Interviews

Interview: Selman Nacar – Hesitation Wound

Published on January 11, 2024

Every few years, a notable new Turkish filmmaker emerges, and in this instance, we find Selman Nacar floating to the top of major film fests. Front-loaded with moral and legal quandaries, Hesitation Wound (Tereddüt Çizgisi) blurs the lines, seamlessly intertwining the contemplative moments both within and outside the courtroom. In a determinist, high-stakes kind of paradox, a criminal lawyer weaves between systems — even those who attempt to fight corruption will use their influence when it suits their needs/agenda. Some crusades are a bit more ambiguous.

His 2020 debut feature Between Two Dawns premiered at the San Sebastián Intl. Film Festival and this new film premiered in the Orizzonti section at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. At the 2023 Red Sea Film Festival I got to speak to Selman Nacar about the depiction of rural Uşak, his short-hand with cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru and finding the rare pearl in Tülin Özen who took the reins. He is currently working on a Netflix series.

Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).