Nuri Bilge Ceylan
The Istanbul-born director whose Winter Sleep, shot in Cappadocia, won the Palme d'Or.
If you have seen one Turkish film, it may well be by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. His long, quiet films have won major prizes at Cannes, and in 2014 Winter Sleep took the Palme d’Or. He shot that film in the snow of Cappadocia, among cave houses and rock cones. His work leads straight to a landscape you can visit.
Who Is Nuri Bilge Ceylan?
Nuri Bilge Ceylan was born in Bakırköy, Istanbul, on 26 January 1959. He spent most of his childhood in his father’s hometown of Yenice, near Çanakkale. Later, he studied engineering at Boğaziçi University, where he first made his name as a photographer. After military service, he studied film at Mimar Sinan University.
His short film Koza (Cocoon) was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. Since then, several of his feature films have been Turkey’s submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
The Films of Nuri Bilge Ceylan at Cannes
At Cannes, his record is remarkable. Uzak, shot in winter Istanbul, won the Grand Prix in 2003, and its two lead actors shared the Best Actor prize. Then Three Monkeys brought him Best Director in 2008. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia won the Grand Prix again in 2011.
Winter Sleep in Cappadocia
Winter Sleep is his adaptation of a story by Anton Chekhov. It follows Aydın, a former actor who owns a small hotel high in the rock landscape of Cappadocia. Ceylan shot the film there, and in 2014 it won the Palme d’Or, the highest prize of the festival. His long winter shots took the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia to cinema screens.
Our notes on Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Born26 January 1959, Istanbul
- Palme d’OrWinter Sleep, Cannes 2014
- Grand PrixUzak (2003), Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)
- Best DirectorThree Monkeys, Cannes 2008
Our suggestion Watch Winter Sleep before your trip, then come to Cappadocia in winter, when the snow on the rock cones looks just like the film. Stay in a cave hotel and take a walk through the valleys at dawn.
See the Cappadocia of Winter Sleep
Would you like to stand in the landscape of Winter Sleep? Winter is the season of the film. Let us know your dates, and we will plan the cave hotel and the walks. Our North Cappadocia tour takes you through the villages and valleys. A guide in Cappadocia can follow the film’s winter mood at your pace. For more Turkish storytellers, read about Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak.
