A Gift from God (2019)

Norwegian journalist Jørgen Lorentzen was in Turkey during the coup attempt in 2016. One of the neighbors stated that he had experienced many coups before, and that this was not a real coup. From that moment on Lorentzen started investigating the event and its aftermath. The result is the documentary film "A Gift from God".

The film is the product of three years of intense investigative journalism. The film is a critical analysis of the coup attempt that took place in Turkey during the night between July 15 and July 16, 2016. After the coup attempt failed, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unleashed an unprecedented wave of repression against his opponents. Tens of thousands of teachers, judges, journalists, health workers and military personnel were fired and thousands were sentenced to long-term or life imprisonment. President Erdogan accuses the preacher Fethullah Gülen and his followers of being behind the coup attempt. But is this true? This documentary reveals never-before-seen documents and film footage, and sheds a light on what really happened that night through the voices of people who actually witnessed it. Among these are high-ranking military officers, journalists, refugees and experts. We have also interviewed Fethullah Gülen about Erdogan's accusations. The film also addresses Turkey's difficult relationship with NATO and Europe. President Erdogan has also accused the US of being a primary mover behind the coup attempt, and as a result he has since taken Turkey further away from the West and closer to Russia. This process - should it continue - could represent a dramatic geopolitical shift, and this film problematizes how the country has changed spectacularly in the wake of the coup attempt.