Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences 

Department of Translation and Interpreting  

 

 

 

 

 

THE REPRESENTATION OF GENDER ROLES IN REMAKES:                             
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FATMA AND UNSEEN 

 

 

 

Alihan ULU 

 

 

 

Master’s Thesis 

 

 

 

Ankara, 2025  



  



THE REPRESENTATION OF GENDER ROLES IN REMAKES:  

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FATMA AND UNSEEN 

 

 

 

 

 

Alihan ULU 

 

 

 

 

Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences 

Department of Translation and Interpreting  

 

 

 

Master’s Thesis 

 

 

 

Ankara, 2025 



ACCEPTANCE AND APPROVAL 

The jury finds that Alihan ULU has on the date of 11.06.2025 successfully passed the 

defense examination and approves his Master’s Thesis titled “The Representation of 

Gender Roles in Remakes: A Comparative Analysis of Fatma and Unseen.” 

 

Assoc. Prof. Tuğçe Elif TAŞDAN DOĞAN (Jury President) 

 

 

Assoc. Prof. Sinem SANCAKTAROĞLU BOZKURT (Main 
Adviser) 

 

 

Asst. Prof. Elif ERSÖZLÜ 

 

 

 

 

I agree that the signatures above belong to the faculty members listed. 

 

Prof. Uğur ÖMÜRGÖNÜLŞEN 

Graduate School Director



 

YAYIMLAMA VE FİKRİ MÜLKİYET HAKLARI BEYANI 

Enstitü tarafından onaylanan lisansüstü tezimin/raporumun tamamını veya herhangi bir kısmını, 
basılı (kağıt) ve elektronik formatta arşivleme ve aşağıda verilen koşullarla kullanıma açma iznini 
Hacettepe Üniversitesine verdiğimi bildiririm. Bu izinle Üniversiteye verilen kullanım hakları 
dışındaki tüm fikri mülkiyet haklarım bende kalacak, tezimin tamamının ya da bir bölümünün 
gelecekteki çalışmalarda (makale, kitap, lisans ve patent vb.) kullanım hakları bana ait olacaktır. 

Tezin kendi orijinal çalışmam olduğunu, başkalarının haklarını ihlal etmediğimi ve tezimin tek 
yetkili sahibi olduğumu beyan ve taahhüt ederim. Tezimde yer alan telif hakkı bulunan ve 
sahiplerinden yazılı izin alınarak kullanılması zorunlu metinlerin yazılı izin alınarak kullandığımı 
ve istenildiğinde suretlerini Üniversiteye teslim etmeyi taahhüt ederim. 

Yükseköğretim Kurulu tarafından yayınlanan “Lisansüstü Tezlerin Elektronik Ortamda 
Toplanması, Düzenlenmesi ve Erişime Açılmasına İlişkin Yönerge” kapsamında tezim 
aşağıda belirtilen koşullar haricince YÖK Ulusal Tez Merkezi / H.Ü. Kütüphaneleri Açık Erişim 
Sisteminde erişime açılır. 

o Enstitü / Fakülte yönetim kurulu kararı ile tezimin erişime açılması mezuniyet 
tarihimden itibaren 2 yıl ertelenmiştir. (1) 

o Enstitü / Fakülte yönetim kurulunun gerekçeli kararı ile tezimin erişime açılması 
mezuniyet tarihimden itibaren ... ay ertelenmiştir. (2) 

o Tezimle ilgili gizlilik kararı verilmiştir. (3) 

    ……/………/……  

                                                                                                               Alihan ULU 

1“Lisansüstü Tezlerin Elektronik Ortamda Toplanması, Düzenlenmesi ve Erişime Açılmasına İlişkin Yönerge”  

(1) Madde 6. 1. Lisansüstü tezle ilgili patent başvurusu yapılması veya patent alma sürecinin devam etmesi 
durumunda, tez danışmanının önerisi ve enstitü anabilim dalının uygun görüşü üzerine enstitü veya fakülte 
yönetim kurulu iki yıl süre ile tezin erişime açılmasının ertelenmesine karar verebilir.   
 

(2) Madde 6. 2. Yeni teknik, materyal ve metotların kullanıldığı, henüz makaleye dönüşmemiş veya patent gibi 
yöntemlerle korunmamış ve internetten paylaşılması durumunda 3. şahıslara veya kurumlara haksız kazanç 
imkanı oluşturabilecek bilgi ve bulguları içeren tezler hakkında tez danışmanının önerisi ve enstitü anabilim 
dalının uygun görüşü üzerine enstitü veya fakülte yönetim kurulunun gerekçeli kararı ile altı ayı aşmamak 
üzere tezin erişime açılması engellenebilir. 
 

(3) Madde 7. 1. Ulusal çıkarları veya güvenliği ilgilendiren, emniyet, istihbarat, savunma ve güvenlik, sağlık vb. 
konulara ilişkin lisansüstü tezlerle ilgili gizlilik kararı, tezin yapıldığı kurum tarafından verilir *. Kurum ve 
kuruluşlarla yapılan işbirliği protokolü çerçevesinde hazırlanan lisansüstü tezlere ilişkin gizlilik kararı ise, ilgili 
kurum ve kuruluşun önerisi ile enstitü veya fakültenin uygun görüşü üzerine üniversite yönetim kurulu 
tarafından verilir. Gizlilik kararı verilen tezler Yükseköğretim Kuruluna bildirilir.  
Madde 7.2. Gizlilik kararı verilen tezler gizlilik süresince enstitü veya fakülte tarafından gizlilik kuralları 

çerçevesinde muhafaza edilir, gizlilik kararının kaldırılması halinde Tez Otomasyon Sistemine yüklenir  
 

* Tez danışmanının önerisi ve enstitü anabilim dalının uygun görüşü üzerine enstitü veya fakülte 

yönetim kurulu tarafından karar verilir. 



 

ETİK BEYAN 

Bu çalışmadaki bütün bilgi ve belgeleri akademik kurallar çerçevesinde elde ettiğimi, 

görsel, işitsel ve yazılı tüm bilgi ve sonuçları bilimsel ahlak kurallarına uygun olarak 

sunduğumu, kullandığım verilerde herhangi bir tahrifat yapmadığımı, yararlandığım 

kaynaklara bilimsel normlara uygun olarak atıfta bulunduğumu, tezimin kaynak 

gösterilen durumlar dışında özgün olduğunu, Doç. Dr. Sinem SANCAKTAROĞLU 

BOZKURT danışmanlığında tarafımdan üretildiğini ve Hacettepe Üniversitesi Sosyal 

Bilimler Enstitüsü Tez Yazım Yönergesine göre yazıldığını beyan ederim. 

[İmza] 

Alihan ULU 
  



iv 
 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to express my deepest gratitude to many people for their assistance and support 

throughout the process of writing this thesis. First and foremost, I would like to thank my 

thesis supervisor and role model in the academy, Assoc. Prof. Sinem 

SANCAKTAROĞLU BOZKURT. Without her invaluable guidance, encouragement, and 

support, this thesis would never have been possible. As a matter of fact, my gratitude 

extends far beyond this thesis, as she was the one who first introduced me to the field of 

Gender Studies in translation during my undergraduate years. If it wasn’t for her, I may 

not have discovered such a field that broadens one’s horizon. 

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Asst. Prof. Elif ERSÖZLÜ, for being an 

inspiration for my thesis, for accepting to be a jury member in my thesis defense, and for 

providing me with thoughtful insights after carefully reading my thesis. 

I would also like to thank all my professors from Hacettepe University, whose support 

and expertise have been tremendous since my very first year at this university, which 

has become my second home. Their profound knowledge of translation studies, research 

experience, and helpful recommendations have been very helpful to my academic 

growth.  

I also can’t forget my colleagues’ support from Bursa Technical University. Their 

guidance and encouragement helped me finish this thesis. They were like the 

lighthouses that guide you through the seas in times of darkness.  

Finally, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my family and friends. I’m 

grateful to my parents, Mail and Saniye, my dear sister Fatma, and my twin brother 

Batuhan, for their incessant love and support for me since the first years of my education. 

If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Special thanks also to my 

childhood friends Mushap, Recep, and Ahmet, who have stood by me through every 

challenge. And last but not least, I am grateful to my beloved cat Müezza, whose joyful 

presence brought me comfort during my most stressful and challenging times. 



v 
 

ABSTRACT 

ULU, Alihan. The Representation of Gender Roles in Remakes: A Comparative 
Analysis of Fatma and Unseen, Master’s Thesis, Ankara, 2025. 

 

The concept of gender, which gained prominence in Translation Studies during the 1980s, 

following the Cultural Turn, has recently emerged as one of the most prominent and controversial 

topics within the discipline. The interdisciplinary nature of Translation Studies has further 

increased both the quantity and quality of investigations at the intersection of gender and 
translation. Notably, it was only in the 2000s that a gender perspective became established within 

the domain of audiovisual. Given the nascent nature of this research area, this study occupies 

the confluence of two subfields of Translation Studies: Audiovisual translation and gender studies. 

A particularly under-explored field within audiovisual translation, remakes, serve as the primary 

focus of the investigation. In this regard, the representation of gender roles in remakes is 

scrutinized through a case study approach. In this study, a comparative analysis is conducted 

between two original Netflix productions, the Turkish TV series Fatma (2021) and its South African 

remake, Unseen (2023), and findings are contextualized through the lens of Katerina Perdikaki’s 
film adaptation model. The principal objective of this research is to elucidate the shifts in gender 

roles that transpired as a result of cultural divergences and to articulate the underlying motivations 

animating these changes. Consequently, this thesis demonstrates that remakes like Unseen are 

not mere copies of originals like Fatma, but reinterpretations that are shaped by the cultural 

phenomena. By altering elements such as characterization, plot structure, and setting, this 

remake reconstructs gender roles and offer fresh, culturally specific views on themes such as 

stereotypical representation of men, motherhood, and sisterhood.  

Keywords  

representation of gender, Adaptation Studies, remakes, audiovisual translation, Perdikaki  



vi 
 

ÖZET 

ULU, Alihan. Yeniden Çevrimlerde Toplumsal Cinsiyet Rollerinin Temsili: Fatma ve 
Unseen Dizilerinin Karşılaştırmalı Analizi, Lisans Tezi, Ankara, 2025.  

 

Çeviribilim’de, Kültürel Dönüş’ü takiben 1980’li yıllarda önem kazanan toplumsal cinsiyet kavramı 

son yıllarda çeviri alanında en öne çıkan ve en tartışmalı konularından biri hâline geldi. 

