Jury
Murat Düzgünoğlu
Producer, director, screenwriter.
Murat Düzgünoğlu, born in Istanbul, graduated from the Cinema Schools of Mimar Sinan and Marmara Universities. He founded Fikirtepe Film Production Company in 2007 and produced many documentaries and films. His first feature film, The Salt of Life (2008), was followed by Why I Can't Be Tarkovsky in 2014. He shot Halef, which premiered at the Moscow Film Festival in 2018, and has received various awards at national and international film festivals with all of his films. His latest film, Between the Dog and the Wolf, had its world premiere at the Moscow Film Festival in 2024 and is still on its festival journey.
Bülent Keser
He was born in Istanbul. He started acting by taking private lessons in 2005. He continued to take lessons from acting workshops. He started performing in a pocket theater in Kadıköy. He continued to work in touring theaters. He took part in the play Macbeth under the direction of Mehmet Birkiye at the Kenter Theater. He took part in many important productions such as Acı Hayat, Pulsar, Kavak Yelleri, Yalnız Kurt, Mordkommission Istanbul, Avlu, Dilek Taşı, No Bears, Landless. He received the best actor award at the 2017 Duhok International Film Festival.
Emre Oskay
Emre Oskay was born in Istanbul in 1985. He graduated from the Eastern Mediterranean University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Radio, Cinema and Television between 2005-2010.
After graduating, Oskay worked as the production manager on the film “Hair” by independent film director Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, which was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the 2010 Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. Then, in 2010, he took on the production responsibility of the documentary “Mustafa’nın Rüyası” directed by Angelous Abazoğlu, which had its World Premiere at the 2012 Berlinale and won the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival in the United States.
Oskay began his executive production career with the film “Gölgeler ve Suretler” shot by director Derviş Zaim in the TRNC and won the Best Director and Best Editing Awards at the Antalya Film Festival. He later worked as the production manager and producer on commercials produced by Ptot Film.
Oskay, who has signed the name of producer, co-producer and executive producer for films that have been featured in many international and national festivals in a short time with his company İFP İstanbul Film Production, which he founded with his partners in 2013, has provided services for international productions shot in our country by America, England, Greece, France, Germany, Azerbaijan, Iran, Jordan, Dubai, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, TRNC, Italy and Japan.
Oskay teaches “Film Production” at the Faculty of Communication of Eastern Mediterranean University and is also a board member of the Istanbul Film Commission.
Saki Çimen
Saki Çimen (1983, Istanbul) is a Turkish music composer and pianist. Her grandfather was folk poet Nesimi Çimen;
her father was ballet dancer, traditional Turkish music artist and composer Mazlum Çimen. Thanks to her family being traditional music artists, she blends traditional music with modern music and produces original works.
In 1994, when she was only 11 years old, she won the Istanbul University State Conservatory Piano Department. While she was continuing her education, she founded the music group Marsias and started working with well-known Turkish artists. She was the assistant and pianist of the famous musician-composer Vedat Sakman for 19 years.
She made her first professional film music (2007's Yanlış Zaman Yolcuları) at the age of 24, and her first professional TV series music (2009's Hanımın Çiftliği) at the age of 26. Today, she continues to make TV and film music.
Sandra Mitrovic
Sandra Mitrović is an award winning writer/director from Belgrade, Serbia.
Born in 1991 in Belgrade, she moved to London, UK at the age of 17 and graduated from London School of Film, Media and Performance in England. After that she lived in New York City for 6 years, completing her MFA in film directing at Columbia University. She graduated in 2019 with honors. She started working in media at the age of 12. She has been involved in production of many short films as of 2003. She mainly worked on them as a director, screenwriter and producer. Her short film “Ostoja Will Move Your Piano” screened at many festivals worldwide and it won Best Screenplay Award at Rhode Island International Festival, Best Foreign Short at San Diego International Film Festival, Best International Drama at Edmonton Film Festival, Jury Award for Best International Short Film at Santa Fe International Film Festival, etc. Her latest short film “Last Call” is a 2019 National Board of Review Student Grant Award Winner.
In 2022 she directed 3 episodes of a new Dean Devlin's show called "Ark" for NBC and Syfy channel.
Sandra is currently based in Belgrade, promoting her first feature film A Three Storey Comedy.
