Rome Film Festival. Donatella Baglivo meets the gaze of a woman with magnetic charm: Türkan Şoray, the greatest actress in the history of Turkish cinema. A strong feeling is immediately born between the two, and from that encounter the idea of dedicating a film to her.

“The camera is my love” thus Türkan Şoray defines her relationship with cinema. A declaration of total love, lasting over sixty years and more than two hundred films. In Turkey they call her “Sultana” the undisputed queen of the screen, loved like a family member by millions of viewers.

Born in Istanbul in 1945, Şoray debuted very young and won over audiences with a Mediterranean beauty and intense dramatic talent. In the 1960s and ’70s she dominated Turkish cinema, working with the greatest directors: Atıf Yılmaz, Ömer Kavur, Zeki Ökten. In 1972 she went behind the camera, becoming the first woman director in the history of Turkish cinema.

But what strikes Donatella Baglivo goes beyond her career: her simplicity, her respect for private life, her pride in her artistic journey. Türkan Şoray is committed to social causes and women’s rights, far from scandals and trends. A diva who has never lost touch with the people.

In this documentary the Sultana tells her story: her childhood, her beginnings, her great loves, her battles. Alongside her testimony, the memories of director Atıf Yılmaz (who directed her in numerous masterpieces), producer Türker İnanoğlu, film critic Atilla Dorsay.

A bridge between Italy and Turkey, between two cinematic cultures that meet in their passion for storytelling, for faces, for stories of strong women.