Selman Nacar is a filmmaker, with a Film Directing Mfa from Columbia University in New York. He gave lectures on fictional filmmaking at the same university. He graduated from Istanbul Bilgi University Faculty of Law in 2015, and the Faculty of Film in 2016. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents 2019, and First Films First 2020. His latest work “Hesitation Wounds” was selected at Antalya Film Forum 2022 and at Venice Biennale Cinema 2023.

On the occasion of the film screening at Jakarta World Cinema, we speak with him about his law degree and how it affected a court drama, the balance between professional and social drama, women professionals in Turkey, the local movie industry and other topics.

You also have a degree in law. How does that affect your filmmaking, particularly in this movie?

I studied law as an undergrad, and that is why, from an early age, I had the chance to read...