I'm a sociologist, writer, and translator based in Los Angeles.
My debut screenplay, The Face of the Other, is set in the late 17th century across Rome, Istanbul, and Mardin — at the crossroads of faith, empire, and the written word.
Logline:
When a Catholic priest defies the Vatican to translate the Quran into Latin, a French diplomat collects manuscripts in Ottoman Istanbul, and a young Orthodox priest flees a scandal in Mardin, their lives converge in an unexpected war of letters, love, and redemption — where understanding the "other" becomes the most dangerous act of all.
The project is grounded in real historical figures and events, inspired by The Republic of Arabic Letters (Harvard University Press) — a book I translated into Turkish.
Think The Name of the Rose meets Silence — intimate yet epic, intellectually rich yet deeply human.
I come to this story through 20+ years of work in intercultural dialogue, policy, and the history of Islamic civilization. This isn't just a script — it's a perspective.
If you're a director or producer with a passion for historical narratives that challenge easy binaries and bridge civilizations, I'd love to connect.
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Kenan Capik nice to 'meet' you! sounds like a fascinating project about some truly fascinating historical periods - and those parts of history are such forks in the road that mostly go unexamined. That book has been on my list for a while (was sketching a project on Dimitrie Cantemir) - you may have given me the nudge to finally make the time to read it :) and challenging easy binaries is very needed. cheers
Sebastian, your Cantemir mention stopped me — I have to admit I didn't know him before your comment. Spent the last few hours falling down that rabbit hole and I'm stunned by how perfectly he fits this world. Placing him in the story would be great if the timelines would align.
The fact that you were already sketching a project around him tells me we're drawn to the same fault lines in history. And please do read The Republic of Arabic Letters when you get the chance.
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Hi Kenan Capik I hope you’ll join us at our upcoming events: Free Community Open House (June 10): https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32s-june-2026-community...