SEARCHING FOR
SABIHA
The Dangerous Life
of a Revolutionary Grandmother
A Film for PBS Telling a Story That Echoes Today
Join us in creating a gripping true film about the type of freedom we need now.
The Film
SEARCHING FOR SABIHA follows my quest to uncover the astonishing story of my grandmother, modern Türkiye’s first professional female journalist. What I discover is a trailblazer’s high-stakes fight for democracy that’s remarkably relevant almost 100 years later as authoritarian leaders rise around the globe, even in democratic strongholds like the United States.
Sabiha Sertel was born into revolution as the Ottoman Empire crumbled. She broke free from an unusual, secretive sect with Jewish roots and wielded her clout as a journalist. The film reveals how she dared to challenge the men who ruled the nation with an iron hand.
I’m an American journalist and cracking the mystery of what happened to Sabiha turns into a daunting global search for the truth.
Watch Sabiha's Story
Why This Film Now
This film chillingly brings to life the struggles of all those who challenge authority. Decades after a government-organized mob destroyed the newspaper that Sabiha ran with her husband, audiences meet persecuted Turkish journalists who are living their fate.
Sabiha embodies the enduring battle of a powerful woman— she’s vilified, exiled, even hunted down but never silenced.
“Her courage and insight burst forth in her story… and invites us into her struggle, which is, after all, a universal struggle for justice.”
Professor Christine Philliou, University of California, Berkeley
Join us in telling this inspiring story.
Opponents Target Sabiha with
Vicious Attacks
Dec. 5, 1945, Istanbul
Journalists, loyal to a dictatorship, use pens as spears and a rolled up newspaper as a canon.
What you see is a violent attempt to silence Sabiha.
Inspiring New Generations
“Her legacy is a moral compass for embattled Turkish journalists today… and for anyone who cares for free speech and press.”
Ezgi Başaran, Turkish journalist and author
Türkiye ranks among the top jailers of journalists and near the bottom in press freedom.
The United States' score for press freedom also is dropping due to:
Widespread Disinformation
Increasing Threat of Violence Against Journalists
Disappearing Local News
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Sabiha’s story inspires and sparks conversations ranging from the power of one individual to make change happen to how easily our freedoms can be taken away.
“[I have] a deep hatred for all forms of coercion and oppression. I found myself rebelling against every injustice I witnessed.”
Sabiha Sertel in exile, 1968
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“In some of the most influential democracies in the world, populist leaders have overseen concerted attempts to throttle the independence of the media sector.”
Freedom House, 2019