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UK nominates documentary on femicide in Turkey for Oscars

“Dying to Divorce,” the United Kingdom’s official entry into the Academy Awards for best international feature film, tells the story of Turkey’s gender-based violence victims, femicide and the inability of the legal system to bring the perpetrators to justice. 
A promotional image for the film "Dying to Divorce."

“He hit me four times from behind. … I fell on the floor,” says a muffled voice off-screen. Then the camera pans in on a bed-ridden woman as she drags out the reply to the question of who hit her. “Neptun … my husband.”

Kubra, a former TV anchor who lost her mobility and speech after a brain hemorrhage, is one of the heroines of “Dying to Divorce,” an 80-minute documentary on gender violence and femicide in Turkey. Directed by Chloe Fairweather and produced by the Turco-British team of Sinead Kirwan, Ozge Sebzeci and Seda Gokce, the film is Britain’s official entry in the Academy Awards for best international feature film. The shortlist is expected to be announced on Dec. 21.

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