THE SHELL

Kabuk

SPECIAL MENTION
BTF's 19th Documentary & Short Film Competition

Watch Online

APRIL 4 - 15, 2025

Directed by Sema Güler

Cast:Ece Bozkaya, Zuhal Gencer

Short / 16 min. / 2024

Leyla (28) is a young painter who has been exposed to male violence and has locked herself in the house for a while. The wounds and stitches on her face are about to recover; however, Leyla is not able to tackle with the impacts of the trauma she went through and isolates herself from life. A series of unexpected events take place when she dumps out her self-portrait which reminds her of the times she was happy and therefore cannot bear seeing it anymore. Leyla has to confront the truth and make a choice.

Selected Festivals and Awards

• Boston Turkish Festival’s 19th Annual Documentary & Short Film Competition (2024): Special Mention
• International Street Movies Festival, Serbia (2024): Best Short Film Award / World Premiere
• Gjon Mili International Video Art Festival, Albania (2024): Best Short Film
• Bingöl International Short Film Festival, Türkiye (2024): Third Prize
• Bosphorus Film Festival, Türkiye (2024): Young Talent Award / Türkiye Premiere
• Güzel Ordu International Short Film Festival, Türkiye (2024): Young Jury Award/ Ceren Özdemir Prize
• Tehran International Short Film Festival, Short Film Competition (Oscar Qualified), Iran (2024)
• Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism Short Film Production Award (2023)
• Kısa'dan Hisse Short Film Festival, Türkiye (2022): Short Film Production Support
• İzmir Short Film Festival, Türkiye (2022): Production Support
• Ankara Film Festival, Short Film Competition, Türkiye (2024)

Director SEMA GÜLER

Sema Güler (1989, Elazığ) graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Istanbul University in 2014. She has been actively pursuing an acting career since 2016 and received training in screenwriting in 2021. Güler's first short film script, "The Shell", was awarded support from TRT 12 Punto 2022 and the Ministry of Culture. This film was selected for several film festivals. Güler gained her first directing experience by shooting "The Shell", which she completed in 2024. In addition to acting in national and international projects, she continues to produce her own work in the field of cinema.