Turkish actress Merve Dizdar has marked another milestone in her outstanding acting career. In an interview with Oksijen TV, she announced that she will be honored with the title of “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters)” by France on January 28.
In the interview she had with Gülay Afşar, Dizdar mentioned that she did not have any plans other than acting since childhood. She dedicated herself fully to acting and worked tirelessly to get where she is now. As a result, she has garnered every award in Turkish theater, cinema and television, including Afife and Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival awards. Nonetheless, her talent did not stay limited to the borders of her own country. Dizdar made a name for herself on the global stage with Cannes Film Festival.
Previously in 2023, she was awarded Best Actress with Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne)” at her first time attending Cannes Film Festival. Her portrayal of a school teacher with a prosthetic leg named Nuray who longs for a better country received a remarkable applause at Cannes. Moreover, her speech that emphasized Nuray’s fight and women solidarity was engraved in everyone’s memory.
“I dedicate this award to all my sisters who support Nuray and women like her in their struggle and who never give up hoping no matter what, and to all the resilient souls in Türkiye waiting for the beautiful days they deserve,” said Dizdar. From her nomination to her award-speech, Dizdar filled the hearts of her sisters and country with immense joy and pride.
However, she acknowledged in the interview that her big win in Cannes initially left her with mixed feelings, a sense of emptiness and a mild depression. Nevertheless, Dizdar continued her work at full speed and contributed to the art world with various plays, TV series and movies. She admitted that her awards are her reassurances in moments of self-doubt, reminding her what she is capable of.
The Best Actress Award she earned in Cannes opened new opportunities in her career and fueled her distinguished talent to be taken seriously and be recognized at the international platform. And now, she is presented with the knighthood of arts and letters by France.
"After fulfilling a very big dream in Cannes, I thought, 'What more could happen?' and then I was knighted," Dizdar stated. “One should never say ‘this is it' and ‘what more can happen’ in life. Anything is possible. I am declared as a knight at the age of 38.” The knighthood ceremony will take place on January 28.
Since 1957, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres has been given by the French Ministry of Culture to individuals who have contributed profoundly to art, literature and culture, and demonstrated international success by expanding the limits of them. Dizdar has joined among the Turkish artists who were presented with the title such as Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Ajda Pekkan.
Now, she is continuing her stage performance with Duncan Macmillan’s award-winning modern tragedy “People, Places & Things (İnsanlar, Mekanlar, Nesneler)” at Zorlu PSM. The play is translated from the original script and directed by İbrahim Çiçek. This is not the first time Dizdar and Çiçek collaborated. They previously worked together in “Yutmak (Swallow)” which was directed by Çiçek and which earned Dizdar an Afife Award.
In People, Places & Things, they explore the themes of addiction, identity and the struggles of rehabilitation. Dizdar portrays a woman named “Emma,” also an actress, who battles addiction by attending group therapy. People who wish to witness Dizdar’s honest and powerful performance in the following days of January or in February can access the tickets of the play on Zorlu PSM’s website.
While People, Places & Things was in the rehearsal period, the actress also filmed the second season of her internet series Magarsus which will premiere on BluTV in February. Furthermore, a new mainstream series called “Kral Kaybederse (If the King Loses)” is currently in its filming process, where she shares the lead with Aslıhan Gürbüz and Halit Ergenç.
Merve Dizdar has been inspiring the art-lover community with her devotion to hard work and the knighthood honor she will carry is just one of the many fruits of her exceptional career. She is setting new goals for the next generations of actors to aspire to while making her country extremely proud. Her humble approach towards the awards consolidates her unique legacy in Turkish acting history and the excitement she has for the upcoming projects perpetuates her dynamic success.
Edited by: Yağmur Ece Nisanoğlu