that he wants to photograph the dancer. Yet by doing so he is trying to assume power without responsibility; to "capture" the Turkish dancer in the photographic frame without understanding in the least the constraints that inhibit Can's behavior. The same also holds true for Daniel's relationship with Ahmet; the German naively thinks that Ahmet can escape his family duties by emigrating to Germany.In the end none of the three protagonists achieve their ambitions - the victims of an often indifferent world that refuses to acknowledge difference and inhibits understanding. Nonetheless there remains the power of the dance, which has the power to join disparate souls together, even if only for a short time.Brilliantly photographed, combining colorful dream-sequences with an acute sense of İstanbul's less salubrious areas, ZENNE deserves to be regarded as a classic of contemporary Turkish cinema.

ozgebinay Zenne Dancer, a Turkish film directed by Mehmet Binay and Caner Alper, who themselves are a gay couple, was released in January 2012. The film explores the taboo issue of LGBTQ rights in contemporary Turkish culture, as it follows the relationship between three "unlikely" friends: Can is a flamboyant belly, or zenne dancer, who does not shy away from expressing himself at any moment; Daniel, a German photographer on assignment in Istanbul, is haunted by his past; Ahmet, a university student struggling with his identity, is stuck between the dueling ideologies of his religious parents and the secular Istanbul. By analyzing the film through a critical lens and how it engages with recent scholarship, we may fashion a comprehensive understanding how Zenne Dancer is a prime example of cinema that has political and cultural implications.The film was inspired by a true event that occurred in Istanbul on July 15, 2008. Binay and Alper's character of Ahmet is based on the Ahmet Yildiz, a close friend of theirs, who was murdered that tragic day. In the film, Ahmet, originally from the rural southeastern town of Urfa, is encouraged by his friends to come out to his conservative family. However, unlike Can, who received love and support from his family, and Daniel, who comes from the more liberal Germany, Ahmet's honesty will ultimately cause his death.It is for this reason that making Zenne Dancer was so crucial. The film drew international coverage and success, including multiple awards at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and by the Turkish Film Critics Association. Zenne Dancer not only started conversations about LGBTQ rights and gender equality where they weren't happening, but it furthermore shifted existing portrayals of queer individuals in the media. Typically, Turkish media "ignores or laughs off violence against gays" Media also oftentimes do not show the differences between homosexuals, transvestites, and transsexuals Although this isn't the first queer film to be released in Turkey, it is the first that actively seeks to explore the difficulties and problems faced by Turkey's gay community. In the film, Ahmet says to Daniel that his mother "likes to clean", foreshadowing the act that is meant to cleanse the family of his illicit relationship. Because Turkey is a secular republic, homosexuality is, in fact, legal—but even with the most cursory of research, it is evident that homophobia and transphobia are rampant throughout Turkey. In 2001, approximately a decade before Zenne Dancer hit the big screen, a study measuring people's opinions of homosexuality in Turkey was conduced among college students. The results showed that students had negative attitudes toward queer individuals, mostly because of traditionIn a male-dominated and patriarchal society like Turkey, gender becomes a stratification system, ranking women below men. Because Turkish people associate gay men with the feminine, a stereotypical image with an inherent prejudice against it is called to mindZenne Dancer takes this issue head-on. First, Ahmet and Daniel are projected as stereotypically masculine figures. Both are burly, muscular men with deep voices and facial hair. They both just happen to fall in love with each other, as well. However, the film represents the character of Can differently. He is best described as gender non-conforming—and not to be confused as transsexual, as many zennes are in Turkey. As a Zenne Dancer he is hyper-feminized, the object of desire for other men at the club in which he perform, but "retains the marks of his own ambiguity and ambivalence" (Halbertstam 3). In an attempt to dodge being drafted into the Turkish military, which will be discussed in the following paragraph, Can stays with his aunt and her hyper-masculine lover. Zenne Dancer also presents implications for the homophobia