Our film draws inspiration from a moment we witnessed at a preschool. Here, a young girl's deep disappointment over her ice cream caught our attention. While the boys got their ice cream for work done, she got hers without having to do anything for it. We were struck by how the girl instinctively recognized a troubling pattern that she might encounter throughout her life: boys are rewarded for achievement, girls for conforming to traditional roles.Essentially, “PAYDOS” tells the story of this girl who said 'No.' “PAYDOS,”is the Turkish word for 'Recess', but 'Paydos!' is also what you say when you want something to stop. With her 'No' to an ice cream, Leyla, the young protagonist of our film, challenges traditional gender and societal roles and creates her personal Paydos-moment. A simple 'No,' a small act, but one that could have significant consequences.We brought our film to life in a magical place to which we've had a personal connection for years. It's a village on the Aegean coast, where the community played an integral role in every aspect of the film. Countless villagers contributed to the film, serving as location scouts, caterers, drivers, and even ice cream makers. The children actors, most of whom grew up in the village and attend school there, have been particularly essential. Notably, they improvised their dialogues, and we filmed based solely on a storyboard.While deeply rooting the film in that very village, we also wanted to give it a fairytale-like quality by transplanting the story into an unspecified time. While we leave Leyla's fate unknown, we trust that her Paydos-moment will resonate not only with her but with all those who believe in the power of standing up for what's right, no matter how small the act may seem.”