Çeviribilimin disiplinlerarası doğası, toplumsal cinsiyet ve çevirinin kesişme noktasındaki 

araştırmaların hem niceliğini hem de niteliğini daha da artırmıştır. Toplumsal cinsiyet 
perspektifinin görsel-işitsel çeviri alanında yer bulması ancak 2000'li yıllarda gerçekleşmiştir. Bu 

araştırma alanının yeni ortaya çıktığı göz önüne alındığında, bu çalışma Çeviribilim'in iki alt 

alanının kesiştiği noktada yer almaktadır: görsel-işitsel çeviri ve toplumsal cinsiyet çalışmaları. 

Görsel-işitsel çevirinin, üstünde en az çalışma yapılan alanlarından olan yeniden çevrimler, 

araştırmanın ana odağını oluşturmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, yeniden çevrimlerde toplumsal cinsiyet 

rollerinin temsili, bir vaka çalışması vasıtasıyla incelenmiştir. Bu çalışmada Türk dizisi Fatma 

(2021) ve yeniden çevrimi Güney Afrika yapımı Unseen (2023) olmak üzere iki orijinal Netflix 

yapımının karşılaştırmalı bir analizi yapılmış ve bulgular Katerina Perdikaki'nin film uyarlama 
modeli merceğinden bağlamsallaştırılmıştır. Bu araştırmanın temel amacı, kültürel 

farklılaşmaların bir sonucu olarak ortaya çıkan toplumsal cinsiyet rollerindeki değişimleri gözler 

önüne sermek ve bu değişimleri tetikleyen altta yatan sebepleri dile getirmektir. Sonuç olarak, bu 

tez, Unseen gibi yeniden çevrimlerin Fatma gibi özgün eserlerin basit birer kopyası olmadığını, 

aksine kültürel olgular tarafından şekillendiren yeniden yorumlar olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. 

Bu yeniden çevrim, karakterizasyon, olay örgüsü ve mekân gibi unsurları değiştirerek, toplumsal 

cinsiyet rollerini yeniden inşa etmekte ve erkeklerin klişeleşmiş temsili, annelik ve kız kardeşlik 

gibi temalara dair kültüre özgü yeni bakış açıları sunmaktadır. 

Anahtar Sözcükler  

toplumsal cinsiyet temsili, Uyarlama Çalışmaları, yeniden çevrimler, görsel işitsel çeviri, 
Perdikaki  



vii 
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS  

ACCEPTANCE AND APPROVAL ................................................................................... İ  

YAYIMLAMA VE FİKRİ MÜLKİYET HAKLARI BEYANI ............................................... İİ 

ETİK BEYAN .................................................................................................................. İİİ 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. İV 

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... V 

ÖZET ............................................................................................................................. Vİ 

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... Vİİ 

ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................... İX 

TABLES ......................................................................................................................... X 

GRAPHICS ................................................................................................................... Xİ 

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 

CHAPTER V ADAPTATION AND TRANSLATION STUDIES ........................................ 9 

1.1. QUESTION OF FIDELITY: OLD OR NEW? ...................................................... 16 

CHAPTER \ REMAKES ............................................................................................... 22 

2.1. REMAKE AS A TYPE OF AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION ............................. 26 

2.2. REMAKES THROUGHOUT HISTORY .............................................................. 28 

2.3. REMAKES IN TURKISH TELEVISION AND CINEMA ...................................... 33 

CHAPTER ` GENDER IN TRANSLATION .................................................................. 39 

3.1. GENDER IN AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION ................................................... 41 

3.2. REpresantation of women and men ın cınema and tv .................................. 46 

CHAPTER f METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 52 

4.1. Perdikaki’s Film Adaptation Model ................................................................. 52 

4.1.1. Descriptive / Comparative Component ........................................................ 53 

4.1.1.1. Plot Structure Shifts .............................................................................. 54 

4.1.1.2. Narrative Techniques Shifts ................................................................. 55 



viii 
 

4.1.1.2.1. Temporal Sequence ...................................................................... 55 

4.1.1.2.2. Presentation ................................................................................... 56 

4.1.1.3. Characterization Shifts ......................................................................... 56 

4.1.1.4. Setting Shifts ........................................................................................ 57 

4.1.1.4.1. Temporal ........................................................................................ 57 

4.1.1.4.2. Spatial ............................................................................................ 57 

4.1.2. Interpretative Component ............................................................................ 58 

5.1. A BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT FATMA AND UNSEEN ............................... 59 

5.1.1. Fatma (2021) .................................................................................................. 59 

5.2. GENDER-BASED SHIFTS DURING THE REMAKING PROCESS .................. 62 

CHAPTER 6 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .............................................................. 170 

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 197 

BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 204 

APPENDIX 1 ORIGINALITY REPORT ....................................................................... 224 

APPENDIX 2 ETHICS COMMISSION FORM ............................................................. 226 

 

  



ix 
 

ABBREVIATIONS  

AVT    Audiovisual Translation 

ST   Source Text 

TT   Target Text 

  



x 
 

TABLES  

 

Table 1. Transnational Remakes of Turkish Soap Operas after 2010…………….........36 

Table 2. Transnational Remakes of Turkish Movies after 2010 …………………………38 

Table 3. Perdikaki’s Descriptive Component Table (Perdikaki, 2017c) ........................ 54 

Table 4. Episode Durations ........................................................................................... 64 

Table 5. Characterization Shifts .................................................................................. 175 

Table 6. Setting Shifts ................................................................................................. 175 

Table 7. Plot Structure Shifts ...................................................................................... 176 

 

 

 

  



xi 
 

GRAPHICS  

Graphic 1. Distribution of Gender-Based Shifts Across 3 Categories ........................ 171 

Graphic 2. Proportional Use of Translation Strategies in Gender-Based Characterization 

Shifts ........................................................................................................................... 172 

Graphic 3. Proportional Use of Translation Strategies in Gender-Based Setting Shifts…..  

 .................................................................................................................................... 173 

Graphic 4. Proportional Use of Translation Strategies in Gender-Based Plot Structure 

Shifts……………………………………………………….……………………….………...174 

 

 

 

  



1 
 

INTRODUCTION 

Communication technology have changed people's interactions and consumption 

of cultural material in the media-saturated surroundings of today. Thus, 

audiovisual translation (AVT) has gained significant prominence since the late 

1990s and early 2000s, and academic studies on the subject have proliferated 

rapidly since then (Pérez-González, 2018, p. 1). The primary motive behind this 

remarkable increase is the development of technology, which has made 

audiovisual content more accessible to a wider audience. For instance, in the 

past, watching a movie often required purchasing or renting a DVD, which could 

be quite costly. Today, however, online streaming platforms enable viewers to 

access films with just a single click. This shift has spurred demand for AVT, as 

these platforms operate in numerous countries with diverse languages. 

Consequently, the growing need for translation has opened avenues for 

academic research in this field. In this sense, Remael (2010) further suggests 

that due to the proliferation of studies, the 21st century may witness the 

emergence of the "audiovisual turn" in Translation Studies (p. 15). 

AVT is a multifaceted discipline that seeks to spread cultural values across 

different languages. According to Pérez-González (2009), the field of AVT covers 

the procedures, methods, and outcomes connected with distributing multimodal 

and multimedial content over many languages and cultures (p. 13). It includes the 

translation and adaptation of a wide range of audiovisual materials, such as films, 

TV series, documentaries, video games, and online videos, catered for different 

languages or target audiences. Translators must possess specific skills and 

background knowledge to accurately transmit the meaning of audiovisual 

content. AVT goes beyond mere text translation; it also calls for attention to visual 

and audio aspects since these elements define the whole experience. 

Remakes, for example, entail recontextualizing audiovisual material for new 

audiences, so requiring major cultural, linguistic, and ideological modification 



2 
 

(Gambier, 2003). Unlike traditional methods such as dubbing and subtitling, 

which focus on auditory or textual elements, remakes require a comprehensive 

reworking of both form and content (Evans, 2014). They provide fresh 

interpretations of narratives, characters, and settings, aligning with the 

sociocultural norms of the target audience. Remakes, then, are translational and 

creative activities that negotiate the original text with the recipient culture. This 

transformative nature challenges traditional definitions of translation, prompting 

scholars to rethink limits and methodologies in translation studies.  

In addition, cinema has long served as both a mirror and a mold of societal values, 

offering audiences representations of cultural norms, ideals, and identities. 

Among these, gender roles have been a central focus, shaping how masculinity 

and femininity are understood across different eras and cultures (Kablamacı, 

2014). As societal expectations around gender continue to evolve, so too do the 

cinematic portrayals that reflect—or resist—these shifts. A particularly intriguing 

lens through which to examine such changes is the remake (also taxonomized 

as updates by Leitch): a film that reinterprets an earlier work, often adjusting it to 

fit contemporary sensibilities (Leitch, 2002, p. 46). By comparing remakes with 

their original versions, one can trace shifts in gender representations and assess 

how cinematic narratives either reinforce or challenge dominant gender 

ideologies.  

Remakes, as a practice within the larger framework of AVT, offer a particularly 

revealing lens through which to study such shifts. Traditionally associated with 

dubbing and subtitling, AVT also includes adaptable practices like remaking, 

where the source text (the original film) is reinterpreted for a different audience, 

time period, or cultural setting (Evans, 2014). Remakes so function not just as 

artistic reinterpretations but also as translators of ideas, including those related 

to gender. Gender studies in film theory—concerned with how gender is 

constructed and performed within visual media—offers a critical toolkit for 

interrogating these representations. Together, these frameworks reveal how the 

remake functions as a site of both continuity and separation in the portrayal of 



3 
 

gender. By examining remakes through the dual lenses of AVT and gender 

studies, this study explores how gender roles are reconstructed, challenged, or 

reasserted in the process of adaptation.  

In Türkiye, remakes have gained prominence as a strategic response to the 

growing demand for culturally relevant material (Smith and Verevis, 2017, p. 7). 

Particularly since the early 2000s, remakes of foreign series and movies—often 

from the United States and South Korea—have exploded on Turkish television 

and cinema (Duran, 2020). As creators try to reduce financial risks by rewriting 

already successful stories for local audiences, this tendency reflects both creative 

needs and economic ones. These remakes serve as a lens through which 

broader cultural dynamics, including gender roles, family structures, and society 

values, are refracted and reshaped at the same time.  

Similarly, Turkish television shows and films are distributed to a variety of 

countries (e.g., Romania, Greece, United States of America, Mexico, Lebanon, 

etc.) from different continents. As a result, this occurrence represents a 

substantial cultural interchange in the media environment, showcasing Turkish 

storytelling's global appeal and flexibility. These media products not only reflect 

national identity but also influence international perceptions of gender roles and 

societal norms. The narratives embedded in Turkish dramas often carry cultural 

values, familial structures, and gendered expectations, which are interpreted 

differently depending on the receiving culture. Therefore, analyzing how gender 

is represented and possibly transformed in global remakes of Turkish productions 

becomes crucial in understanding both local and transnational discourses on 

gender. Thus, based on their utilization as a kind of soft power, the gender 

representation depicted in these productions is a significant area of inquiry and 

this thesis aims to address this gap. 

