Netflix was all set to begin production on a new Turkish original, ‘If Only’. However, it ran into rough weather, when authorities in Turkey pressurised Netflix to remove a gay character from the series.
Netflix had announced back in March its intention to create the eight-part emotional drama, If Only. It is a tale based on the sensitive subject of relationships. It had tied up with Turkish production company Ay Yapim to create the show for global release on Netflix. Turkish star Özge Özpirinçci was finalised as lead on the show.
It is learnt that Turkish authorities refused to grant a filming licence to If Only, unless the producers and Netflix removed a gay character that was part of the storyline of the show. Miffed with the stringent controlling attitude of the Turkish bureaucracy, Netflix has simply cancelled plans for the production of the show in response.
As per reports in the media, If Only’s creator Ece Yörenç was quoted as informing a Turkish film website Altyazi Fasikul, “Due to a gay character, permission to film the series was not granted and this is very frightening for the future.”
In its official statement to the media, Netflix said, “Netflix remains deeply committed to our Turkish members and the creative community in Turkey. We are proud of the incredible talent we work with. We currently have several Turkish originals in production — with more to come — and look forward to sharing these stories with our members all around the world.”
Netflix has been at the forefront of making its library of content truly global, by commissioning local content in every country it operates in. It has a large repertoire devoted to international content – Belgian, Swede, Swiss, German, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian, Argentinian, Pakistani, Indian, Chinese, Netflix has content from a wide range of countries and in diverse languages. The first Turkish Original commissioned by it had been 2018’s The Protector, which received excellent response on the streaming platform.
Netflix’s confidence in its Turkish foray was summed up by its CEO Reed Hastings’ tweet from 2018, in which Hastings had expressed his confidence in Turkey’s censorship laws. He had said then, “We’re in Saudi Arabia. We’re in Pakistan. If there are no problems there, will we have problems in Turkey? I can’t imagine that.”
Well, the Homophobia roadblock in Turkey is certainly a lot more than Reed Hastings and Netflix had bargained for. Let’s see what new developments take place regarding the Turkish production, ‘If Only’.
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