Nur Sürer: Honoring a Career in Film and Social Engagement

In her more than 40-year career, Nur Sürer has shaped films that are considered milestones of Turkish cinema through her extraordinary acting. Her artistic work is inseparable from her uncompromising political stance and social engagement. In films such as “Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde” (Fertile Lands, 1979), “Derman” (The Remedy, 1983), “Yılanların Öcü” (Revenge of the Snakes, 1985), and “Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar” (Don’t Let the Kite Fall, 1989), she collaborated with prominent directors and actors of Turkish cinema. She also appeared in international co-productions like “Ayna” (The Mirror, 1984), “Yara” (The Wound, 1998), and “Dark Shadows of Fear” (Korkunun Karanlık Gölgesi, 1993), which focus on themes of migration and women. She became known to international audiences primarily through her leading role in Xavier Koller’s “Journey of Hope” (Umuda Yolculuk, 1990). The film, addressing the still highly relevant topic of flight and migration, won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Nur Sürer, who has received numerous awards, has twice been named Best Actress at Turkey’s most prestigious film festival in Antalya, and in 2024 she won this award for the third time for her leading role in “Mukadderat” (Destiny, 2024), which will open the 29th Turkey-Germany Film Festival in Nuremberg on March 7, 2025.

For years, Nur Sürer has also been socially and politically engaged, among other activities through the Association of Contemporary Actors (ÇASOD). She has consistently dedicated her awards to people who were or are active in artistic and political spheres, including Yılmaz Güney, Aziz Nesin, the activist Ali İsmail Korkmaz, killed during the Gezi protests, and the Saturday Mothers, who for 30 years have sought their relatives “disappeared” while in police custody. In an interview, she said: “We know: if there were no hope, everything would be meaningless. Children, we will experience beautiful days.” Her commitment has made her a role model for younger generations.

The Turkey-Germany Film Festival in Nuremberg will present the Honorary Award 2025 to Nur Sürer, who has significantly shaped cinematic art through her work, seamlessly combined her socio-political engagement with her acting, and brought different cultural worlds closer together.