The Hunt for Meral Ö. - Expat Cinema Rotterdam

Director Stijn Bouma, known for the documentary Alone Against the State about the Dutch childcare benefits scandal, now presents The Hunt for Meral Ö.: a gripping drama based on true events that exposes the profound impact of this painful affair from the Rutte era.

Meral Öztürk becomes desperate when the Tax Authority wrongly demands a repayment of €34,000 in childcare benefits. Despite her protests, her entire homecare salary is seized overnight. As her life falls apart, she discovers that a social investigator has infiltrated her life and is increasingly meddling in her personal affairs.

While trying to keep things as normal as possible for her daughters, Pinar and Ayse, the pressure mounts as the state even threatens to remove her children from her care. The emotional strain on the family intensifies, pushing Meral to make radical decisions to protect them.