WorldScreenings: MISTCO’s Melek “A Mother’s Struggle”

A second season is on its way for Melek “A Mother’s Struggle”, distributed by MISTCO. In this video interview, producer Süreyya Yaşar Önal joins leading cast members to talk about key points behind the success of the series and the characters at its heart.

There’s a theme of female strength and empowerment that runs throughout the drama series Melek “A Mother’s Struggle”. The story centers on Melek—played by Turkish actress Nehir Erdoğan—a powerful woman who is willing to sacrifice everything for her children and stop at nothing to protect them.

Broadcast by TRT 1 and produced by US Yapım, the drama is among the series dominating ratings on Wednesday nights. Alongside its local success, Melek “A Mother’s Struggle” has gained traction in international markets. In addition to previous sales, just as the pandemic hit, the drama was licensed to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Iran, North Macedonia, Croatia and Montenegro. New deals are soon to be announced.

The second season will be launched on September 2. In this season, the story will carry the audience to another part of the journey and focus on an unfinished love story between Melek and Halil.

Aysegul Tuzun, managing director at MISTCO, says, “Melek “A Mother’s Struggle” attracts every woman at the same point: motherhood. The story reflects common points from our lives, and I believe that this is the most important point that makes a series successful. International sales success comes along with this touching story, and we are very happy to see our series travel the world.”

The Karadag and Sirhan families have had close ties for centuries. This story starts when the daughter of the Karadag family, a freshman college student named Melek (Erdoğan), and the son of the Sirhan family, a college senior named Halil (played by Ahmet Kutsi Karadoğan, better known as Kutsi), decide to get married. Though this isn’t what Melek wants, she cannot protest against her father; their traditions and culture stand in her way.

On their engagement day, Melek elopes with the man she truly loves, Alpay (Kaan Çakir), in Berlin. After this, the families never mention Melek’s name again. For patriarch Seyit Ali (Mehmet Çevik), his precious daughter is dead. Halil is the only one who cannot forget Melek—he has been carrying his feelings as a burden in his heart. He can’t feel anything for anyone else.

While Melek has left everything behind to marry Alpay, things don’t work out as planned. Despite the years and their three children, their relationship begins to falter. Melek also finds out she has a fatal condition. All of her difficulties are weighing down on her, and the burden is too heavy to carry. She wants to talk to Alpay about her disease and the problems between them.

When she returns home, she faces the fact that Alpay divorced her and took custody of their children. After losing everything, she decides to go back to her motherland to ask for her father’s forgiveness. Melek wants to entrust him with her children before taking her last breath—but she understands that motherhood is not about giving up; it is about living for her kids.

Melek “A Mother’s Struggle” is ultimately the tale of a woman who rebuilds her life with her kids and her family.

See MISTCO’s Summer 2020 Showcase here.