Remakes, as this research argues, can serve as powerful tools of cultural 

production and soft power. They do not merely translate language but also 

mediate cultural values and social ideologies. Thus, this thesis contends that 



4 
 

remakes are not neutral reproductions but are imbued with ideological 

significance, especially in their portrayal of gender. To this end, through a 

comparative analysis of the Turkish series Fatma and its South African remake 

Unseen, this study explores how gender roles and identities are negotiated, 

modified, erased or added in the process of remaking. 

This study undertakes a qualitative descriptive analysis of two contemporary 

audiovisual productions: the Turkish series Fatma and its South African remake 

Unseen. These series were selected due to their cultural relevance and their rich 

engagement with gender-related themes. Both narratives center on a female 

protagonist—a seemingly tranquil cleaning lady—who gradually transforms into 

a figure of violence and resistance. While Fatma introduces its protagonist as a 

timid woman navigating a patriarchal society, her journey into becoming an 

assassin challenges traditional gender roles. Unseen, while following a similar 

plot structure, presents notable differences in its portrayal of gender roles, 

character development, settings, and plot structure. These differences offer 

insightful analysis of how cultural and ideological settings impact adaption 

strategies. The study adopts both qualitative and quantitative approaches, with a 

particular focus on comparative episode analysis, to investigate the gendered 

aspects of adaptation and the wider consequences of transnational storytelling. 

Due to the limited availability of Turkish television series with remakes that are 

suitable for analyzing gender roles, this study focuses on a single original series 

and its remake. Even though Unseen's second season aired on May 2, 2025, the 

episodes are not remakes; they follow an original storyline because there is no 

second season of Fatma. Thus, the second season of Unseen is out of scope of 

this thesis, and the corpus comprises the first seasons of Netflix original Fatma 

and its South African remake Unseen. Fatma was directed by Özer Feyzioğlu 

and Özgür Önürme, while Unseen was directed by Travis Taute, Rolie Nikiwe, 

Brett Michael Innes, Rea Rangaka, and Twiggy Matiwana. The underlying reason 

behind the choice of these TV series was the language barrier. As Turkish TV 

series are mostly marketed to Latin America, Africa, the Arab Countries, the 



5 
 

Middle East, Asia, the Balkans and in some parts of Europe (Okyayuz, 2017b, p. 

668), there are hardly any remakes of a Turkish TV series that has been 

reproduced in English. Thus, Unseen to be produced in English and to bear 

elements that could be interpreted through the lens of gender studies, was the 

main reason why we chose these TV series for this study.  

The analysis is grounded in Perdikaki’s theoretical framework titled “Towards a 

Model for the Study of Film Adaptation as Intersemiotic Translation” (2017a). All 

six available episodes from each series will be examined, with attention given to 

four key categories of adaptation shifts: plot structure, narrative techniques, 

characterization, and setting. The gender-based changes observed in 

characterization, plot structure, and setting often reflect underlying cultural 

tensions, values, and aspirations. This thesis attempts to expose the underlying 

mechanisms and reasons of gender-based adaptations in remakes by means of 

an analysis of these changes through the lens of gender studies and adaption 

studies. Unseen, for instance, illustrates how gender norms are localized, 

reflecting the sociopolitical landscape of South Africa and Türkiye. 

Thus, the aim of the study is to reveal how gender roles and their representation 

have changed in the target culture. This study aims to uncover the motives, 

approaches, and consequences behind the decision to produce remakes, 

exploring how they contribute to the understanding and distribution of translated 

and interpreted texts in various contexts. By achieving these objectives, the study 

aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in translation studies, 

shedding light on the significance and value of remakes as a means to enhance 

the effectiveness and cultural relevance of language mediation in an evolving 

globalized world.  

 

 



6 
 

The research questions are as follows: 

1- Are there any shifts in narrative techniques, setting, characterization, and 

plot structure of Unseen compared to Fatma with reference to gender 

representation? If so, how did these shifts occur in the remake? 

2- In what ways do remakes, as a form of AVT, alter or preserve 

representations of gender roles that are present in the original 

productions? 

3- What are the implications of gender-related changes in the remake for 

societal attitudes and perceptions of gender roles, and how do these 

implications differ in various cultural and social contexts? 

These research questions aim to explore the comparative analysis of remakes 

based on gender. The first question focuses on the narrative techniques, setting, 

characterization, and plot structure shifts in the series and seeks to reveal how 

these changes reflect cultural specificities, adaptation strategies, and the 

underlying socio-political backdrop shaping the remake. The second question 

centers on understanding the differences in the representations of male and 

female characters in remakes, and the possible reasons that drive these 

variations, such as character development, or cultural influences. The third 

question takes a broader perspective by investigating the effects of gender-

related changes in remakes for society's attitudes and perceptions of gender 

roles, and how these implications may differ in different cultural and social 

contexts. 

Moreover, the thesis emphasizes the role of various translational agents in the 

remaking process, including translators, scriptwriters, directors, and producers. 

These agents do not operate in a vacuum but are influenced by institutional 

policies, audience expectations, and market needs. Their choices greatly affect 

the final product, determining which aspects of the ST are kept, changed, or 

omitted.  



7 
 

This study contributes to the interdisciplinary dialogue between adaptation 

studies, AVT studies, and gender studies. By rethinking remakes as a type of 

AVT, it expands the conceptual boundaries of translation theory to include 

intralingual and intersemiotic shifts. By analyzing the representational strategies 

applied in remakes, this thesis clarifies how television as a media negotiates 

evolving ideas of gender, power, and identity. The findings are particularly 

relevant for understanding the mechanisms through which mainstream media 

both reflects and shapes public discourse around gender. 

By positioning remakes within the domain of translation studies, this research 

challenges the traditional hierarchies that privilege linguistic fidelity over cultural 

resonance. It advocates for a more inclusive and interdisciplinary approach that 

acknowledges the variety of translation methods used in today’s globalized media 

landscape. By doing this, it contributes to the continuous growth of translation 

studies as a dynamic and responsive field, capable of addressing challenging 

cultural phenomena. Situating the remake as a form of AVT foregrounds its 

function not merely as a repetition but as an act of cultural reinterpretation. This 

perspective allows for a deeper analysis of how gender norms are maintained or 

transformed in the adaptive process. 

In the initial three chapters, the literature review critically examines significant 

theoretical frameworks related to adaptation studies, remakes, and gender 

representation within audiovisual media. The fourth chapter outlines the 

methodology, articulating the analytical framework and methodologies employed 

for the selection and evaluation of case studies. This section elaborates on both 

the comparative and theoretical frameworks applied in the analysis of selected 

television series. In the fifth chapter, the case study and analysis, within the 

framework of Perdikaki’s adaptation model, provide a comprehensive exploration 

of the chosen original production and its remake, with a concentrated emphasis 

on the representation of gender roles. In the sixth chapter, the findings are 

revealed through charts and in the discussion part, findings are interpreted in light 

of broader cultural and theoretical paradigms within the concept of Adaptation 



8 
 

Studies, examining how gender roles are reconfigured or preserved in the 

adaptation of Fatma into Unseen. Finally, the conclusion part provides a concise 

summary of the thesis. 

  



9 
 

CHAPTER = 

ADAPTATION AND TRANSLATION STUDIES 

Adaptation studies have flourished over the past three decades, driven by the 

growing number of adapted works in cinema. Numerous researchers have 

explored this phenomenon during this vibrant period, including notable figures 

(e.g., Bassnett, 2002; Bastin, 2009; Cardwell, 2018; Hogg, 2021; Hutcheon, 

2006; Krebs, 2018; Leitch, 2018; McFarlane, 2018; Raw, 2017; Stam, 2000; and 

Venuti, 2007; Verevis, 2017). As adaptation has become a central theme in 

translation and film studies, various definitions have emerged within the field. 

While the act of adaptation is defined by the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary (n.d) as 

“the action or process of changing something, or of being changed, to suit a new 

situation,” the following definition refers to the end product: “a film, television 

drama, or play that is based on a particular book or play but has been changed 

to suit the new medium.” Since the dictionary definitions of the term “adaptation” 

are superficial and these definitions fall short of covering the term in translation 

and film studies, several scholars in these fields have put forward a great number 

of definitions. According to Sanders (2016), adaptation is often a process that 

involves the change from one form to another: “theater into a musical, books into 

a cinema, the dramatization of prose fiction and prose story, or the opposite 

movement of turning drama into prose narrative.” It may also include creating 

graphic novels or computer games, or it can be incorporated into other forms like 

dance or music (p. 24). In addition, O’Thomas (2010) says that adaptation 

generally occurs between media other than across cultures, and adaptation of 

literature into cinema or TV is the most dominant case for the adaptation studies 

(p. 48). Based on Stam’s and Hutcheon’s views, Asimakoulas (2016, p. 557) 

elaborates and defines adaptation as follows: 

Adaptation can be defined as a type of storytelling, a potentially recognizable 
transposition of previously existing material to a different medium and genre. 
As such, it constitutes a highly creative and interpretive act of aligning 
‘material’ with a new context of reception. The end product of adaptation 



10 
 

offers a lease of afterlife whilst still retaining some intertextual links to its 
source. Hence translation is unsurprisingly often evoked as a framing 
metaphor in adaptation studies. 

In this regard, scholars have reached a consensus, depicting adaptation to be 

seen as a new product which is slightly different from the original. Shift in the 

medium is the main reason for this view because Stam (2000) thinks that the 

change of the medium leads to involuntary alterations. He claims that as the 

written literary text is turned into a moving picture, some filmic procedures such 

as “election, amplification, concretization, actualization, critique, extrapolation, 

analogization, popularization, and reculturalization,” are applied in the adaptation 

process (pp. 66-68). Consequently, some mandatory changes occur due to the 

shift in the medium.    

On the other hand, Tenbrink & Lawrence (2021) and Mariani (2024) point out to 

another aspect of alterations that occurs in the adaptations. According to them, 

producers, filmmakers, and the people in charge of the movies are responsible 

for the changes, as they are the decision makers in the process. In this sense, 

Venuti (2007, p. 30) concisely describes this phenomenon as follows: 

In contrast to contemporary translation practices, however, an adaptation is 
likely to decontextualize these materials in a much more extensive and 
complex way, not only because of the change in medium, but because of the 
license routinely taken by filmmakers. Portions of the prior materials might 
be eliminated or altered because a filmmaker has chosen not to incorporate 
them in the film at all or in the same form, including subplots and plot twists, 
scenes and dialogue, characters and descriptions of settings, images from 
visual art, and historical figures and events. 

