Speaking, in an interview about Once Upon a Time in Anatolia*, about the influence of the works of Chekov, and other literature, on his films:
I believe that literature has had more impressions on my filmmaking than cinema. But I don’t feel like making adaptations. They have very different natures. But I always draw benefits from it. It reminds me of a scene, it makes me feel the atmosphere. So I utilize literature somehow. I think that literature is much stronger than cinema. It has a longer history. It’s more appealing to the imagination. It has much more potential to transform a person.