Turkish screenwriter dropped Netflix show over Ankara's protests to gay character

Turkish screenwriter and creator of the show "If Only," Ece Yörenç decided to drop the Netflix production after facing with Ankara's protests to a gay character's inclusion in the script. "Rather than capitulate to the sensed demand of Turkish authorities to excise this character, Netflix and Yörenç took the joint decision to cancel the shoot," Financial Times reported on April 15.

Friday April 16 2021 02:30 pm

Duvar English

Turkish screenwriter Ece Yörenç's recent cancellation of Netflix's production of a show called "If Only" was caused by Ankara's protests to the script's inclusion of a gay character, Financial Times reported on April 15.

In July 2020, Netflix canceled production on the Turkish series “If Only” after Turkish authorities refused to grant it a shoot permit on the eve of it going into production.

Rather than capitulate to the sensed demand of Turkish authorities to excise this character, Netflix and Yörenç reportedly took the joint decision to cancel the shoot.

Some nine months after "If Only" got canceled, Netflix announced a Spanish adaptation of the show titled “Si lo hubiera sabido,” written by Spain’s Irma Correa, who already worked on a Spanish adaptation of Yörenç’s “Fatmagul” as “Alba.”

Ankara's protest to a gay character in Yörenç’s script is part of a larger pattern of homophobic rhetoric dispersed by the government in recent months, with Pride flag attire getting banned to consumers under 18.