Fatma of the Forest

Fatma of the Forest (Turkish: Tahtacı Fatma) is a 28-minute color Turkish documentary directed by Süha Arın, first shown in 1979 during the International Year of the Child. The film portrays the Tahtacı people through the everyday life of a 12-year-old Tahtacı girl living with her family in the forests of the high Taurus Mountains. In following this child's world, the documentary also bears witness to child labor and the harsh existence of those who work under the Turkish forestry system. Regarded as a notable example of Turkish documentary cinema, it captures not only one family's story but also the struggle of a community whose way of life is bound to the forest.