The Boy on the Bridge,” award-winning writer/director Selcen Yilmazoglu Lombardi’s first feature film, is set to start production in the summer of 2019 with Hakan Yildiz cast as the lead.

In the film, Yildiz, 33, plays Mert Kara, a college student who leaves behind his conservative family and comes to United States. While in New York City, where he works as an au-pair for a Turkish- American family, Mert begins a journey of self-discovery. He soon finds that he must confront his biggest challenge: his sexual orientation.

Yildiz, a Turkish native who now lives in Los Angeles, has acted in, produced, and directed many short-subject films since 2010. In 2013, Yildiz worked as a director and producer at Sweet Dreams Productions in Hungary, before moving to Istanbul to start his own independent production company, 3Films Production & Distribution, with Selcen Yilmazoglu Lombardi in 2014.

Her previous work includes the award winning short film, “Hursit,” which she directed. The film nominated many awards including Giffoni Film Festival, Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Ale Kino! Young Audience  Film Festival, BUFF International Film Festival,  Los Angeles Children Film Festival ,among others.

That was just after her fist short debut film “The Mirror”, and led to bring many international awards for 2014’s “The Mirror,” in which Lombardi written and directed.

Already cast in “The Boy on the Bridge” are Cigdem Spickermann and Leyla Uner Ermaya.

3Films is preparing to announce more stars that will join the cast of “The Boy on the Bridge.”