Merve Dizdar, 36, became the first Turkish actress to win the Best Female Performance award at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in “About Dry Grasses,” a film that evokes Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s rural Turkey. The director, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2014 with “Winter Sleep,” entrusted Dizdar to play Nuray, a teacher and activist trying to rebuild her life after an attack that cost her a leg.
The film’s plot unfolds in a remote area of Anatolia, where Nuray will meet Samet (played by Deniz Celiloglu), a schoolteacher who oscillates between despair and misanthropy. Through the story of Samet, a character who has been waiting to be transferred to Istanbul, the director addresses the psychological repercussions of distance and the feelings of isolation, alienation, and exclusion.
The film also portrays the daily struggle of the inhabitants of that region, as well as their geographical and social context. Merve Dizdar, who studied drama and began her career in theater, made her first film in 2011 and then worked in several TV series. In 2020, he stood out for his role in the hit Turkish comedy “War of the Eltis.”
Previously, two Turkish actors had won the Best Male Performance award at Cannes in 2003 for their roles in “Uzak,” also directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Merve Dizdar was thrilled to receive the award and described her character in “About Dry Grasses” as someone who struggles for existence and has overcome many difficulties.
Working with Ceylan was a sublime experience for the actress, as her character was not very detailed in the script and required a deep interpretation. Dizdar praised the director and highlighted the satisfaction of collaborating with him. He described the filming process as a dance of mixed feelings and highlighted Ceylan’s exceptionality as a director.
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, known for his meticulous direction, the constant presence of landscape, and his long films, has become one of the most recognized filmmakers in Turkey and auteur cinema internationally.