Best Actress at Cannes returns to polarized Turkey

STORY: Dizdar, who delivered an emotional speech on the struggle of women in Turkey upon receiving her prize in Cannes on Saturday, landed in Istanbul in time to cast her vote in the runoff presidential election pitting President Tayyip Erdogan against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

“I am overwhelmed with the support I see here,” Dizdar told Reuters after casting her vote at an Istanbul school. “I am very happy to bring such an award to my country,” she said, as fans sought to take selfies and offered her flowers.

Dizdar was awarded the best actress prize for her role in "About Dry Grasses" as a teacher in a remote village.

In her Cannes speech, Dizdar said that she didn’t need to rehearse for the teacher’s role because she has known how such women feel “by heart since the day I was born."

The speech elicited disparaging reactions from Erdogan's allies and Turkish officials.