‘Cinema Jazireh’ Director Gozde Kural Sets Almodovar-Inspired Sexual Awakening Drama ‘G-Spot of My Soul,’ Soccer Doc Series (EXCLUSIVE)

Following her Afghanistan-set features “Dust” and “Cinema Jazireh,” Turkish auteur Gözde Kural is poised to return home with “G-Spot of My Soul,” an Almodóvar-esque literary adaptation tracking a small-town woman’s late-in-life sexual awakening.

Kural will write and direct, expanding a short story from “Divan Witch,” a collection of character portraits by award-winning screenwriter and showrunner Özlem Yılmaz (“Kuzgun”). She will also produce through her Toz Film banner, reuniting with her “Cinema Jazireh” partners Koskos Film and Seven Springs Pictures.

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The new film will shoot in Turkey, though support from the conservative Ministry of Culture and Tourism appears unlikely, following the state’s withdrawal of funding from “Cinema Jazireh,” which explored gender fluidity through Afghan characters who present as the opposite sex.

Variety spoke with Kural at the Torino Film Festival, where “Cinema Jazireh” is playing in competition.

“I don’t care about chasing after the Ministry anymore,” Kural says. “I don’t care about being an approved director. Filmmakers from my generation spend all their time chasing money and forget the stories. I’m done with that. This will be my third film, and I’ve found my voice. If I prove myself as a storyteller, the funding will come. I’ll find a way — I always do.”

Kural is also working on an untitled doc series tracing the global, sociological impact of soccer (or football, to those outside the U.S.).

“Football is more than a sport,” she says. “For many, it has become almost like a religion, especially in largely secular countries such as Spain and the Netherlands. From the beginning, the game held great power — Ottoman rulers even banned it, though Galatasaray players kept it alive. Later, authorities recognized its influence on young people and began using it for political and ideological purposes. Today, football clubs represent distinct identities and values, and the team you support often reflects who you are and how you see the world.”

While negotiating with several platforms, Kural is also using her ongoing festival tour for research. “The first thing I do when I arrive in a new city is head straight to the local football store,” she laughs.