Marwa Dizdar, the winner of the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, returned to Turkey on Sunday and faced either cheers from supporters or sharp criticism. Dizdar told Reuters after casting her vote at a school in Istanbul, "I was very moved by the support I see here. I am very happy to share this with all my sisters."
Dizdar won the Best Actress award for her role in the film "Dry Weeds," in which she played a teacher in a remote village. In her speech at the Cannes festival, she stated that she did not need to rehearse for the role of a teacher, as she has known "from the moment she was born" the feelings of teachers.
Ibrahim Oslo, the vice chairman of Turkey's Supreme Board of Radio and Television, accused Dizdar of tarnishing Turkey's image. He tweeted, "You must first learn to respect your country. Only then can you expect some appreciation for the award you received." However, the actress appeared unapologetic, telling Reuters, "In the country where I was born, we women are in a struggle. It exists here and around the world. We know how hard it is to be a woman, and I spoke about this."
Dizdar, who delivered a moving speech about women's struggles in Turkey while receiving her award at Cannes on Saturday, arrived in Istanbul just in time to cast her vote in the rerun of the presidential elections between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
