Cemre Paksoy Stars in Sundance Erotic Thriller 'Night Nurse'
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- Cemre Paksoy stars as Eleni Sadik, the titular night nurse in Georgia Bernstein's directorial debut 'Night Nurse,' which premiered in Sundance's NEXT section in January
- Independent Film Company will release 'Night Nurse' in U.S. theaters on July 10
- Bernstein wrote the role specifically for Paksoy and pushed through the actress's U.S. artist visa during pre-production, refusing to seek a backup even a month before filming when approval was still pending
- Paksoy prepared by studying Catherine Breillat's 'Dirty Like an Angel' and '36 Fillette,' Sissy Spacek in '3 Women,' and Isabelle Huppert in 'The Piano Teacher,' concluding that 'prudes, perhaps, make the best perverts'
- 'Night Nurse' is set in a luxury Midwest retirement community where Eleni is drawn into phone scams and an increasingly intimate relationship with patient Douglas, played by Bruce McKenzie, with Mimi Rogers as Dr. Mann
- Paksoy and Bernstein are co-writing a second erotic thriller focused on 'restraint and yearning'
Why it matters: A Turkish actress known domestically lands a Sundance-premiering indie lead with a confirmed July 10 U.S. release — a concrete career launchpad rather than a festival-only credit. Bernstein's insistence on Paksoy (visa hurdles and all) signals a committed creative partnership, reinforced by their already-in-progress second erotic thriller, giving this breakout both theatrical reach and sequel runway.
