Turkish Honor Killing Inspires Gay Rights Film 

What has been called Turkey's first gay honor killing has launched a new film aiming to shed light on hate crimes targeting victims based on gender, religion, ethnicity, or sexual identity, CNN reports.

One of the main characters in the film, Zenne Dancer, is based on the story of Ahmet Yildiz, an openly gay student in Istanbul who was allegedly shot and killed by his father in 2008 in retaliation for his homosexuality. His father remains a fugitive wanted by Turkish police.

The film was written and directed by two of Yildiz's friends, Mehmet Binay and Caner Alper, a gay couple of 14 years, and has already received widespread praise at Turkey's largest film festival.

Zenne Dancer opens in theaters across Turkey today.

Watch the English trailer below.

ZENNE DANCER Trailer2 (English) from ZENNE DANCER TheMovie on Vimeo.