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Ahead of its European bow in San Sebastian as part of the fest’s New Directors Competition, Turkish writer-director Belkis Bayrak reveals the first look trailer for her riveting debut feature, “Gülizar,” shared exclusively with Variety.

“It is, of course, an honor to be in competition at San Sebastian with my debut feature,” Bayrak relayed. “I can’t wait to see the film with a European audience, especially the famed San Sebastian audience!”

Bayrak is an alum of the Torino Film Lab, Reclaim The Frame’s Filmonomics Program and a member of Ewa who has previously released notable shorts “The Apartment” and “Cemile.”

“Gülizar,” which saw its world premiere in Toronto at TIFF’s Discovery strand, was produced by Bayrak alongside Murat Yaşar Bayrak at Turkey’s Saba Film in tandem with Mehmet Bahadir Er of Turkey’s Protim V.P and co-produced by Valmira Hyseni of Kosovo’s Planbee Films.

Feeling constricted in her family house where life is defined by strict rules of conduct imposed by her dominant, tough-as-nails mother, Gülizar (Ecem Uzun) can’t wait to depart to Kosovo to wed Emre (Bekir Behrem) in an arranged marriage she puts high hopes in. She isn’t naive to believe that this new chapter of her life will be all milk and honey, but it’s a fresh start offering her the possibility to explore her own expectations and maybe find happiness.

Gülizar is screening at Toronto International Film Festival

In her debut feature named by the lead character, Belkis Bayrak delivers what most auteurs who seek to catch the female gaze fail to do: observe, listen and expose the complexity of a trauma that marks a woman’s life in a way that is difficult to grasp, almost always conditioned by the societal norms. She is navigating the...