Two films from Turkey to be showcased at 80th Venice Film Festival
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Two films from Turkey, Selman Nacar's "Tereddüt Çizgisi" (Hesitation Wound) and Nehir Tuna's debut feature film "Yurt" (Dormitory) are set to make their premieres at the illustrious 80th Venice Film Festival.
Both films have secured their spots in the highly-anticipated Orizzonti Section, where they will be presented from August 30 to September 9.
This year's Orizzonti Awards will be chaired by the renowned Italian director, Jonas Carpignano. In the past, this prestigious platform has showcased outstanding Turkish films, including Yeşim Ustaoğlu's "Araf" (2012), Reha Erdem's "Koca Dünya" (2016), and Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun's "Anons" (2017).
In "Tereddüt Çizgisi" (Hesitation Wound), Selman Nacar's second full-length film, Tülin Özen takes on the lead role of Lawyer Canan. The gripping plot revolves around Canan's inner struggle as she faces the day of a murder suspect's trial. Convinced of the suspect's innocence, Canan has been tirelessly defending them for an extended period.
Alongside Tülin Özen, the film also stars Oğulcan Arman Uslu, Gülçin Kültür Şahin, Vedat Erincin, and Erdem Şenocak.
This Turkish-Spanish-Romanian-French co-production received support from esteemed film institutions like San Sebastian Film Festival WIP, Cinelink, Arras Days, First Cut Lab, Köprüde Buluşmalar, and Antalya Film Forum.
Nehir Tuna, a name well-known for her award-winning short films, is making her grand debut with "Yurt" (Dormitory), produced by TN Yapım. The film's narrative revolves around the experiences of Ahmet, a fourteen-year-old high school preparatory student residing in a religious dormitory.
The cast of the film includes Doğa Karakaş, Can Bartu Aslan, Tansu Biçer, Didem Ellialtı, and Ozan Çelik. Behind the camera, Florent Herry worked as the cinematographer, while Ayris Alptekin handled the editing, and Avi Medina provided the musical score.
About Selman Nacar
Selman Nacar graduated from İstanbul Bilgi University's Law Faculty in 2015 and the Film Faculty in 2016. He completed his master's degree in Film Directing at Columbia University. He also taught directing courses at the same university. He is a graduate of Berlinale Talents 2019 and First Films First 2020.
His first film, "Between Two Dawns," premiered at the 69th San Sebastian Film Festival and won numerous awards, including Best Film at the 39th Torino Film Festival and Jury Special Award, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor at the 58th Antalya Film Festival, among others. His second film, "Tereddüt Çizgisi," will have its premiere at the 80th Venice Film Festival.
About Nehir Tuna
Born in Tekirdağ, Nehir Tuna graduated from Marmara University Business Department and completed her first master's degree in film directing in 2013 at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the US. She worked at the independent film studio Greencard Pictures in New York.
In 2007, she directed her first short film, "Bakire Ada" (Virgin Island). After her short films "18" (2010) and "Mary's Bathroom Camp" (2010), she made the film "Dedeler En İyisini Bilir" (Grandfathers Know Best) (2012), winning the Calypso Award at Moondance and the Audience Award at Williamsburg.
In 2015, her film "Basur" (Hemorrhoids) won the Audience Award at !f Istanbul Independent Films Festival. In 2018, her short film "Ayakkabı" which she wrote and directed, was selected as the Best Film in the International Short Film Competition of the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival. In 2018, she was invited to the Nipkow Program artist residency in Berlin.
In 2019, her first feature film project "Yurt" was selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, and in 2020, it was selected for the Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Lab. With the same project, she was selected for the Crossroads Co-Production Forum at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, MFI Concept Factory, Balkan Film Connection, and received the Villa Kult Berlin Artistic Support Award at the Antalya Film Forum. (AÖ/VK)