However, nowadays, the audience’s perception and interpretation of the new 

product determines the conclusive impact of the adaptation. Thus, for the 

adaptation to be completely accepted as a successful one, it should pass the test 

of the audience (Tenbrink & Lawrence, 2021). The audience’s perception of the 

adaptation and their comments on the end product bears significant importance 

for the adaptation to gain public acclaim (Mariani, 2024). Likewise, Hutcheon 

(2006, pp. 8-9) defines adaptation in terms of a reception process as follows: 



11 
 

Adaptation is a form of intertextuality: we experience adaptations (as 
adaptations) as palimpsests through our memory of other works that 
resonate through repetition with variation. […] (1) An acknowledged 
transposition of a recognizable other work or works. (2) A creative and an 
interpretive act of appropriation/salvaging. (3) An extended intertextual 
engagement with the adapted work. Therefore, an adaptation is a derivation 
that is not derivative-a work that is second without being secondary. It is its 
own palimpsestic thing. 

Hutcheon (2006) reframes adaptation as a form of intertextual engagement rather 

than mere replication. By invoking the metaphor of the palimpsest, she highlights 

the layered nature of adaptations, where original and new texts coexist and inform 

one another through memory and variation. The characterization of adaptation 

as both a creative and interpretive act emphasizes its agency, challenging the 

notion that adaptations are secondary or inferior. Instead, they are positioned as 

independent artistic works that sustain a dynamic dialogue with their sources, 

embodying originality through transformation rather than simple imitation. 

According to Mee (2017) among the diverse forms of adaptation associated with 

cinematic recycling, film remakes are typically regarded with the least respect, 

perceived as low-esteem imitations or superfluous reproductions of beloved 

masterpieces (p. 193). Even though, most of the scholars reject remakes as an 

adaptation proper due to the differences in motivations or approaches to the 

production (p. 195), Hutcheon (2006) puts forward that remakes are inherently 

adaptations due to contextual alterations. Not all adaptations require a change in 

medium or manner of engagement, but many do. (p. 170). Cuelenaere (2020), 

based on Naremore’s views, further suggests that the examination of adaptation 

must be integrated with the analysis of recycling, remaking, and all other forms 

of retelling in the era of mechanical replication and electronic communication (p. 

212).  

Particularly in respect to how these processes interact and affect one another, 

the disciplines of Adaptation and Translation Studies have attracted a lot of 

scholarly interest. Adaptation, often perceived as a mere transfer of content from 

one medium to another, covers a wider range of shifts that can influence the 



12 
 

source material's meaning and reception. In this part, key contributions to the 

discourse on adaptation and translation will be reviewed, highlighting their links 

and effects on cross-cultural interaction. 

Due to their closeness to each other, translation and adaptation can be 

considered as intertwined concepts. In fact, French Canadian theatre director 

Robert Lepage created a portmanteau word for this phenomenon. He coined the 

term “tradaptation” (Verma, 1996a, as cited in Cameron, 2014, p. 17) to explicate 

the significance of translation and adaptation processes in theatrical texts. Even 

though translation and adaptation are not considered to be the same thing, they 

have several properties in common, which allows for both fields to be studied 

closely (Cattrysse, 2014; Milton, 2009a). To begin with, in both activities, the 

points in the original texts are transmitted to the target products, and for the 

ultimate product to be clearly understood, final contexts and the reception of the 

audience play a great importance (Perdikaki, 2017a). In addition, they both 

present reproductions, the result of a creation process which is based on context. 

Furthermore, both processes are taught to have an irreversible nature (Cattrysse, 

2014, pp. 47-48). In other words, the process of back translation does not yield 

the original work in its complete form. Moreover, both fields have an 

interdisciplinary nature, and they are seen as rewritings through which they build 

up cultures (Krebs, 2012, pp. 42-43). Venuti (2007) further suggests that the 

thought that puts translation theory as the source of concepts for adaptation 

studies is not something arbitrary, and in literature, even though it is generally not 

examined, the analogy between adaptation and translation constantly reoccurs. 

As a result, their similarities lay the foundations for studies that cover both fields 

(Asimakoulas, 2016). For instance, Gefen and Weissbrod (2020), in their article 

titled “Collaborative Self-translation in the Screenplays of the Godfather Trilogy,” 

mention that their research is inspired by the works (Cattrysse, 2014; Perdikaki, 

2017a; Venuti, 2007) that suggest similarities between translation and 

adaptation. They apply Perdikaki’s adaptation model (2017a) to the screenplays 

and broaden the model’s field of use.  



13 
 

Nevertheless, some scholars (e.g., Bastin, 2014; Milton, 2009b; Venuti, 2007) 

also claim that these two fields vary from each other in different aspects. As a 

matter of fact, Chan (2018) sets forth that translation is hardly mentioned and 

used in adaptation. In occasional instances where these two fields meet, it is used 

as a metaphor for adaptation or seen as an automatous process of production (p. 

17). As Bastin (2014) puts forward, while the “adaptation” duplicates the purpose 

of the original text, the “translation” reproduces the meaning. He classifies 

meaning as text-based, whereas he thinks purpose is context-based, leading 

adaptation to be a communication-based strategy which can be cross-cultural or 

intermedial. Even though copyright law classifies these cultural practices as 

“derivative works,” the agents, taking part in the translation and adaptation 

processes, such as publishers, filmmakers, translators, and screenwriters, are 

prone to differentiate both acts. While the publishers expect translators to transfer 

the ST, hardly making deletions or additions, agents in the adaptation allow for 

major shifts in the source, leading to manipulation and alteration. (Venuti, 2007). 

As manifested by Cardwell (2018), the concept of adaptation is relatively more 

open to freedom and creativity than translation and usually intersects with notions 

such as borrowing, remaking and intertextuality (p. 7). Another aspect 

differentiating these two fields is that Translation Studies mostly concentrate on 

interlingual translation while Adaptation Studies’ main concern is inter-semiotic 

and intralingual translation. However, there are some instances where Adaptation 

Studies deal with interlingual translation as well (Milton, 2009a, p. 54). Likewise, 

Greenall & Løfaldli (2019, p. 241), in their article titled “Translation and adaptation 

as recontextualization: The case of The Snowman,” elaborate on this view as 

follows: 

“Translation” and “adaptation” have been defined in a multitude of ways, both 
within translation studies and adaptation studies. Some meanings, however, 
are more prototypically associated with these terms than others. The 
prototypical understanding of “translation” within translation studies is 
arguably that of intra-semiotic transfer/transformation involving linguistic 
utterances, while the prototypical understanding of “adaptation” within 
adaptation studies is that of inter-semiotic transfer/transformation. Our point 
of departure here is that both linguistic and other sign systems, plus both 
intra-semiotic and inter-semiotic transfer and transformation, are involved in 



14 
 

processes of making written texts into film. These phenomena typically blend 
to create a holistic effect for audiences. 

Paul (2008), however, claims that by analyzing their similarities and differences, 

we can conclude that even though the adaptation is not completely equivalent to 

translation, they can be assumed as analogous processes. Furthermore, 

according to Bassnett (2002), unnecessary effort has been made to draw a 

dividing line between concepts such as “translations, versions, adaptations.” So, 

the receiver, who will use the end product, should decide whether it is an 

adaptation or translation. For instance, the user of the translation would not 

expect any deviation on the translation technical texts while the literary texts differ 

in this regard (p.84). Ultimately, scholars claim that translation and adaptation 

slightly differ from each other. Most of the scholars (Hutcheon, 2006; O’Thomas, 

2010; Venuti, 2007) focus on the medium to draw a line between translation and 

adaptation. Thus, the difference lies in the medium change, whether the original 

book was adapted into a book or screen, or theatre, etc. (Aboluwade, 2019). 

Bluestone (1966) suggests that due to this change in the medium, “origins, 

conventions and audiences” shift as well. Consequently, filmmakers' choices lead 

to involuntary modifications in the ST. In this sense, the piece of literature is 

“paraphrased” to turn it into a moving picture. On the account of paraphrasing, he 

claims that adaptation is meant to be inferior to live up to the standards of the 

excellent source novel (p. 62), leading to inferiority concerns in the adaptation 

studies.  

Critical of this opinion, Bastin (2009) think that in some instances where the literal 

translation of a text is inadequate, the translator resorts to adaptation, and he 

suggests seven modes of adaptation, namely, “transcription of the original, 

omission, expansion, exoticism, updating, situational or cultural adequacy.” Using 

these strategies, the translators adapt the text into a new culture or medium and 

compensate the loses that occurred during the adaptation process. According to 

Bastin (2009, p. 5) the factors that lead to adaptation are:  



15 
 

(1) cross-code breakdown: where there are simply no lexical equivalents in 
the target language (especially common in the case of translating 
metalanguage.) (2) Situational or cultural inadequacy: where the context or 
views referred to in the original text do not exist or do not apply in the target 
culture. (3) Genre switching: a change from one discourse type to another 
(e.g., from adult to children’s literature) often entails a global re-creation of 
the original text. (4) Disruption of the communication process: the emergence 
of a new epoch or approach or the need to address a different type of 
readership often requires modifications in style, content and/or presentation. 

These conditions, which may coexist, can result in two main forms of adaptation: 

“local adaptation,” which is limited to specific sections of the original text due to 

issues with the text itself (as in the first two conditions), and “global adaptation,” 

which is influenced by factors outside the original text and entails a more 

extensive revision (Bastin, 2009, p. 5).  

The discourse surrounding the interrelation of translation and adaptation studies 

reveals that many scholars assert these domains operate as analogous 

processes. Noteworthy figures in the field, such as Venuti (2007), Milton (2009b), 

and Cattrysse (2014), contribute to this dialogue, thus facilitating continued 

inquiry at the convergence of adaptation and translation studies. Cattrysse (2014) 

states that translation scholars examining adaptations employ the term 

"intersemiotic translation," introduced by Roman Jacobson, to refer to film 

adaptations (p. 50). 

Although several perspectives demarcate or associate translation studies and 

adaptation studies, it can be suggested that they are increasingly recognized as 

intertwined fields that explore the transference of meaning across linguistic, 

cultural, and semiotic boundaries. Roman Jakobson (1959, p. 233) notably 

divided translation into three types: interlingual (between languages), intralingual 

(within the same language), and intersemiotic (between sign systems), therefore 

extending the range of translation beyond the conventional linguistic focus. 

Particularly in audiovisual media, adaptation can be considered as a type of 

intersemiotic translation since it entails the transposition of narratives across 

several mediums—such as from literature to film or from one cultural setting to 



16 
 

another. Scholars like Linda Hutcheon (2006) contend that adaptation is a 

process of reinterpretation as much as a product, therefore reflecting the 

transforming power of translation. Similarly, Julie Sanders (2006) stresses that 

adaptation and appropriation involve acts of decoding and recoding, hence 

echoing Jakobson's perspective of intersemiotic translation. Thus, both 

translation and adaptation engage in a dialogic negotiation of meaning, 

challenging the boundaries between linguistic fidelity and creative rethinking. 

