What happens when silence is louder than any confrontation? When no one talks about what is on everyone's mind – out of fear, shame or because they don't want to know it themselves? In a well-ordered world shaped by expectations and social norms, a family begins to falter. What appears on the surface to be a minor irritation becomes a deep shock. It is about trust, about vulnerability – and about how not knowing can become a protective shield, but also a weapon. This drama unfolds quietly but powerfully – and never lets go. NOT KNOWING (original title: BİLMEMEK) premiered at the Adana Altın Koza Film Festival in 2019, where it won the Yılmaz Güney Award, the Best Director Award and the SIYAD Film Award. Further honors followed at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (Audience Award) and the Ankara Film Festival (Best Film), among others. Director Leyla Yılmaz has created a sensitive, profound portrait of family dynamics, queer identity and social pressure in present-day Turkey. A film that asks big questions with quiet means – and bravely addresses the things that no one wants to talk about.
Umut, a high school student, is living his life quietly when a rumor begins to circulate concerning his sexual orientation.
What happens when silence is louder than any confrontation? When no one talks about what is on everyone's mind – out of fear, shame or because they don't want to know it themselves? In a well-ordered world shaped by expectations and social norms, a family begins to falter. What appears on the surface to be a minor irritation becomes a deep shock. It is about trust, about vulnerability – and about how not knowing can become a protective shield, but also a weapon. This drama unfolds quietly but powerfully – and never lets go.
NOT KNOWING (original title: BİLMEMEK) premiered at the Adana Altın Koza Film Festival in 2019, where it won the Yılmaz Güney Award, the Best Director Award and the SIYAD Film Award. Further honors followed at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (Audience Award) and the Ankara Film Festival (Best Film), among others.
Director Leyla Yılmaz has created a sensitive, profound portrait of family dynamics, queer identity and social pressure in present-day Turkey. A film that asks big questions with quiet means – and bravely addresses the things that no one wants to talk about.