that is evident in Turkey is the military. "Homosexuality is regarded as a mental illness, and homosexuals are thereby banned form military service" In the film, Daniel convinces Ahmet to escape Turkey and immigrate to Germany with him. However, Ahmet is required to fulfill his military services—that is, unless he presents the army with pornographic evidence that he is a homosexual. As the final credits of the movie say, "The Turkish Military is in possession of the largest pornographic collection in Europe". But, by portraying Germany as a liberal, all-welcoming nation, Zenne has further political implications on this nation and queer asylum.Finally, there is an additional facet of Turkish culture that is especially interesting: the stage. This topic will be explored in greater detail in the accompanied video, but it is worth contextualizing the stage and its relation to homophobia and transphobia in Turkey. The space presents yet a dichotomy—the relationship between public and private spaces. Many "heterosexual" men discriminate against queer individuals during the day, but enjoy them, and even lust them, at night. The stage, as Selen describes it, is where "queerness can safely be embodied". For example, Can does not go out in the day out of fear, but is a zenne at night. Many of the men that attend the club don't self-identity as homosexual, but are rather, in a sense, heteroflexible. As Zenne Dancer explores this topic, it manifests larger implications for society. Because Turkish culture is intolerant to queerness, men are oftentimes pushed deeper into the closest, only to express themselves in secret. From this it is logical to say gay culture is underground at its core in Turkey, allowing Zenne Dancer to be categorized as queer cinema

ahmet yalova Having watched Zenne Dancer, I'm surprised the movie made it to Singapore – even if it was only for a very limited run in a tiny cinema for a relatively obscure film festival. It's a brave, honest, bold movie that doesn't shy away from themes that are still regarded as taboo here: the notion of homosexuality, and having to live everyday in a society where that's seen as one of the cardinal sins – where dignity and life can be stripped from anyone who dares confess to being gay. The situation here in Singapore isn't quite as bad as it would be in a staunchly conservative Muslim country – and even in Turkey, the strictures and shame are less profoundly felt than they would be in, say, Iran. But the themes in Zenne Dancer – acceptance (of oneself and others), tolerance, love, shame and family – would resonate anywhere, particularly when presented as masterfully as they are here.Sadly, the story does not have a happy ending. I don't think this necessarily counts as a spoiler, because the film has become famous chiefly because of the woeful incident that both ends it and inspires it. (Moreover, I went into the cinema knowing how it would all end, pretty much, but found myself moved by the ending anyway – made all the more poignant for what goes before it.) Directors Caner Alper and Mehmet Binay were personally acquainted with a man named Ahmet Yildiz, whose life was tragically cut short on 15 July 2008 when he became the victim of a honour killing – the homicide of someone (typically a woman) who is believed by the perpetrators to have brought dishonour upon the family or community. Ahmet's true-life story was the first time the honour killing of a gay man received widespread publicity in Turkey.What Alper and Binay have done is present Ahmet's story through the fiction of film: some of the events within the movie are fictionalised, such as Can's close friendship with Ahmet (which is a key element in the plot). The directors have explained that they all knew the real-life Can, but couldn't be certain if the latter had ever known Ahmet. The story built up around the three men nevertheless feels true and organic, and is one of the joys of Zenne Dancer. The movie has a lot to say about very controversial themes, but it's also really a tale of the power and strength of friendship: of the family you choose rather than the family you're born with. The relationships are credible, rich and affecting: whether we're watching Can tease Ahmet (and vice versa), or going along for the ride as both men subject themselves to the humiliation of officially dodging the draft.In fact, the inner workings of the relationships and characters in this film are laid bare in ways that at once fulfil and confound stereotype. It becomes clear that there's more than meets the eye in Ahmet's fraught relationship with his family, which isn't merely about shame and hatred: it's a story of love twisted by religion and tradition, where duty comes before happiness not just for Ahmet, but