Takashi Yuki
2001 acting debut in the NHK TV series "Chura-san"
Furthered experience through appearances in numerous movies, dramas and music videos
January 2011 Established a video production company 【KURUWA.LLC】
Creates video works under the theme "the connection of hearts and minds, even if distorted."
In recent years, the works which he produced received many awards at the World Film Festival.
His latest work encapsulates all his previous experiences and knowledge and will be his first project as a director.
Ümmü Putgül
Born in 1982 in Bodrum, Muğla. She graduated from Anadolu University State Conservatory, Department of Acting. After graduating, she acted in Istanbul State Theatres. In 2010, she settled in London and founded a theatre group called Guest Theatre. She worked in collaboration with London Art Counsil and acted and coordinated in many groups in London. She returned to Turkey to act in the film İftarlık Gazoz. She acted in many award-winning films such as Kar ve Ayı, Saf. She also acted in digital and mainstream works such as Avlu, Yaratılan, Fatma, Bahar.
Giuseppe Malpasso
Born and raised in Sicily, Giuseppe Malpasso is an award-winning producer, director and cinematographer. He collaborated with Showtime, Nat Geo, Discovery, BBC, PBS, RAI Cinema, Associated Press and Magnum Photos. The films in which he has collaborated have been featured in prestigious international film festivals: the feature film "Blackout" at Tribeca and the documentaries "Ward 54" and "Dante Ferretti, Scenographer" with Martin Scorsese and Julie Taymor at the Venice Film Festival and MOMA, respectively.
Giuseppe is currently receiving awards for his last documentary Astor Place, The American Dream about the legendary multi-ethnic hair salon in New York City.
Nato e cresciuto in Sicilia, Giuseppe Malpasso è un pluripremiato produttore, regista e direttore della fotografia. Ha collaborato con Showtime, Nat Geo, Discovery, BBC, PBS, RAI Cinema, Associated Press e Magnum Photos. I film nei quali ha collaborato sono stati presentati in prestigiosi festival cinematografici internazionali: il lungometraggio “Blackout” al Tribeca e i documentari “Ward 54” e “Dante Ferretti, Scenografo” con Martin Scorsese e Julie Taymor, rispettivamente al al Festival del Cinema di Venezia e al MOMA.
Attualmente Giuseppe sta ricevendo riconoscimenti per il suo ultimo documentario Astor Place, The American Dream sul leggendario salone di parrucchieri multietnico di New York.
Güven beklen
Güven Beklen was born in Adana in 1981. His interest in cinema began in his childhood. Later, this interest went beyond watching movies. He continued this interest with Cinema and Photography trainings. He made various short films and essays. He was awarded many awards. He shot his first feature-length work, “Mehmet Salih” in 2016. The film “Mehmet Salih” became a finalist at the 23rd International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival. After making its world premiere at this festival, it was shown at many festivals. The film was included in the First Films selection of the Boğaziçi Film Festival in 2017. The same year, it won the ‘Honorable Mention’ award at the 9th CMS International Children’s Film Festival held in India. After being shown on many digital platforms, the film “Mehmet Salih” still has a broadcasting agreement with TRT. Güven Beklen was lastly a member of the Main Jury in the international documentary category at the 12th Antakya Film Festival.
Özden Toprak
Assistant Professor Özden Toprak has been serving as the Head of Cinema Department at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Communication for seven years. After being appointed to Istanbul Gelişim University in 2009, she became an assistant professor five years later, and was appointed to Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Communication in 2017. She served as the Rectorate Press, Publication and Public Relations Coordinator for three and a half years, and has held various administrative and academic positions since her appointment. She has published works such as books, papers, articles and book chapters related to her field. She has taught associate degree courses between 2008-2014, and undergraduate, graduate and doctoral courses since 2014. She has conducted numerous postgraduate theses. She has conducted numerous field studies, photography marathons, short film studies and technical trips with my students in Hatay. She has conducted documentary studies on religion, food, history and nature in Hatay province in partnership with Çukurova University. She also serves as the coordinator of the university radio. She graduated from Marmara University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Radio, Television and Cinema, with a master's degree from Marmara University, Public Relations and Promotion, and from Beykent University, Department of Cinema and Television as a proficiency in art. She has worked in the media sector for many years as an announcer and producer in nationally renowned channels. She has served as the head of the jury and a member of the jury in important festivals and competitions.
