ABBAS

Abbas, works at a factory during the day and performs as a köçek—a traditional male belly dancer—at a nightclub wearing the skirt he inherited from his father. One night, he learns from Betül, whom he met with the hope of marriage, that footages of his dance at the nightclub has been leaked online and gone viral. Because of this, Betül cuts off all contact with him. As the videos spread, Abbas finds himself under the pressure not only from his neighborhood but also from a male-dominated society shaped by gender roles.

  • Can Kahraman
    Director
  • Can Kahraman
    Writer
  • Utku Çırak
    Producer
  • FONO FILM
    Post Production Company
    Mortal World (Fiction Film, 2018, Dir: Ali Atay), Whisper If I Forget (Fiction Film, 2014, Dir: Çağan Irmak)
  • Ahmet Tamer Çınarcık
    Post Production Supervisor
    My Only Sunshine (Fiction Film, 2008, Dir: Reha Erdem), The Ottoman Cowboys (Fiction Film,2009, Dir: Ömer Faruk Sorak), As If (TV Series 2021-2025)
  • Gürol Tonbul
    CAST
    Wolf (as Turgut Atalay, Fiction Film, 2018)
  • Özgür Molla
    CAST
    Give Me a Lighter (as Bekir Kavukçu, Fiction Short Film, 2018)
  • Gülten Güneş
    CAST
  • Fatih Aydoğdu
    Sound Designer and Sound Artist
    About Dry Grasses (Fiction Film, 2023, Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan), Frenzy (Fiction Film, 2015, Dir: Emin Alper)
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    ABBAS
  • Project Type:
    Student, Screenplay, Short Script, Treatment
  • Genres:
    Drama, Dark Humor
  • Number of Pages:
    13
  • Language:
    Turkish
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Dokuz Eylul University
  • Izmir International Short Film Festival Izmir Film Lab Project Competition
    İzmir / TURKEY
    November 15, 2025
    BEST PROJECT AWARD
  • Izmir International Short Film Festival Izmir Film Lab Project Competition
    İzmir / TURKEY
    November 15, 2025
    KİRALACEK.CO – CO-PRODUCTION AWARD
  • Izmir International Short Film Festival Izmir Film Lab Project Competition
    İzmir / TURKEY
    November 15, 2025
    EKOFİLM VE SERPİL ALTIN FİLM- GREEN FILM MENTORSHIP AWARD
  • Izmir International Short Film Festival Izmir Film Lab Project Competition
    İzmir / TURKEY
    November 15, 2025
    FONO FILM - COLORING VE FINISHING AWARD
  • Izmir International Short Film Festival Izmir Film Lab Project Competition
    İzmir / TURKEY
    November 15, 2025
    FATİH AYDOĞDU-SOUND RECORDING AWARD
  • Izmir International Short Film Festival Izmir Film Lab Project Competition
    İzmir / TURKEY
    November 15, 2025
    THE TAMTAM POST-PRODUCTION MENTORSHIP AWARD
  • Kamera Arkası Short Film Project Competition
    Ankara / TURKEY
    August 20, 2025
    Script Mentorship Award
Distribution Information
  • Utku Cirak
    Distributor
    Country: Turkey
    Rights: All Rights
Writer Biography - Can Kahraman

Can Kahraman was born in İzmir in 1996. He completed his undergraduate studies in the Film Design Department at Yaşar University. During this period, he worked as a director, writer,
and cinematographer on several short film projects. In 2024, he began the Master's Program in Film Design at Dokuz Eylül University. During this time, he wrote various articles and participated in collaborative book projects. His film "Time Whispered Softly" garnered awards and screening rights. In June 2025, he founded his own advertising agency, Culturio Media, and began offering production, advertising, and social media services to brands. He won 5 awards with his short film project "ABBAS" at the 26th International İzmir Short Film Festival. Currently, he continues his activities in the advertising industry, pursues his Master's degree, and is in the development phase of his short film project "Abbas."

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Writer Statement

"Abbas" is the story of a man living two lives. By day, Abbas works in a factory, and by night, he performs as a köçek (a traditional male dancer performing in a female role). He represents the contradictions that we all carry within us, trapped in the societal molds that don't fit. In fact, I lead a somewhat similar life: by day, I make a living, and by night, I chase my passion for cinema. The judgments I faced in my childhood, like "mama's boy" and "girl," played a significant role in creating Abbas.
During my research, the figure of the köçek caught my attention, because the duality and societal pressure the köçek faces mirrored my own life in a tragicomic way. While creating this character, I drew inspiration from the deep characters of Aki Kaurismäki, the absurd realism of Roy Andersson, and the ironic world of Samuel Beckett. I envisioned Abbas as a figure who is neither a hero nor a victim, but someone who simply tries to exist, an outcast of society. That’s why I saw him not as a köçek figure turned into a caricature, but as an ironic character trying to quietly preserve his identity.
While writing the screenplay, I wanted to emphasize dark humor. For this reason, I carefully crafted moments of silence, tragicomic situations, and ironic outcomes to enrich the humor. Additionally, I used social media as a triggering element, given its significant impact on identity and selfhood today. What used to spread through word of mouth is now rapidly transmitted in the digital realm. The exposure of Abbas’s köçek life through social media symbolizes the clash between the traditional and the modern world, and critiques the digitalization of neighborhood pressure.