Moreover, the term adaptation is usually employed as an umbrella concept that 

refers to remakes; this association will be explored in more detail in the next 

chapter of this thesis. 

1.1. QUESTION OF FIDELITY: OLD OR NEW? 

Translation Studies has been dealing with the fidelity issue for ages, even if it is 

conducted between the same mediums, remaining faithful to the ST is a 

challenging task because translation involves the transfer of culture and grammar 

from one language to another. So, fidelity has been one of the main concerns of 

the translation since the times before Christ. As Munday (2008, p.19) puts 

forward, the fidelity debate goes back to Cicero (1st century BCE) and St. Jerome 

(4th century CE), and Cicero defines his stand during the translation process as 

follows (Cicero 46 BCE/1960 CE:364 as cited in Munday, 2008, p. 19): 

And I did not translate them as an interpreter, but as an orator, keeping the 
same ideas and forms, or as one might say, the ‘figures’ of thought, but in 
language which conforms to our usage. And in so doing, I did not hold it 
necessary to render word for word, but I preserved the general style and 
force of the language. 

Translations have always been under the spotlight of the fidelity and have been 

seen as non-loyal to the ST. As a matter of fact, the sexist derogatory term “Les 

belles infidèles” was coined by French critic Ménage in the seventeenth century 

to degrade the translations. This term emphasizes that translation should be 

either beautiful or loyal like women (Simon, 1996, p. 10). In other words, if a 

translation is a good one, then it means the translator did not remain loyal to the 



17 
 

ST and some unwanted shifts occurred in the process. Hence, the concept of 

fidelity is demoted to the one-to-one correspondence due to the notion that 

acknowledges translation only as a product and excluding the process and the 

act of translation (p. 9). Analogically, fidelity is a controversial subject in 

Adaptation Studies and this field bears fidelity concerns as well just like 

Translation Studies (O’Thomas, 2010, p. 47; Wolf, 2011). For instance, George 

Bluestone (1966), who is considered to be the pioneer of Adaptation Studies, in 

his seminal book titled Novels into Film, argue that the adaptation “destroys” the 

superior novel under any circumstances (p. 62). George Bluestone’s (1966) 

influential analysis on adaptation processes has led scholars to evaluate 

adaptations by giving the priority to, so-called superior one, the original text. Thus, 

the assumption that the target product is a copycat was born. So, in Adaptation 

Studies, the end product is mainly thought to be a reproduction which does not 

conform to original norms (Asimakoulas, 2016). This parallelism with Translation 

Studies, has led to fidelity concerns and consequently, the question of fidelity has 

become one of the most controversial topics in adaptation. As Venuti (2007) 

states, the adapted films have been evaluated based on their sufficiency to the 

original novel, and these adaptations’ degree of fidelity has been decided by their 

proximity to the author’s intentions. In addition, Welsh, in the introduction part of 

his book highlights the importance of fidelity in adaptation as follows (2007, p. 

xxv): 

Fidelity, accuracy, and truth are all important measuring devices that should 
not be utterly ignored or neglected in evaluating a film adapted from a literary 
or dramatic source. The whole process of adaptation is like a round or 
circular dance. The best stories and legends, the most popular histories, and 
mysteries, will constantly be told and retold.  

However, there is no consensus on fidelity to be the primary concern on 

evaluating the adaptations. In this sense, while scholars like James Michael 

Welsh (2008) and David Kranz (2003) favor the idea of fidelity and accuracy, 

other scholars address the issue of evaluation in different terms. While Brian 

McFarlane (1996) prioritizes the cinematic form, Thomas Leitch (2002) focuses 

on intertextuality, and Donald Whaley’s works concentrate on intellectual history 



18 
 

(Welsh, 2007, p. xxv). Sanders, on the other hand, mentions that adaptations 

generally contain various interpretations of the ST. Julie explains this 

phenomenon as follows (2016, p. 23):   

Adaptation is nevertheless frequently involved in offering commentary on a 
ST. This is achieved most often by offering a revised point of view from the 
‘original’, adding hypothetical motivation, or voicing what the text silences or 
marginalizes. Yet adaptation can also continue a simpler attempt to make 
texts ‘relevant’ or easily comprehensible to new audiences and readerships 
via the processes of proximation and updating. This might, for example, be 
aimed at engaging with youth audiences or, through translation in its 
broadest sense, linguistic and interpretative, in global, intercultural contexts.  

Thus, adaptation has more merits than just retelling the source material; it can 

also conduct critical commentary on the source text. It can change the point of 

view of the original, provide new reasons for doing things, or bring attention to 

voices that are often ignored. At the same time, adaptation helps make literature 

easier to understand and more relevant to modern readers, especially through 

updating and convergence of the source text. This is clear in adaptations made 

for young people or for people from other cultures, which often use broad types 

of translation, both language and cultural. 

On the other hand, Brian McFarlane, denying too much emphasis that is put on 

fidelity, draws attention to the significance of cinematic features in the evaluation 

process of the adaptation (1996, p. 21):  

The stress on fidelity to the original undervalues other aspects of the film’s 
intertextuality. By this, I mean those non-literary, non-novelistic influences at 
work on any film, whether or not it is based on a novel. To say that a film is 
based on a novel is to draw attention to one—and, for many people, a 
crucial—element of its intertextuality, but it can never be the only one. 
Conditions within the film industry and the prevailing cultural and social 
climate at the time of the film’s making (especially when the film version does 
not follow hot upon the novel’s publication) are two major determinants in 
shaping any film, adaptation or not. 

 



19 
 

As Brian McFarlane (1996) suggests, focusing solely on fidelity to the source text 

causes other intertextual factors present in the filmmaking process to be 

overlooked. While investigating the adaptations, cultural and social context at the 

time of production, industry practices and cinematic elements should also be 

taken into account. Moreover, these factors are especially important when the 

adaptation is produced long after the novel’s release. 

In translation and analogically in adaptation, there has always been controversy 

about which version is superior: the original or the new product. McFarlane sees 

the superiority dispute as an obstacle that prevents the field’s progress (1996, p. 

194). However, during a translation or adaptation process, the original text is 

subjected to recontextualization, and due to the recontextualization, some shifts 

occur during the transformation process despite all the efforts to maintain 

resemblance to the original one. The level of change mostly depends on the 

medium and the culture change. However, in the evaluation process, the 

translator, the adaptation creator, and the filmmaker’s choices should be taken 

into consideration as well (Venuti, 2007). These agents’ ideologically constructed 

choices pave the way for the de-contextualization of the original text (Wolf, 2011). 

As the original text undergoes procedures like de-contextualization and re-

contextualization, the target product should be delicately analyzed as it “operates 

as a performative, creating meanings and values that often transform the foreign 

text beneath an illusionistic transparency and reflect interests in the receiving 

culture” (Venuti, 2008, p. 49) 

Due to the shifts, the TT or product, such as a film or TV adaptation of a book, 

has more dominantly been seen as inferior to the original one. Even to the point 

that the “adaptation” has been connotated with vulgar terms. Sanders (2016) in 

her book titled Adaptation and Appropriation, claims that adaptation bears a lot 

of labels such as “version, variation, interpretation, continuation, transformation, 

imitation, pastiche, parody, forgery, travesty, transposition, revaluation, revision, 

rewriting and echo,” (p. 22). Some of these terms can be considered vulgar, which 

are used to degrade, a so-called inferior product, the adaptation. Hence, Stam 



20 
 

(2005) comments on vulgar terms that are used to depict adaptation. For 

instance, he associates “infidelity” with “Victorian prudishness”, “betrayal” with 

“ethical perfidy”, “bastardization” with “illegitimacy”, “deformation” with “aesthetic 

disgust and monstrosity”, “violation” with “sexual violence”, “vulgarization” with 

“class degradation”, and “desecration” with “religious sacrilege and blasphemy” 

(p. 3). As McFarlane (1996) sees the concept of fidelity as a delicate issue, he 

advises the use of those vulgar words to be abandoned (p. 22). 

Despite the previous dominant thoughts favoring fidelity to the ST, McFarlane 

sees fidelity concerns and individual comparison of the original and TT as a 

cumbersome hindrance for the Adaptation Studies (McFarlane 1996, p. 194), and 

sparks the fuse for investigating further problems. McFarlane also criticizes the 

presence of a vast variety in individual views on the fidelity of a text (1996, p. 

165):  

The fact that one writer finds ‘boringly faithful’ a film which another sees as 
having only ‘a tenuous relation’ to the original while yet another finds it ‘too 
faithful’ suggests that there is no clear consensus about what ‘faithful’ means 
in this discourse. Faithful to what? To events, characters, some vague notion 
of the ‘spirit’ or ‘conception’ of the original: that is, to matters of varying 
degrees of ascertainable, objective truth in relation to the original? 

Furthermore, the question of fidelity has been gradually losing its place to 

audience reception (Hutcheon 2006; Stam 2000). For instance, Mariani (2024) 

points out the fact that the audience is comprised of individuals all of whom have 

individual past “experiences, beliefs, knowledge, competence, attitudes,” and 

expecting all of them to react the same towards the original or the newer work, 

would be unrealistic. It is not surprising that their level of appreciation differs, 

considering all different backgrounds. Thus, as Mariani (2024) illustrates, due to 

the variety of individual thoughts on superiority/inferiority, the stereotypical 

assumption, that acknowledges the original text as superior, should be abolished. 

In fact, this view is supported by Hutcheon’s words on adaptation: “An adaptation 

is a derivation that is not derivative-a work that is second without being 



21 
 

secondary,” (2006, p. 9). This statement implies that the adaptation can 

individually stand alone, and it even can surpass the original work.  

Nevertheless, some scholars argue that there will always be criticism regardless 

of adaptation’s faithfulness to the ST. Stam (2005) elaborates on the desperate 

state of the adapter as follows (p. 8): 

A “faithful” film is seen as uncreative, but an “unfaithful” film is a shameful 
betrayal of the original. An adaptation that updates the text for the present is 
upbraided for not respecting the period of the source, but respectful costume 
dramas are accused of a failure of nerve in not ‘contemporizing’ the text. If 
an adaptation renders the sexual passages of the source novel literally, it is 
accused of vulgarity; if it fails to do so, it is accused of cowardice. The 
adapter, it seems, can never win. 

Consequently, the topic of fidelity remains controversial within the fields of 

translation and adaptation studies, as adherence to or deviation from the ST does 

not significantly alter the critique. When considering remakes within adaptation, 

it is reasonable to believe that a remake is a new product in a new cultural setting, 

with coherent linkages to ST but standing on its own.



