# Merve Dizdar

Merve Dizdar (born 25 June 1986) is a Turkish actress. She is best known for her roles in War of the Eltis (2020), The Innocents (2020–2022), The Life and Movies of Erşan Kuneri (2022–present), and Snow and the Bear (2022). In 2020, she won the Golden Butterfly Award for Best Actress for her role in The Innocents. Dizdar became the first Turkish actress to win the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in About Dry Grasses (2023).

## Early life and career

Dizdar was born on 25 June 1986 in İzmir. She is a graduate of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University School of Fine Arts with a degree in acting. She received her master's degree in acting from Kadir Has University.
She started her career on stage by joining Semaver Company and continued it at Craft Theatre. Dizdar made her cinematic debut with Bir Ses Böler Geceyi (2011) alongside Cem Davran and pursued a career in television with recurring roles in the series Kavak Yelleri, Geniş Aile, Bir Yastıkta, Doksanlar, Çılgın Dershane Üniversite, and was first noted with her role in Beş Kardeş. She also worked for TRT Children, presenting the programs Arkadaşım Bıdı and 23 Nisan Şenliğe Doğru.
Dizdar won the Afife Jale Theatre Best Actress Award for her role in the play Yutmak. She then joined the cast of hit series 7 Yüz, Vatanım Sensin, and Mucize Doktor respectively. In 2020, she had a leading role with Uraz Kaygılaroğlu in the Gupse Özay's comedy film Eltilerin Savaşı, which as of April 2021 is the 22nd most-watched movie of all time in Turkey according to Box Office Türkiye. She shared the leading role with Serenay Sarıkaya, Ezgi Mola, Enis Arıkan, Şükrü Özyıldız in a musical adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
In 2020, she began appearing in the series Masumlar Apartmanı and won the Golden Butterfly Awards Best Actress award. She played an actress and her many roles in the Netflix spinoff comedy series Erşan Kuneri. In 2023, she starred in Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Kuru Otlar Üstüne, becoming the first Turkish actress to win at the 76th Cannes Film Festival with the Best Actress award for her portrayal of a teacher.
During her acceptance speech, Dizdar dedicated her award to Turkish women. She stated "all my sisters" who actively engage in strengthening the women's rights movement, displaying resilience and unwavering hope despite the challenges they face''. Ibrahim Uslu, the deputy chairman of the Radio and Television Supreme Council, accused Dizdar of undermining Turkey. The incident sparked reactions and debates within the country.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Original title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | A Noise in the Night | Bir Ses Böler Geceyi | Gülizar / Demet | |
| 2013 | Dairy Philosopher | Mandıra Filozofu | Secretary | |
| 2016 | No Way 2 | Yok Artık 2 | Buket | |
| 2017 | Organic Love Stories | Organik Aşk Hikayeleri | Nazlı | |
| 2017 | The Gulf | Körfez | Pınar | Premiered at the 2017 Venice International Film Festival |
| 2018 | My Name Is Batlir, Not Butler | Batlır | Yudum | |
| 2019 | One Love Two Lives | Bir Aşk İki Hayat | Sema Yaşar | |
| 2020 | War of the Eltis | Eltilerin Savaşı | Gizem Altundağ | |
| 2021 | Have You Ever Seen Fireflies? | Sen Hiç Ateşböceği Gördün mü? | İzzet | Netflix film |
| 2022 | Snow and the Bear | Kar ve Ayı | Aslı | Premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival |
| 2022 | The Garage | Tamirhane | Aynur | |
| 2023 | Alice the Musical | Alice Müzikali | Kedi | Disney+ film |
| 2023 | About Dry Grasses | Kuru Otlar Üstüne | Nuray | Premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival |

### Web

| Year | Title | Original title | Role | Platform |
| 2017 | Seven Faces | 7YÜZ | Nihal | BluTV |
| 2022–2024 | The Life and Movies of Erşan Kuneri | Erşan Kuneri | Feride Orhun | Netflix |
| 2023–present | Magarsus | Magarsus | Tansu | BluTV |

### Television

| Year | Title | Original title | Role | Network |
| 2010–2011 | Daydreaming | Kavak Yelleri | Saliha | Kanal D |
| 2012 | Kingdom of People | İnsanlar Alemi | | Star TV |
| 2013 | On a Pillow | Bir Yastıkta | Yeliz Gelin | TRT 1 |
| 2013–2014 | The Nineties | Doksanlar | Selin | ATV |
| 2014 | Çilgin Dersane at the University | Çılgın Dersane Üniversitede | Özge | Show TV |
| 2015 | Orphan Flowers | Kırgın Çiçekler | İrem | ATV |
| 2015 | Five Brothers | Beş Kardeş | Fatma | Kanal D |
| 2015 | New Life | Yeni Hayat | Sekreter | |
| 2015–2016 | The Lizard | Kertenkele | İrem | ATV |
| 2017 | Face to Face | Yüz Yüze | Yeşim | Show TV |
| 2017–2018 | Wounded Love | Vatanım Sensin | Efsun | Kanal D |
| 2020 | A Miracle | Mucize Doktor | Damla | Fox |
| 2020–2022 | The Innocents | Masumlar Apartmanı | Gülben Derenoğlu Bilen | TRT 1 |
| 2021 | The Red Room | Kırmızı Oda | Gülben Derenoğlu Bilen (guest actress) | TV8 |
| 2023–2024 | Ömer | Ömer | Nisa | Star TV |

## Theatre

| Year | Title |
| 2010 | Çok Yaşa Dünya |
| 2010–2011 | Bir Tutam Hayat |
| 2011–2012 | Titus Andronicus |
| 2012 | Bir Kurşun Deliğine Kaç İnsan Sığar |
| 2013 | Bir İnfazın Portresi |
| 2013 | Pamuk Prenses ve Yedi Cüceler |
| 2014 | The Birds |
| 2017 | Yutmak |
| 2019 | Alice Müzikali (published in Disney Plus) |
| 2021 | Dijital Sahne: On İkinci Gece (published in YouTube) |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival | 2022 | Best Actress – National Competition | Snow and the Bear | Won |
| Ayakli Gazete TV Stars Awards | 2021 | Best Supporting Actress | The Innocents | Won |
| Ayakli Gazete TV Stars Awards | 2021 | Best Theater Actress | Herself | Nominated |
| Bosphorus Film Festival | 2022 | Best Actress – National Competition | Snow and the Bear | Won |
| Cannes Film Festival | 2023 | Best Actress | About Dry Grasses | Won |
| Golden Butterfly Awards | 2021 | Best Actress | The Innocents | Won |
| Golden Butterfly Awards | 2022 | Best Actress in a Comedy Series | The Life and Movies of Erşan Kuneri | Nominated |
| Izmir International Festival | 2020 | Best Supporting Actress – Film | One Love Two Lives | Nominated |
| Izmir International Festival | 2022 | Best Actress – Television | The Innocents | Nominated |
| PRODU Awards | 2021 | Best Actress in a Foreign Series | The Innocents | Nominated |
| ReelHeART International Film Festival | 2017 | Best Ensemble Cast | Organic Love Stories | Won |
| Turkish Film Critics Association Awards | 2020 | Best Actress | War of the Eltis | Nominated |
| Turkish Film Critics Association Awards | 2023 | Best Actress | About Dry Grasses | Won |
* 22nd Sadri Alışık Theatre and Cinema Awards [tr] - "Most Successful Actress of the Year" - Yutmak - Craft Theatre - 2017 (nom)
* 21st Afife Theatre Awards [tr] - "Most Successful Actress of the Year" - Yutmak - Craft Theatre - 2017