also his modern yet dutiful sister. Daniel's troubled past as a photographer in war-torn Afghanistan provides depth to his story and pain, and even minor characters like Can's aunt Sukran (Jale Arikan) get moments to shine when they find love and support in unexpected places.Zenne Dancer is also a profound study in contrasts: Can quite literally dances through life, a rainbow burst of joy and love, adored by his mother Sevgi (Tilbe Saran) who will do anything to save her baby boy from the trauma visited by military service upon her deceased husband and haunted elder son Cihan (Tolga Tekin).With a great script and story comes a superlative cast: Kerem Can and Avci are the two focal points of the film, and both are astoundingly good. The former is fey and fabulous, but also manages to be heartbreaking and real in the part: Can flounces through life in a whirl of sequins and gauze, woes and responsibilities apparently sliding off his back with ease except they don't, not really, and Kerem Can makes this clear in moments when he injects a hint of steely resolve into his character that's all the more affecting for how breezy and easy he plays Can the rest of the time. His work is all the more impressive for the fact that he is himself straight – and there is simply no question that he was born to play this part. Avci is just as powerful, in no less effective a way, as a man who's slowly beginning to accept who he is and realising that he needs to be honest about it – however much it will break his parents' hearts. He plays Ahmet's tremulously sad, close relationship with his father particularly well, making it clear that his character could never really blame his parents for the way they think any more than he can hope for them to really accept him for who he is.Kudos are also due to Silver and Çalışkur, who inhabit rather unsympathetic roles with admirable gusto and, where necessary, restraint.All in all, Zenne Dancer is a towering achievement: it's a fantastic story, with great characters, told in an arresting, thought-provoking fashion – but never in a cheap, sensationalistic way. Instead, the tale rings sadly, horrifyingly true, and reminds us that there's a long way to go yet before societal mores and the sanctity of human rights can co-exist in the way they should. This is an important work, touching on issues of freedom, choice, identity and love. For a film that's ostensibly about being gay, Zenne Dancer possibly has even more things to say about what it is to be human.

melihahg Zenne, M.Caner Alper and Mehmat Binay's debut movie was crowned with five awards at the country's foremost film festival Golden Orange Festival in Antalia, Turkey: •SIYAD Best Film (Association of Turkish Filmmakers) •Best First Film •Best Cinematography •Best Support Female Actor •Best Support Male Actor Zenne is inspired by the true story of Ahmet Yildiz, known as a victim of the first Turkish gay honor murder. The fact that Yildiz was killed by his own father, who hasn't been brought to trial since then, is shocking enough to make this movie very interesting. According to the trailer, movie tells the story of "an unlikely trio". In the first part of the film you are being introduced to those three "friends": Can – a free-minded person who is trying to avoid military service (which is obligatory in Turkey) and dances in nightclub as Zenne (the word in colloquial Turkish means male belly dancer) Daniel – German photographer trying to run away from his own troubled past Ahmet – An university student in Istanbul, born and raised in very traditional family in South-Eastern Turkey As their friendship develops, viewer is slowly but surely drawn into turbulent story of homophobia in Turkey, which culminates with the recruiting procedures for homosexuals in Turkish Army. Acting is excellent. It is unbelievable (if not a scandal) that Erkan Avci (Ahmet) is awarded Best Support Male Actor although he is acting the main character role. Besides him, Kerem Can (Can), Tilbe Saran (Sevgi) and Unal Silver (Yilmaz) also did amazing job. There are a couple of dance scenes, which brings Can's inner world to viewer. Those scenes are well blended into movie, usually using parallel editing technique. It is all matched perfectly with Demir Demirkan's dance music. Not to forget Paolo Poti, an Italian composer, who wrote the dramatic score. Technical side of the movie is really superior. Colors and sound mixing are at such level, one wouldn't expect from the Turkish movie. At the end I would like to say that Zenne is a movie I would strongly recommend. Although it describes Turkish society, it also goes far beyond, questioning generic values such as family, pride, tradition… It will definitely leave strong impact on viewers all around the world.