22 
 

CHAPTER > 

REMAKES 

Remakes have become one of the core elements of research in Adaptation 

Studies and Translation Studies after the turn of the new millennium. The 

concepts of “remake” and “adaptation” are frequently perceived as intertwined 

terms. Thus, remakes are typically regarded as subjects that should be discussed 

within adaptation studies. In addition, some scholars (e.g., Cattrysse, 2014; 

Milton, 2009a; Sanders, 2006) use adaptation and translation studies as umbrella 

terms as mentioned above. Cattrysse (2014) also comments on film adaptations 

saying they are considered to be intersemiotic translations (p. 50). However, their 

definitions and relationships often lead to ambiguity and confusion which will be 

addressed in this chapter. In Cambridge Dictionary (n.d), the remake (n) is 

defined as “a film that has a story and title similar to an old one,” while Longman 

Dictionary (n.d) defines it as “a record or film that has the same music or story as 

one that was made before.” To define the remake, the Cambridge Dictionary uses 

the word “similar,” while Longman prefers “the same.” So, even dictionaries have 

difficulty reaching a consensus on the depiction of remakes. For this reason, it is 

not surprising that several scholars have brought forward a definition for this 

phenomenon. Thomas M. Leitch, who is considered to be one of the pioneers of 

the studies in this field, in his seminal work Twice-Told Tales: The Rhetoric of the 

Remake, describes remakes as “new versions of old films” and makes a 

differentiating remark on adaptations and remakes (1990, p. 138):   

At first glance, movie remakes - new versions of old movies - may seem no 
different from other film adaptations of earlier material. But the peculiar 
nature of the relationships they establish with their earlier models and with 
their audience makes them unique among Hollywood films and indeed, 
among all the different kinds of narrative. Short stories and novels are often 
adapted for stage or screen; ballets are sometimes recreated or 
rechoreographed; comic strips are occasionally revived by new artists; plays 
are reinterpreted by each new set of performers; but only movies are remade. 
[…] Only remakes are remakes. 

 



23 
 

Gambier (2003) briefly defines remakes and remarks that “a remake is a 

recontextualization of a film under the values, ideology and narrative conventions 

of the new target culture,” (p. 174). Rebecca Rowe (2022), in her article, focuses 

on the remake trend that is followed by Disney and defines it as an act that “uses 

new technology to give the old films new life, making the original text seem both 

new and yet always familiar,” (p. 99). So, the strategies that are going to be used 

in a remake depend on “expectations and audience knowledge,” and “the 

institutions that govern and support specific reading strategies,” (Verevis, 2006, 

p. 23). Disney’s beloved animation hits, such as Beauty and the Beast (1991), 

Alaaddin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and Mulan (1998) are remade in the late 

2010s to give them a new life and introduce them to the new generation with 

better visuals. As Horton and McDougal (1998) put forward, remakes are films 

that, to varying extents, indicate their incorporation of one or more prior movies 

(p.3). Furthermore, Naremore (2000), asserts that all remakes and adaptations 

are imitations of the previous works (p. 13). In addition to these views, Duran 

(2020) takes a stand with Leitch on the deviation of concepts of adaptation and 

remake and explains this duality as follows (p.1):  

Adaptations are not limited to today’s structures and realities. They have 
undergone many functional changes from media to adaptation. There were 
written texts before the visual media. The need to visualize the most read 
written texts carried adaptation to many other places. As can be seen here, 
adaptation first showed itself only in written literature, and then started to take 
a completely different name with visual shifts. This was called “remake” 
which means re-telling, re-translating, and replaying. While the original work 
is being adapted, it needs to be rebuilt, because a straight translation makes 
that adaptation incomplete. To complete this deficiency is to know the cultural 
issues well. 

Although scholars often distinguish between adaptations and remakes, it is 

generally acknowledged that remakes are a subset of adaptations. As Duran 

references Leitch, the transformation of popular written texts into visual forms 

marked the expansion of adaptation into media such as film and television (p. 1). 

While both terms describe similar processes across different formats, remake 

specifically highlights the visual dimension that sets it apart from traditional textual 

adaptations. 



24 
 

In addition to “adaptation,” there is another concept that is generally confused 

with remakes as well. Even though these terms are used interchangeably by 

some, Heather Urbanski (2013) defines reboots as “re-imagined versions of 

beloved franchises,” (p. 5). Thus, it can be defined as an act that “seeks to forge 

a series of films, to begin a franchise anew from the ashes of an old or failed 

property,” (Proctor, 2012, p. 4). So, while remakes are newly constructed 

interpretations of a single movie, reboots focus on the re-interpretation of the 

whole franchise. For instance, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005), Martin 

Campbell’s Casino Royale (2006), and Sam Mendes’ Skyfall (2012) of the James 

Bond franchise, a Superman movie Man of Steel directed (2013) by Zach Snyder 

are recognized as reboots as they attempt to revive the franchise that had a flop 

in the box office before. In Proctor’s words (2012), these franchises “wiping the 

slate clean, begin from the year one” to give a fresh start (p. 5). For instance, 

even though Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009), which aired after 25 years of 

interval, and Fargo (2014-2024), which is inspired by the movie of the same 

name, take place in the same universe, they do not have a same plot. Due to the 

change in the plot, they are not recognized as remakes but reboots (Berger, 

2016). As Proctor (2023) argues all reboots, to a certain degree, “revive,” 

“remake,” “adapt,” and “reimagine” elements from the cultural past; however, this 

is not to say that all “revivals,” “remakes,” “adaptations,” or “re-imaginings” can 

be considered as reboots (p. 42). Proctor (2023) summarizes this distinction as 

follows (p. 58):  

A reboot is neither continuation nor adaptation, neither remake nor spin-off, 
neither retcon nor revival. A reboot responds to a failure in the story-program 
by wiping the slate clean and beginning again from scratch, the idea being 
to restore the system to maximum functionality (be that in commercial, 
narrative, and/ or critical terms). 

After the turn of the millennium, several scholars (e.g., Leitch, 2002; Loock & 

Verevis, 2012; Mazdon, 2000; Rowe, 2022; Verevis, 2006; Zanger, 2007) have 

studied film remakes. While some of these studies (Mazdon, 2000; Raw, 2011; 

Rowe, 2022) focus on the motives of the remakes and fidelity, some (Heinz & 

Krämer, 2015; Verevis, 2006) attempt to construct a definition for remakes, 



25 
 

whereas others (Cuelenaere, 2021) focus on the industrial actors in the practice 

of remaking. In addition, there are some scholars that try to taxonomize remakes. 

For instance, even though Nicola Dusi (2011) believes that taxonomizing the 

remakes is in vain, Leitch (2002) has already come up with a taxonomy that 

classifies remakes under a four-part model. The first one is “readaptations” whose 

foremost aim is to remain faithful to the ST as much as possible. The readaptation 

highly overlooks the former adaptations, and it does not follow their stance and 

meticulously tries to transmit more details than the former adaptation. 

Readaptations manifest themselves as the better versions due to their assertion 

of being more faithful. The second one is “updates,” whose primary objective is 

to transpose a story adapting the narrative according to the modern audience. As 

the older version of the movie is ignored and the novel is considered the major 

source, the end product becomes an update. This version recognizes the original 

work as a source that cannot meet the requirements of the era and attempts to 

adapt the old environment into a modern one. The third one is “homages”, which 

follows closely the earlier film adaptations and positions the earlier adaptation 

into a higher point than the ST. For instance, Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the 

Vampyre (1982) aims to hold the original adaptation in esteem and not try to take 

its place. The last one is “true remakes” which attempt to overthrow earlier movies 

and usurp their thrones by claiming that they are the best version (p. 45-50).   

Although the lines separating adaptation, remake, and reboot are still blurry, 

remakes deserve particular recognition as a potent and dynamic mode of 

adaptation. Far from being mere repetitions, remakes reinterpret and 

recontextualize source texts in ways that respond to contemporary cultural, 

ideological, and technological shifts. By interacting with prior narratives through 

new lenses—whether through revised aesthetics, sociopolitical commentary, or 

technological innovation—remakes offer a space for cultural dialogue and 

creative renewal. This helps them not only maintain but also revive stories for 

next generations, therefore confirming their importance as a major and evolving 

kind of adaptation in both film and translation studies. 



26 
 

2.1. REMAKE AS A TYPE OF AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION 

At first, the translation of the media products was referred to as “film translation.” 

After the introduction of pictures and sounds, the term Audiovisual translation 

(AVT) was coined to correspond to this phenomenon (Gambier, 2003). However, 

remakes to be considered as a type of AVT has always been a controversial 

subject. So, even though remakes are a field of research for Translation Studies, 

Jonathan Evans (2014), in his seminal article titled “Film Remakes, the Black 

Sheep of Translation,” brings forward that most scholars do not step out of the 

traditions and classify remaking as a kind of AVT. Evans, however, recognizes 

remakes that are adapted from a film of another language as a “cinematic subset 

of translation” due to the interlingual transfer. Furthermore, some scholars (e.g., 

Darwish & Al-Yasin, 2023; Gambier, 2003; Gottlieb, 2005; Mandiberg, 2008) 

recognize remaking as an act of translation as well. Gottlieb (2005) and 

Mandiberg (2008), put forward that due to the act of transference of meaningful 

units between languages, remakes are in fact sort of translation. In addition to 

this, Nornes (2007) claims that Hollywood resorts to making a remake instead of 

translating a popular movie or TV show. Even though their choice to make a 

remake derives from the thought to “eschew” translation, the remake ultimately 

becomes a product of free translation (P. 8). The rationale behind this choice is 

motivation for earning more money from that product. As Moran (2004) calls 

“locally produced programs, whether based on formats or not, are likely to attract 

larger audiences than imported programs,” (p. 6). So, hoping that the 

transnational remake might hit success as the original movie or TV show, the 

people in charge of the production opt for a remake instead of dubbing or 

subtitling (Darwish & Al-Yasin, 2023).  

Okyayuz (2017a) further asserts that the experts, carrying the interlingual transfer 

in remakes, are the ones who rewrite the source TV series’ script for the target 

audience (p. 114). She also suggests that this transaction should involve a 

translator, a director, and a scriptwriter. While the translator transfers the words 

into another language, the director and the scriptwriter decide on the orientation 



27 
 

of the adaptation of the source material. In other words, the first step in this two-

step procedure is to translate the text. The second step is to have different 

specialists to translate the source text to fit the conversations of the target culture 

(Duman, 2022, p. 28). In addition, Gottlieb (2005) also created a table to 

categorize intrasemiotic types and classify transnational remakes under the 

interlingual translation (p. 39) and he further elaborates on his choice as follows 

(p. 42):  

Instead of merely translating the verbal elements (as in dubbing and 
subtitling, see below), a remake transplants the entire film, setting and all, 
into the target culture. The resulting film may appear to be an original work, 
but as it is based on an existing storyline etc., it is indeed a translation. 

Furthermore, Khan (2025) says that remakes involve alterations and adaptations 

in the plot structure and characterization. Since there is a language and culture 

exchange during the remaking process, remakes involve translation activity (p. 

