Set during the aftermath of the September 28 1997 military coup of Turkey, one of the most fascinating periods of modern Turkish history, Hilal, Feza and Other Planets follows the unlikely relationship between a pro-Muslim student Hilal and her friend Feza, a male transgender prostitute who aims to become a woman. With cultural and social backgrounds that are superficially, and in their own perception, polar opposites, Hilal and Feza find common ground through their separate struggles against state oppression and social prejudice. Though not always smooth or free of conflict, their friendship survives the test of time despite ingrained prejudices, and we see their mutual respect and understanding for each other grow each time they meet.
Two historical incidents that deepened the friendship between Japan and Turkey are connected in this story of friendship and compassion: In the night of 16 September 1890 the Turkish frigate Ertuğrul is caught up in a typhoon and sinks off the Japanese coast. Risking their own lives, local villagers are able to rescue 69 Turkish sailors. Although being very poor and having hardly to eat, the villagers share what little they have with strangers from a country 9,000 kilometers away. 95 years later, during the Iran-Iraq War, more than 300 Japanese are stranded in Tehran. In the morning of 19 March 1985 a Turkish Airlines aircraft takes off for Tehran to evacuate the Japanese. But the remaining Turks at Tehran Mehrabad Airport still need to be convinced that they won't be able to board their own country's rescue flight.
