At the 24th International Defence Film Festival in Rome, a documentary by film director Elif Ovar of the Turkish Army’s Photo-Film Center was selected for the Jury’s Award.

Her documentary "Light of Hope" — about Senay Haydar, Turkey’s first female gendarmie commander and senior noncommissioned officer (NCO), against the backdrop of gender discrimination and violence against women in the small Anatolian town of Mesudiye — attracted much interest.

Haydar works closely with local officials and families and has been credited for eradicating violence against women among the 40,000 residents of Mesudiye. Thanks to Haydar’s actions, there hasn't been a single case of violence against women in the last nine months in Mesudiye.

Ovar told Al-Monitor that as a woman she has been much impressed with Haydar's accomplishments in a small Anatolian town where traditional culture prevails. “NCO Senay’s success, as much as this is due to [her own accomplishments], is also the success of the commanders who believed in her," Ovar said. "Appointing a female NCO as a representative of law and order to a town with 40,000 residents is truly a revolution for the Turkish army.”