THE ALEVITES OF TURKEY 
Broadcast by NDR Television

The Alevites of Turkey account for approximately 20% of the country's total population, and they are the second-largest religious group after the Sunni Muslims. They were already persecuted as heretics in the Ottoman Empire. In spite of Turkey's official state policy of religious freedom, the Alevites are still being brutally oppressed today. In 1978, anti-Alevite pogroms were carried out in the cities of Çorum and Maras, and during an Alevite cultural festival in the city of Sivas in 1993 a hotel was set on fire, killing 37 people.

The film introduces us to the culture of the Alevites and documents the recent history of this group through interviews with politicians, artists and contemporaries. "In subtly beautiful images, people tell dramatic stories about their lives, which are spent in a state of constant persecution and pressure. They tell their stories without any trace of aggression – and as a result, even if they are in deepest mourning they are able to project a sense of security and ease." (NDR)