Türkiye’s Merve Dizdar wins best actress at Cannes

Turkish actress Merve Dizdar won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival on May 27 for her role in "About Dry Grasses," the latest film from festival favorite, Türkiye's acclaimed director Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

Dizdar said she played "someone who is fighting for her life and she has overcome a lot of difficulties."

The character I portray in the film is someone who is fighting for her life and she's overcome a lot of difficulties. Under normal circumstances, I would have had to work hard on this character," said Dizdar.

"I understand what it's like to be a woman in this area of the country," she continued. "I would like to dedicate this prize to all the women who are fighting to exist and overcome difficulties in this world and to retrain hope.

In "About Dry Grasses" she plays a former activist rebuilding her life after having her leg amputated from a bombing.

She captures the interests of two village schoolteachers, and challenges their cynicism with her own dedication to political activism, in Ceylan's trademark powerful dialogue.

The film focuses on a dejected schoolteacher frustrated with his life in a remote Anatolian village.

Shot in Ceylan's visually arresting style, it looks at teacher-pupil relations and the roots of political engagement.

The 36-year-old Dizdar has been starring in films and television since the early 2010s after studying acting and starting out in theater.

Her roles have included some popular TV series in Türkiye including "Wounded Love."

Ceylan previously won the Palme d'Or for "Winter Sleep," among multiple awards he has received over the years at the Cannes Film Festival.

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