Süheyla Şimşek lives alone in the village of Uzuncaorman in the province of Sarkaya in western Turkey. She is a descendant of exiles from the Caucasus who arrived in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century following the Crimean War.  In this lovingly crafted short doc from Muhammed Emin Demiral, Süheyla Hanım introduces us to Adyghe cultural traditions like kalmık tea (brewed from plants gathered from the the forest and served with butter and pepper), embroidery motifs (stitched by her mother and grandmother in thread dipped in gold), and kafa (slow) and sheshen (fast) dances, which she plays with skill and joy on her accordion. Through her language, her anecdotes, and her music,  Mrs. Simsek embodies the rich cultural heritage of the Adyghe community.

Muhammed Emin Demiral
Muhammed Emin Demiral is an independent filmmaker from Turkey. He holds a Master’s Degree  degree in Radio, Television, and Cinema from Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University. His first short documentary, Life, won the Best Short Documentary Film award at the 18th Kazan International Muslim Film Festival. Süheyla  had its world premiere in 2025 in the Russian Republic of Adigey, where it won the award for Best Film at the 5th “Adigey, Seni Seviyorum” Film Festival. The film also received a Special Jury Award at the 13th International Silk Road Film Festival in Istanbul in 2026.