Taha Feyizli
He is one of the few names that come to mind when it comes to Documentary Film in Turkey. The films he directed have received many awards at national and international scale, including the Sedat Simavi Grand Award, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Wings of the East Award, the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival's Honorary Award twice, the R.T.G.D. TV Oscar of the Year, Prix Europe Ten Best Film, ABU Prizes Best Documentary, TRT Adnan Öztürk Best Film Award, and have introduced Turkish documentary filmmaking to the world at festivals abroad. Feyizli, who has also served as an executive at many institutions, especially TRT, for many years, is still watched with pleasure on Turkish television.
He is also the president of the Intercultural Cooperation and Dialogue Association and the Turkey-Europe Culture Center. He is the president of the International Far East Film Festival and the ongoing Köyceğiz Golden Lion Turkish Film Festival.
Lokman Zor
Erzurum’da 1973 yılında doğdu. Atatürk Üniversitesi Güzel Sanatlar Fakültesi Sahne Sanatları Bölümü Dramatik Yazarlık Ana Sanat Dalı’ndan mezun oldu. Bir süre İstanbul’da çeşitli basın yayın kuruluşlarında metin yazarlığı ve gazetecilik yaptıktan sonra 2004 yılında Niğde Üniversitesi’nde öğretim elemanı olarak göreve başladı.
Yüksek lisans eğitimini Erciyes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Radyo Sinema Televizyon Ana Bilim Dalı’nda tamamladıktan sonra yine aynı enstitüde Gazetecilik Ana Bilim Dalı’nda doktora eğitimini tamamladı. 2020 yılında sinema alanında Doçent unvanı aldı. Türk Dünyası Sineması, sinema ve ideoloji, ideolojik söylem gibi alanlarda akademik çalışmalar, iletişim alanında birçok kültür sanat projesinde yürütücülük ve çeşitli film festivallerinde jüri üyelikleri yaptı.
TRT Ankara Radyosu’nda yayınlanan radyo oyunlarının yanı sıra öykü, makale, deneme, eleştiri gibi birçok edebi çalışması çeşitli dergi ve gazetelerde yayınlandı.
“Her Ne İse Aşk” adlı ilk öykü kitabı 2007 yılında, “Olmak İçin Aşk Gerek” adlı ikinci öykü kitabı ise 2012 yılında yayımlandı. Akademik çalışma alanına yönelik “Sinemada Oyuncu Yönetimi” ve “Kazakistan Sineması” isimli iki kitabı ile editörlüğünü yaptığı çeşitli kitapları bulunmaktadır.
Yazdığı tiyatro oyunları ve öyküleriyle çeşitli yarışmalarda birçok ödüle layık görülen ve akademik çalışmaları doğrultusunda birçok bilimsel yayını bulunan Doç. Dr. Lokman Zor, halen Niğde Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi’nde görev yapmaktadır.
Oğulcan Yaygınoğul
He was born in Adana in 1990.
After completing his undergraduate education in the Visual Communication Design department of Istanbul Aydın University, Faculty of Communication,
he completed his Master's degree in Visual Arts at Istanbul Aydın University,
and completed his PhD in Communication Design at Politecnico di Milano in Italy.
His short films have been featured in many film festivals in Turkey.
He was in the selection section of the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival.
Oğulcan Yaygınoğul, who thinks that "the essence of cinema education should continue in the field", is currently planning his first feature film in Adana.
Yeliz Gürkan
Graduated from the Department of Business Design.
She worked as a director in television programs between 2004-2012 and worked as a Talk Show “Live Broadcast Director”.
Since 2012, she has worked as a Director and Project Consultant in many productions in the TV and cinema sector.
In 2019, she shot her first short film, the documentary “The Man Without a Phone”.
In 2020, she shot her second short film “Kimin Umurunda”. She received awards including the “Best Film” award from many national and international film festivals with the film “Kimin Umurunda”.
Yeliz Gürkan continues to work actively in the TV and cinema sector.
Ayşenur Erdoğan Gökçe
Ayşenur Erdoğan Gökçe was born in Istanbul in 1987. She studied at Eskişehir Anadolu University, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Department of Cinema and Television between 2005 and 2010. She worked in production companies and advertising agencies in Istanbul. She worked as a freelancer for a long time in the fields of directing, script and copywriting.
