A Hopeful Sun is a documentary about İlhan Sami Çomak, a Kurdish man imprisoned as a young student in Turkey who was accused of having links to the PKK without evidence. Over the course of 30 years behind bars, İlhan transformed his cell into a space of imagination and resistance through poetry. Told in his own words, this poetic documentary captures the emotional and creative force that helped him survive decades of incarceration. A Hopeful Sun is a story of endurance, expression, and the quiet power of words to transcend walls.

In 1994 İlhan, a Kurdish geography student was arrested on alleged charges of involvement with the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party). In jail, Çomak released eight books of poetry and became one of Turkey’s longest serving political prisoners. Despite his 30 year imprisonment, gained international recognition as a poet from prison and engaged in poetic dialogue with renowned poets globally. Their correspondence highlights how creative connections can surpass borders and the power of poetry to overcome barriers. In a joyous and unexpected turn of events on 26 November 2024, İlhan was released from prison.

I first encountered İlhan’s poetry at an event at PRSC, Bristol, organised by Caroline Stockford (advisor to Norwegian PEN) to raise awareness of İlhan’s poetry. I was deeply touched by the sweet, compassionate and playful tone of poems that had been written from the depths of Silivri prison. The imagery in İlhan’s poems resonated so strongly with me, images drawn from childhood stories and memories of a bucolic Kurdish community.

I approached Caroline with an interest in writing to İlhan to see if he would like to collaborate on a film about his poetic life and inspirations. Over the course of a year I wrote to İlhan, shaping a script in dialogue with him via this correspondence. During this process I also learned that Caroline (who translated many of his poems and has been pivotal promoting his work (especially his book, Separated from the Sun) to UK audiences. Through my dialogue with İlhan and Caroline I learned that she had connected İlhan to over 90 poets internationally, with whom he was in poetic correspondence.

The script of A Hopeful Sun started as a direct line to İlhan crafted over many months of correspondence, giving an astonishingly rare insight into Silivri prison and opening up an international map of poetic acts of solidarity and creative connection. Combining shot footage and animation, the film immerses viewers in the rich world of İlhan’s poetry, experiencing the challenge and context behind words that beat at the heart of human resilience.

I collaborated with film maker Tommy Chavannes who was instrumental in the production and post production process. In his letters, İlhan described how İpek Özel (his McKenzie friend, main visitor and muse) was a constant source of inspiration and resilience. İpek is also a law lecturer and describes the system of trial for Kurdish people in Turkey and is a main voice in A Hopeful Sun.

We travelled to visit Welsh poet Menna Elfyn (with whom İlhan says he feels he has the strongest literary connection). İlhan secured us key access to his sister Reyhan and we travelled to Turkey and journeyed with her to film their (now bombed) family village in the mountains of East Turkey. Here we met the goat herders, beekeepers and farmers that İlhan grew up with, filming the geography and culture that inspires the imagery and emotional depth in his poems and capturing a vanishing Kurdish rural way of life.

We met İlhan’s sister Sunah alongside his parents in their family home, learning more about the toll of his 30 year imprisonment on the family and the impact of the wider political context on ordinary people. We also interviewed Caroline Stockford, Turkey Advisor, PEN, Hakkı Zariç, (İlhan’s publisher and member of Turkish author’s union) and we gained special access to record İlhan’s voice from prison (as arranged by Reyhan Çomak and İpek Özel).

To visually capture the emotional depth and rich visuals of İlhan’s narration and poetry we mixed shot footage (drawing on visual metaphors) and specially produced animations (created by Tommy Chavannes). To convey the sense of İlhan being in poetic dialogue beyond prison walls we filmed in bookshops, cafes, at the publisher’s office and in the family home (creating a sense of conversation between İlhan, İlhan’s poetry and the outside world).

In a market in Istanbul I bought a yellow birdcage, a visual metaphor that came to symbolise İlhan in prison. To further enhance the sense of İlhan’s presence and impact on the outside world, we filmed the bird cage in different key locations from his life and poems (including Istanbul, Izmir, Diyarbakır and in the mountains of East Turkey).

This project has demanded considerable time, patience, care and tenacity. Many thanks to Tommy Chavannes who shot and edited the film and has taken the film forward to film festivals internationally.

Thanks to Caroline Stockford for her production support, translation and wider support of Ilhan’s work and to PEN Norway for the important work they do to support incarcerated writers internationally.

An enormous thanks to İpek Özel, Reyhan Çomak, Sunah Çomak, İlhan’s parents and the communities and individuals connected to İlhan’s life who helped us make the film. Thanks to İlhan Sami Çomak for sharing the story behind his incredible poetry.

New York Kurdish Film Festival

Chicago Kurdish Film Festival