3). Thus, since they involve reinterpreting and recontextualizing a story across 

cultural and temporal boundaries, remakes can therefore be regarded as a type 

of audiovisual translation when analyzed through the lens of translation theory.  

Analogically, remakes suffer the same fate of translation as they are seen as 

secondary to the original work. They are considered to be copycats and imitations 

of the earlier productions. As Laura Mee (2017) signifies “film remakes are 

generally held in the lowest esteem, seen as shameless rip-offs or pointless 

copies of cherished classics,” (p. 193). Numerous studies classify remakes as 

derivative (e.g., Francis, 2013; Frost, 2009; Lizardi, 2010; Roche, 2014). 

Remakes are seen as inferior to the original production. So, if a film is derived 

from or expressly influenced by another, it typically does not receive the same 

prestige afforded to an original work. Therefore, Mee (2017) emphasizes that the 

inferiority and derivative nature of remakes is inevitable. Naremore (2000), 

elaborately explains this inferiority as follows (p. 13): 

The problem of sequels and remakes, like the even broader problem of 
parody and pastiche, is quite similar to the problem of adaptation… All these 



28 
 

forms can be subsumed under the more general theory of artistic imitation, 
in the restricted sense of works of art that imitate other works of art. Notice, 
moreover, that all the “imitative” types of film are in danger of being assigned 
a low status, or even of eliciting critical opprobrium because they are copies 
of “culturally treasured” originals. 

Raw (2011), however, believes that these concerns of inferiority should be viewed 

through a broader perspective and Skopos theory might be the solution for this 

problem (p. 208). Raw emphasizes a crucial dynamic within the practice of film 

remaking: the tension between fidelity and creative reinterpretation. By 

highlighting Skopos theory, originally developed in the field of translation studies, 

he positions remakes within a broader framework of purpose-driven adaptation. 

He notes that remakes are not merely artistic products but are deeply embedded 

in industrial contexts where commercial considerations often guide creative 

decisions. So, it suggests that fidelity in remakes is not an absolute standard but 

a negotiated space shaped by the intended function of the remake within its 

contemporary cultural and market environment. Thus, understanding remakes 

through the lens of Skopos theory allows for a more distinctive appreciation of 

how artistic and industrial forces interact to produce meaning across versions. In 

other words, the decisions of the agents (e.g., producer, scriptwriter, director) of 

the production process should be taken into consideration during the evaluation 

of fidelity. 

2.2. REMAKES THROUGHOUT HISTORY 

Nowadays, the transference of narratives through translation, adaptation, or 

remaking is a prevalent global practice (Sancaktaroğlu & Okyayuz, 2021). 

Although the remake industry gained momentum after the 2000s, the concept of 

a remake has a long-established past; it almost dates back to the days of the 

invention of cinema, in other words to the late nineteenth century. However, as 

75% of the movies from the silent film era vanished, it is hard to track down the 

earliest remakes (Kubincanek, 2020). Nonetheless, inspired by Louis Lumière’s 

Partie d’écarté/Card Game (1895), George Méliès’ Une partie de cartes/Card 

Party (1896), is thought to be the first remake in the history of cinema. According 



29 
 

to Kubincanek (2020) though, Georges Méliès’ L’Arroseur/Watering the Flowers 

(1896), which is the remake of the Lumière Brothers’ silent short film L’Arroseur 

arrosé/The Waterer Watered (1895), is the first remake to be shot. Considering 

this idea, it can be said that remakes are almost as old as cinema itself (Evans, 

2018, p. 160). In the first years of the cinema, as there were no laws against 

copyright infringement, directors took advantage of this loophole and 

continuously copied the works of others (Nour, 2025). Consequently, remakes 

boomed in the first years of the cinema. As a matter of fact, directors were 

remaking their own movies only a year apart, mostly due to technological 

developments. For instance, Georges Méliès’ Le Château hanté/The Devil’s 

Castle (1897) was a remake of the same director’s Le Manoir du diable/House of 

the Devil (1896). These movies are also considered the first horror movies in 

history. Moreover, the world’s first female film director Alice Guy’s La Fée aux 

Choux/The Cabbage Fairy (1900) was also the remake of the same director’s film 

of the same name which was shot in 1896 (Nour, 2025). As the footage of the 

original film was lost, she reshot the movie, cutting some scenes from the original 

movie. An English production Tea: The Twins’ Tea Party (1898), which is the 

remake of The Twins’ Tea Party (1896), The Kiss (1896), directed by William 

Heise and which was remade in 1900, The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899), which was 

remade after the moving picture of the same name, The Chimney Sweep and the 

Miller (1900) which was the remake of George Albert Smith’s The Miller and the 

Sweep (1897) are recognized as the earliest film remakes in cinema history 

(Fuge, 2022). In fact, some movies were remade for the second time even before 

the 1900s (Nour, 2019). For instance, The Biter Bit (1899) is the second remake 

of the Lumière Brothers’ L'Arroseur Arrosé (1895) and one of the first 

transnational remakes as the original French movie was remade in England. As 

can be seen from these examples, French directors George Méliès and the 

Lumière Brothers, as pioneers of cinema, left their mark in the first years of 

remake history. After a few years, English, and American directors started 

appearing on the stage of remaking as well.  



30 
 

As the main focus of the film industry is money, remakes have gained ground in 

the movie and TV industries as they proved to be profitable activities 

(Kubincanek, 2020). Remakes often occur in the same language and culture and 

due to evolving environments and cultural norms, beloved old films are 

reimagined in the same culture and language to reflect these technological 

changes and developments. For instance, several movies in Hollywood went viral 

after being remade. Notable examples include The Thing (2011), which is the 

remake of John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021), 

which is the remake of David Lynch’s Dune (1984), and Steven Spielberg's West 

Side Story (2021), the remake of West Side Story (1961). This list continues, but 

these are the most recognizable examples. Some were remade due to the 

presence of technological limitations during the original filming, while others were 

inspired by societal and cultural changes (Saab & Cataldo, 2023). Although many 

believe that remakes are doomed to fail from the outset, the films listed above 

have proven otherwise. These remakes have surpassed their predecessors at 

the box office and have been critically acclaimed by film critics.  

Following the onset of the sound film era, early transnational remakes have come 

to the fore in countries that remade movies from Hollywood (Nornes, 2007; 

Lenart, 2013). Evans (2014) comments on early transnational remakes saying, 

“Similar to other remakes, multiple-language versions replace the whole original 

film with the target film” (p. 310). Some of these movies were even shot in the 

same studio as the original movie, only to feature native speaker casting of the 

target culture. For instance, Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931) was remade with the 

same name in the same year by director George Melford using the same set and 

decorations. There were several translators at the studios’ disposal for the 

translation of the scripts (Lenart, 2013, p. 3). In 1933, due to economic concerns, 

this practice was abandoned and replaced by dubbing and subtitling as these 

practices were more cost-effective than remakes at that time (p. 5). 

Consequently, this era of multiple-language versions did not last long, only from 

1929 to 1933 (Evans, 2018, p. 163). 



31 
 

Lately, though, transnational remakes have flourished again both on small screen 

and big screen. Movies and TV shows that have gained popularity in their original 

birthplace, are adapted for viewers in other countries (Griffin, 2008). As a result 

of remaking movies and television shows outside of their country, the visual 

content is globalized (Turner, 2004). Due to the shift in geography, cultural and 

linguistic changes occur in the remake to conform to the norms of the target 

audience’s society (Evans, 2018, p. 1). As a matter of fact, Unseen (2023), which 

will be examined in this thesis, serves as a notable instance of a transnational 

remake, reflecting the complexities involved in adapting narratives across diverse 

cultural landscapes. 

In the beginning, remakes were mostly composed of American pictures adapted 

for European cinema, however as now things have changed Europe has become 

a source for American cinema (Gambier, 2003). For instance, in 1980s and 

1990s, Hollywood boomed with remakes of European films especially films 

borrowed from France (Mazdon, 2000). In addition to European cinema being a 

source of script for Hollywood, Asian cinema has lent a number of scripts as well. 

For instance, Martin Scorsese’s The Departed (2006), an Academy Award 

Winner for the best picture, is the remake of the Hong Kong production Mou Gaan 

Dou/Internal Affairs (2002). According to Martin Lüthe (2015), while The Departed 

endeavors to remain loyal to the original movie, Scorsese adds some elements 

to surpass the original “according to the logic of its spatial and cultural re-

contextualization” (pp. 97-98). The Ring (2002), the remake of Ringu (1998), 

Grudge (2004), the remake of Ju-on (2003), and The Echo (2008), the remake of 

Sigaw (2004), are a few examples of Hollywood remakes of Asian films. Hantke 

(2010) finds this mania of remaking Asian films so intense that he describes this 

phenomenon as “plundering,” (p. ix). Even Pakistani cinema gets its share of the 

transnational remaking. Zibahkhana (2007) which is inspired by The Texas 

Chainsaw Massacre (1974), even though it is not an official remake, is considered 

a transnational adaptation of an American counterpart (Masood, 2019). However, 

as Smith and Verevis (2017) argue nations’ local dynamics complicate the issue 



32 
 

of remaking further during the global cultural exchange (p. 2), and Biernacka 

(2012) elaborately explains this cultural phenomenon as follows (p. 1):  

[t]he process of transferring a film across borders relies on a transfer of the 
narrative, that requires modifications of elements of a structure and meaning 
to a new cultural environment. Authors employ various means of translation, 
whose final effects stem from an exact copy [...] to changes pertaining to a 
cultural background [...] to vast modifications of every layer of a film structure. 

Thus, adapting a movie into another cultural context involves more than linguistic 

translation. So, adaptation, in a way, becomes an act of cultural translation which 

is conducted according to the expectations and preferences of the target 

audience.  Therefore, it is an undeniable fact that transnational remakes, which 

are transferred across cultures, requires far more attention during the production 

phase.  

Betz (2001) claims that the tendency to remake earlier movies is caused by the 

desire for profit of the producers since they believe remaking is cheaper than 

purchasing an original story and adapting it to the target culture’s norms and 

values (p. 29). Hence, producers play an important role during the decision phase 

of remaking (Raw, 2011). Gambier (2003), on the other hand, emphasizes the 

importance of the target audience’s reception of the screen translation (dubbing, 

voice-over, remakes) by saying (p. 179): 

An audiovisual product has to be different enough to be “foreign” but similar 
enough to what viewers are familiar with to retain their attention. In a way, 
the “other” has to be sufficiently similar to us to be accepted. In this respect, 
the needs and expectations of targeted viewers shape the adaptation of the 
ST (scenario, script, dialogue list). Thus, translation may ultimately be 
involved in exclusively domesticating programs and films, manipulating them 
to please dominant expectations and preferences, for the sake of target-
language fluency or reader-friendliness, sometimes going as far as 
reinforcing language purism, censoring dialogues, or changing part of the 
plot to conform to target-culture ideological drives and aesthetic norms. 

