Senum Tüzen has taken the award for Best Screenplay at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2015 for the Turkish cinematic gem Motherland (Ana Turdu).

 The story of Motherland (Ana Yurdu is the Turkish title) revolves around lead character Nesrin, an urban upper-middle class woman. She returns to her old village in Anatolia to complete a book and fulfill her dreams of becoming a successful novelist. When her conservative mother arrives uninvited, Nesrin’s writing progress stalls and her ambitions take a turn for the worse. Mother and daughter are forced to confront their dark past and the story develops into a deeply personal struggle for reconciliation.

Praised for its realism and its depiction of emotional authenticity, Motherland is a deeply touching story brought to life largely due to the talents and skills of Senum Tüzen, who also directed, co-produced and co-edited the film.

Born in Ankara in 1980, Senum Tüzen earned a degree in cinema from Istanbul’s Mimar Sinan Fine Arts Academy. Her short film Unus Mundus (2007) won Best Short Award in 2009 at the Turkish Film Critics Association’s. Her short film Süt ve Çikolata (Milk and Chocolate) was nominated for the same prize that same year. Ana Yurdu (Motherland) is her first full-length film, and hopefully a taste of things to come.