Layla - 2018

Current Human Rights Crisis! Layla is a fictional young woman in Turkey and has been accused of associating with the Fethullah Gülen movement. Layla portrays a common story for many female Gülen followers, followers friends, and relatives. She lives in hiding, afraid of persecution by her government and faces arrest and imprisonment with her children unless acquitted. Layla is a short drama, produced in Buffalo, New York for the 48 Hour Film Festival in 2018. The group in 2016 was classified as a terrorist group, a label the United States opposes. Turkish individuals associated with this movement are imprisoned for actions including owning American currency, using specific phone apps, and a history of visiting the United States. These people live in hiding unable to visit schools, banks, and hospitals for fear of being arrested.