Director

Pelin Esmer's biography

Pelin Esmer was born and grew up in Istanbul. After she majored in sociology in Istanbul, she attended the cinema workshop of the Turkish director Yavuz Ozkan. She worked as a first assistant director in a number of Turkish and foreign projects, including documentaries, features and commercials. She gave lectures about documentary film-making at Istanbul Kadir Has University in Istanbul.

She founded her own film company, Sinefilm, in 2005 and currently produces her own projects as an independent director and producer together with her producer colleagues Tolga Esmer and Nida Karabol Akdeniz. Her first documentary film, "The Collector" (2002) was screened in many festivals. Her first feature documentary "Oyun" ("The Play") was premiered in San Sebastian Film Festival in 2005. It has been screened over 50 festivals around the world and received 11 international and 3 national awards.

Pelin's first feature "10 to 11" was one of the six chosen projects by Cannes Film Festival's Résidence du Cinéfondation in Paris, where she worked on her script in 2007. An official selection of the San Sebastian Film Festival, "10 to 11" received the Special Prize of the Jury in 2009 Istanbul International Film Festival, Best Film and Best Screenplay awards in Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, Black Pearl - Best New Midlle-Eastern Narrative Director Award in Abu Dhabi MEIFF, FIPRESCI Award in Tromso FF, Best Film & Cinema Critics Award in Nürnberg Turkish/German FF, Best Director, Onat Kutlar Best Screenplay and Best Art Direction Award in Ankara FF, Honourable Mention of the Main&Young Jury in Cinema Novo FF, Special Prize of the Jury in Tetouan FF and Special Prize of the Jury in IndieLisboa FF.

filmography