Missed Lives – Doms

August 2025 - March 2026
ANKARA, HATAY, ISTANBUL

The journey of the Missed Lives – Doms documentary began in 2022. However, the earthquakes on 6 February 2023 not only destroyed homes and streets in Hatay, but also erased footage obtained in months bhğıu. Following these losses, the documentary could not be completed; yet there was a story that needed to be told.

In 2024, the journey continued to document the human rights violations and increasing discrimination faced by Dom communities in Hatay after the earthquake. Hatay is home to the largest Dom community in Turkey that has managed to preserve its culture. The Domari language is still taught to children as their mother tongue, but this culture is disappearing day by day. Deprived of basic rights such as education, health, housing and employment, the Dom people are being made invisible.
This documentary tells the story not only of destroyed homes, but also of a culture preserved for generations that is now facing extinction. Once thriving on dentistry, jewellery making and tin smithing, Dom communities are now struggling to survive.

The part of the project supported by CultureCIVIC focuses on dissemination activities. Within this scope, an exhibition of photographs taken throughout the process and documentary screenings will be held in Hatay, Istanbul and Ankara. The main aim of these events is not only to make the story of the Dom communities visible, but also to bring together the Dom communities and civil society organisations working in the field to create a collective discussion platform on the challenges faced by the community.

Mehmet Kuyumcu

Born in Hatay in 1999, Mehmet Kuyumcu grew up as a member of the Dom community and has been actively involved in the rights struggle of the Dom, Roma, and Abdal communities for years. He has been working to bring visibility to the hardships faced by these communities after the earthquake.

For eight years, he has been developing rights-based projects to support their access to justice and their social and economic empowerment. He is working on the preservation of cultural heritage, the recording of traditional Dom professions, and the Latinization of the Domari language.

As the producer of the documentary "Missed Lives – Doms," he aims to bring the challenges faced by Dom communities in Hatay to a wider audience. As one of the founders of the Civil Dreams Association, he continues his work in the areas of access to rights, combating discrimination, and cultural memory.

Connections:

https://www.instagram.com/mehmtkymc/

https://www.instagram.com/dom_belgesel/

This page is published on 15 September 2025.