Türkiye’s Merve Dizdar wins best actress at Cannes Film Festival

ANKARA

Türkiye’s Merve Dizdar won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival with About Dry Grasses, or Kuru Otlar Ustune.

Kutu Otlar Ustune is a Turkish film directed by award-winning Nuri Bilge Ceylan. The drama focuses on a young teacher who hopes to be appointed to the Turkish metropolis Istanbul after his mandatory assignment at a small village in eastern Türkiye.

The film was jointly produced by the Turkish public broadcaster TRT and ARTE France. The more than three-hour film stars Merve Dizdar, Deniz Celiloglu, Musab Ekici and Ece Bagci.

The award for best director went to Vietnamese-born French film director and screenwriter Tran Anh Hung for the Pot-au-Feu (La Passion De Dodin Bouffant). Set in 1885, the film depicts a romance between a cook and the gourmet she works for.

French director Justine Triet has won the Palme d'Or for Anatomy of a Fall (L'anatomie d'une chute).

A total of 19 films were selected to run for the prestigious award Palme d’Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival which kicked off Tuesday and will run until May 27.

The award for best screenplay went to Japanese Yuji Sakamoto for Kaibutsu (monster) directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

The Cannes Film Festival is annually held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world.