At the age of 3, Hüseyin Aydın moved from Ordu, northern Türkiye, to France with his family and grew up between two cultures. His passion for storytelling began with theater as a child and eventually led him to cinema. But it was not only his love for the big screen that pushed Aydın toward filmmaking. His experiences of discrimination as an immigrant in France also played an important role.

While studying computer engineering, Aydın personally experienced the difficulties of finding work with a Turkish name. After becoming a French citizen, he decided to change his name while looking for a job in an attempt to avoid discrimination.

That personal experience later became one of the starting points for his latest film, "Une Affaire Turque" ("A Turkish Affair"). With the film, Aydın aims not only to tell the story of Turks living in France but also to reflect on how immigrants can build new lives while preserving their identities and how discrimination can be overcome.

We spoke with the filmmaker about his journey from Ordu to France, his path to cinema and "Une Affaire Turque."

From theater to cinema

Aydın and his family settled in Goussainville, in the Val-d'Oise department, where he grew up. His family moved to France for economic reasons and, like many Turkish immigrants, worked in the textile industry for many years.

His interest in storytelling began when he was 7. A parent suggested that he join a theater group because they thought it would be good for him. Aydın took the advice and quickly fell in love with theater.

He was already writing stories in a small notebook and dreamed of becoming a writer. When he turned 10, he asked his family for a typewriter as a birthday present, as computers were beyond their means at the time.

A limitation he experienced in theater eventually pushed him toward filmmaking. At the end of each year, the theater group would put on a performance, but his parents' limited French meant they could not fully understand the plays.

"This made me want to tell stories by making films," Aydın said. "Because I could make French-language films and add Turkish subtitles."

Beginning to make amateur short films at 15, Aydın added Turkish subtitles to all of them and shared them with people he knew in Türkiye. The films showed him how effective and creative cinema could be as a form of storytelling.

Alongside his studies in computer engineering, he decided to continue his artistic journey with a focus on cinema.

Breaking into French cinema

Aydın describes the French film industry as a difficult field to enter, as is the case in many countries. He said the lack of diversity in stories and the stereotypical roles given to people of foreign backgrounds remain problems in the industry.

However, based on his own experience, he believes discrimination is less pronounced in cinema than in more traditional professional sectors, where he experienced it while working as a computer engineer.

He said coming from two cultures or a different cultural background can bring a particular appeal in the cultural sector, even if it may not necessarily be considered an advantage in other fields.

In 2010, while he was a student, Aydın wrote a short film script inspired by the screenwriting theory books he had been studying. The story focused on a Turkish father and son living in France and working as painters.

Without having any connections in the film industry, he sent the script to five production companies. Two responded and met with him, showing a serious interest in developing the project.

The process eventually laid the foundations for his third short film, "Une toile d'araignee" ("A Spiderweb"), which he made in 2015.

Aydın believes French producers are ultimately eager for original, personal and interesting stories, despite the industry's closed and difficult nature.

Turning discrimination into story

The idea for "Une Affaire Turque" grew directly from Aydın's own experiences.

While studying computer engineering, he witnessed systemic racism in France and saw how difficult it could be to find an internship or a job with a foreign name. At 21, he applied for French citizenship. After his application was accepted, he decided to change his name in an attempt to escape discrimination.

"I wanted to make a film about this dilemma," he said.

The film follows a character who grows up in the Turkish diaspora and experiences social mobility, only to find himself caught between the determination expected of him by his new world and the sacrifices expected by his family and the community he comes from.

His French co-writer Ludovic du Clary played an important role in helping them shape the story, Aydın said.

At the beginning of "Une Affaire Turque," Mathieu/Mustafa's sister asks him to help a young Turkish taxi driver who has been subjected to a racist insult and physical attack by a customer.

The incident becomes an important turning point in the film, leading Mustafa to help his family and the community he grew up in but has moved away from through his work and life.

For Aydın, this situation reflects a sensitivity that runs through the experience of migration in France.

"If Mathieu were completely French, perhaps he would not feel the need to help and would not inevitably feel that kind of pressure," he said.

As the story progresses and Mathieu's Turkish background becomes increasingly important, Aydın wanted to question whether being Turkish and living away from one's homeland can itself become a problem in France.

‘French cinema overlooks Turks’

Aydın believes the stories of Turks living in France have received little attention in French cinema.

Before "Une Affaire Turque," the feature film "L'Empire des loups" ("Empire of the Wolves"), directed by Chris Nahon, was one of the films that gave some space to the Turkish diaspora, he said. However, he considers "Une Affaire Turque" the first feature film to put the Turkish diaspora at the center of its story.

Aydın estimates the Turkish diaspora in France at around 700,000 people, including both Turkish citizens and French people of Turkish origin.

"To me, French cinema, like France in general, does not know the Turkish community very well," he said.

He believes Turks in France are often portrayed as a relatively quiet community, and that many French people see little difference between them and people of Maghrebi origin.

Still, Aydın said he is hopeful about the future. He has writer and director friends of Turkish descent who have made successful short films and are working on feature-length projects.

"I think we will see more films about the Turkish diaspora in the coming years," he said.

One reaction to the film particularly surprised Aydın: A French audience member told him, "I couldn't see Türkiye in your film."

For Aydın, however, the film is not about Türkiye but about the Turkish diaspora in France.

He describes Turks in France as "a community trying to adapt to a foreign country while still facing Türkiye."

Ultimately, what matters to him is finding ways to reduce discrimination in France, even if it cannot be eliminated completely, and helping immigrants feel that they belong in the country where they live.