In other words, remakes not only should bear similarities to original production as 

it has to be marketed as exotic products derived from foreign merchandise but 



33 
 

also should conform to the target culture’s norms. These so-called principles are 

considered to be the path of success for the remakes. 

2.3. REMAKES IN TURKISH TELEVISION AND CINEMA 

Although Turkish cinema has historically relied on book adaptations, later on it 

turned to Western films and also drew upon earlier Turkish films to expand its 

repertoire, thereby catering to audience demand (Scognamillo, 1988, p. 202). 

Starting in the 1950s, Turkish cinema began frequently adapting Hollywood and 

European films, leading to a wave of low-budget but creative remakes in the 

1970s and 1980s, such as Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam (1982), a famous remake of 

Star Wars (1977). In 1971, Turkish producers shot 301 movies, making Türkiye 

the third most prolific nation in the world. Yet almost 90% of these movies were 

remakes, adaptations, or spin-offs (Scognamillo, 1973, as cited in Gürata, 2006, 

p. 243). Hence, the 1970s were under the influence of books and movies of 

foreign origin (Gürata, 2006). Although there are several studies on Turkish 

remakes, there is no consensus on the first transnational remake. Tarzan 

İstanbul’da (1952), which is the remake of Tarzan: The Ape Man (1932), and 

Drakula İstanbul’da (1953) which is inspired by Dracula (1931) are recognized as 

the first transnational remakes of Turkish cinema.  

The Yeşilçam era, the most glorious era of Turkish cinema, was full of remakes 

from European, American, and Indian cinemas. As during that time Yeşilçam was 

struggling with economic problems, Hollywood blockbusters (e.g., Star Trek 

1966-1969; The Exorcist, 1973; Rocky, 1976; Star Wars, 1977; Superman, 1978; 

E.T., 1982; Rambo, 1982) were remade (e.g., Turist Ömer Uzay Yolunda, 1973; 

Şeytan, 1974; Kara Şimşek, 1985; Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam, 1982; Süpermen 

Dönüyor, 1979; Badi, 1983; Ramo, 1986 respectively) with relatively lower 

budgets without having the authorization of the original movies’ rights (Dark, 

2015). As Sedef Hızlan (2024) emphasizes, this era known as “Turksploitation” 

hosted films inspired by popular blockbusters whose plots and characters were 

tailored to the Turkish audience. For instance, in Drakula İstanbul’da (1953) 



34 
 

elements that are characteristic of Christianity such as the crucifix and holy water 

are omitted and are not replaced by Islamic elements (Smith, 2017, p. 75). 

Unlicensed films during this era are defined with the derogatory term “rip-offs” 

instead of remakes as these movies distort the original ones. Duran explains 

these “rip-offs” in other words “remakesploitations” in Yeşilçam as follows (2020 

p. 30): 

The first remakes were in the form of “copying the West” and putting their 
cultural styles into Turkish films as “copy-paste” works. This is an extreme 
example of remakes in Turkey, where “modernity” and the “West admiration” 
are contexts showing themselves in this mindset. 

Early Turkish remakes are positioned within the broader sociocultural contexts of 

modernity and Western admiration. However, the strong claims regarding the 

"copy-paste" nature of early Turkish remakes and the ideological motivations 

behind them cannot be ignored. These so-called rip-offs need to be analyzed in 

detail to reveal their main motivation.  

Remakes between the 1950s and the 1980s mainly focused on action and 

fantastic movies. Directors such as Memduh Ün, Çetin İnanç, and Nejat Saydam 

remade a lot of movies in this booming era. Even though the remake trend still 

continues to be present in Turkish cinema, remakes were mostly “confined to 

1960s to 1980s” (Smith and Verevis, 2017, p. 7). Recently, let alone rip-offs, there 

are hardly any remakes in the Turkish cinema (Duran, 2020, p. 16):  

Over time, these “imitations” in remakes in Turkish cinema were abandoned. 
The closest movie today that proves this was “7. Koğuştaki Mucize”. This 
movie was adapted from South Korea’s “Miracle in Cell No. 7”. Currently, 
there are fewer direct “imitations”, and instead the themes are remade 
according to the norms of Turkish life, with fewer “copying and pasting”. In 
conclusion, as can be seen from here, early Turkish remakes were based on 
the original works of American, Korean, and European cinema. 

In recent years, the scarcity of Turkish film remakes has led to a notable shift 

towards television adaptations. Following the turn of the millennium, Turkish 

television has emerged as a significant platform for remakes, drawing inspiration 



35 
 

from various international series. Consequently, the trend of remaking films has 

been replaced by a focus on remaking television series, thereby expanding the 

repertoire of Turkish television. At first, remakes were mostly inspired by the 

American and English cult TV series. Yet, this trend seems to have changed 

lately, as you can see in the tables above and below Korean, Spanish, French, 

and Japanese TV series have come to the fore and become popular among 

Turkish audiences. Subject to contemporary remake trends, Turkish television 

expanded its repertoire with Asian and West European TV series remakes. Some 

researchers listed these movies (see Duman, 2022; Okyayuz, 2017a; Öner, 

2024).  

In addition to expanding its repertoire through remakes that are borrowed from 

other countries and cultures, Turkish cinema and TV commercialize its audio-

visual products in other countries as well, and this practice is the scope of this 

thesis. According to Batuhan Mumcu, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, 

Turkish TV series are streamed in more than 170 countries reaching over 750 

million foreign viewers (TRT Haber, 2024). Okyayuz (2017b) emphasizes that 

Turkish TV series have achieved success in “Latin America, Africa, the Arab 

countries, the Middle East, Asia, the Balkans and in some parts of Europe” (p. 

668). Okyayuz further notes that due to the diverse marketing strategies 

employed by various companies for these audiovisual products, compiling a 

comprehensive list of television series according to their broadcasting countries 

proves to be a challenging endeavor (p. 670). Most of these audiovisual products 

are distributed in other countries via practices like subtitling and dubbing. For 

instance, Binbir Gece (1001 Nights), Aşk-ı Memnu (Forbidden Love), Muhteşem 

Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century) are some of the series that are dubbed in several 

countries, especially in Latin America (Okyayuz, 2017b, p. 678). In recent years, 

the popularity of Turkish soap operas has surged, particularly in Latin America, 

where rights to approximately ten such series were sold across five countries in 

a single year, as noted by Francisco Villanueva, a vice president of a Miami-

based distributor (Abramovich, 2014). Following the onset of the 2010s, the trend 

of transnational remakes of Turkish dramas and films has markedly increased. 



36 
 

According to a compilation titled Remakes of Turkish Dramas on IMDb (n.d.), all 

50 television shows and films listed have been remade after 2010. The table 

below, based on the compilation mentioned above, presents the first 30 TV shows 

selected and organized based on the ST’s IMDb ratings.  

Table 1. Transnational Remakes of Turkish Soap Operas after 2010 

Turkish TV Series / Films Transnational Remakes 
Şahsiyet (9.0) (2018-Ongoing)  Assesino del Olvido (2021-Ongoing) 

(Mexico) 

Ezel (8.6) (2009-2011) Vlad (2019-2021) (Romania) 

Suskunlar (8.3) (2012) Game of Silence (2016) (USA) 

Yargı (8.2) (2021-2024) Pagidevmenoi (2022-2024) (Greece) 

İçerde (8.1) (2016-2017) Clanul (2022-2024) (Romania) 

Cesur ve Güzel (8.0) (2016-2017) La Encrucijada (2025) (Spain) 

Siyah Beyaz Aşk (7.9) (2017-2018) Na tvoey storone (2019) (Ukraine) 

Asi (7.9) (2007-2009) Me atrevo a amarte (2025-Ongoing) 

(Mexico) 

Çukur (7.6) (2016-2021) Groapa (2023-Ongoing) (Romania) 

Aşk-ı Memnu (7.6) (2008-2010) Pasión Prohibida (2013) (USA) 

Kara Para Aşk (7.5) (2014-2015) Imperio de mentiras (2020-2021) 

(Mexico) 

Fatma (7.4) (2021) Unseen (2023) (South Africa) 

Son (7.4) (2012-2013) El Accidente (2017-2018) (Spain) 

Sen Çal Kapımı (7.3) (2020-2021) Postuchis v moyu dver v Moskve (2024-

Ongoing) (Russia) 

Kırmızı Oda (7.3) (2020-2022) Storgi (2022) (Greece) 

Ufak Tefek Cinayetler (7.3) (2017-2018) Stiletto LB (2022) (Lebanon) 

Kiralık Aşk (7.2) (2015-2017) Lobbet Hob (2024-Ongoing) (Lebanon) 

İstanbullu Gelin (7.1) (2017-2019) Bride of Beirut (2019-2022) (Lebanon) 

Fazilet Hanım ve Kızları (6.9) (2017-

2018) 

Las Hijas de la Señora García (2024-

Ongoing) (Mexico) 

Ölene Kadar (6.8) (2017) Barb Ayuttitham (2021) (Thailand) 

Afili Aşk (6.6) (2019-2020) Hab Mlouk (2022) (Algeria) 



37 
 

Benim Tatlı Yalanım (6.2) (2019) Mama na prenájom (2023-2024) 

(Slovakia) 

İyi Günde Kötü Günde (6.1) (2020) Ala Al Hilwa Wa Al Morra (2021) 

(Lebanon) 

Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne? (6.0) (2010-2012) Alba (2021) (Spain) 

Sen Anlat Karadeniz (5.8) (2018-2019) Sueños de Libertad (2024-Ongoing) 

(Spain) 

Zalim İstanbul (5.8) A Promessa (2024-Ongoing) (Portugal) 

Gecenin Kraliçesi (5.7) (2016) Te acuerdas de mi? (2021-Ongoing) 

(Mexico) 

Binbir Gece (5.4) (2006-2009) Al Thaman (2023-Ongoing) (Lebanon) 

Bir Zamanlar Çukurova (5.3) (2018-2022) Erotas Fygas (2022-2024) (Greece) 

O Hayat Benim (5.0) (2014-2017) Adela (2021-2022) (Romania) 

The list presented above features transnational remakes of Turkish television 

series that have been adapted for audiences in other countries. While it draws 

upon the IMDb compilation, each entry has been independently verified through 

online research to ensure authenticity. For example, the Turkish series Ezel, 

which was originally inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo 

(Sel, 2016), was later remade in Romania under the title Vlad, adapted not from 

the literary source but directly from the Turkish series itself (Ay Yapım, n.d.-b). 

Similarly, Aşk-ı Memnu, which is based on the classic Turkish novel of the same 

name, was remade in the United States by the Spanish-language broadcaster 

Telemundo. This American version also derives its narrative not from the original 

novel but directly from the Turkish television adaptation (A