Dear Distinguished Member of the Turkish-Speaking Community in Canada,

As part of our mission to celebrate and preserve Turkish culture in Canada, we are pleased to invite you to a screening of the documentary Oya. Directed by Sevinç Baloğlu, the film tells the story of Gülbiye, the only woman in her village who raises silkworms for silk thread, and her efforts to teach her granddaughter Ada about silkworm farming and the rituals of oya. Meanwhile, an oya collector searches for the history behind one of his cherished pieces, revealing how these delicate works once gave voice to oppressed women and later became women’s symbol of empowerment and economic independence. Featured in the Vancouver Turkish Film Festival and selected for the 35th Ankara Film Festival, the documentary will be screened on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto.

Sevinç Baloğlu is an accomplished documentary filmmaker, known for her works on disappearing cultures, minority communities, women’s rights, and human history. Baloğlu graduated from Ankara University’s Faculty of Communication, Department of Radio–Television–Cinema, and started her career as co-scriptwriter and assistant director on the documentary “Three Days in Kula,” winner of the Golden Orange Best Documentary Award in 1984. She went on to work at TRT and BRT, and from 2000 to 2009 served as general manager of the Tursak Foundation, writing and producing numerous documentaries. In 2009, she established her own company, SU Film. She collaborated on the Oya Project with Adnan Memiş, a business leader actively involved in cultural initiatives and the creator of the Oya Collection that inspired the film. Following the screening, they will join us for a Q&A session.

Festival List:
• International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra (Crete)
• Madonie Film Festival, Palermo (Italy)
• Türkisches Filmfestival Frankfurt (Germany)
• GIFF- International Goiania Film Festival (Brazil)
• Florence International Film Festival (Italy)
• Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival (Nigeria)
• Vancouver Turkish Film Festival (Canada)
• Milano Festival Del Cinema Premio Felix (Italy)
• Chania Film Festival (Crete)
• DokuBaku IDDF- International Premiere (Azerbaijan)
• Antalya Film Festival (Turkey)
• XX Muestra Internacional de Mujeres en el Cine y la Televisión – World Premiere (Mexico)
• The Goiânia International Film Festival (Brazil)
• Ankara Film Festival (Turkey)

Trailer: Link

Tickets are available on Eventbrite: Link