My life as an artist began when I was a kid with painting, acting in theater, playing a bunch of musical instruments, and writing poems, plays, creative writings, and essays about anything I found interesting. Now, I tell the stories that change my life and make films as emotionally charged healing art.

 

My Turkish-American international production, My Nature is recognized by the Boston Globe and is a Finalist at the 23rd Boston Turkish Film Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Additionally, I won the Best Director award from Swedish International Film Festival in 2022 with Shut Your Eyes I'm Gonna Dance. It is also a semi-finalist at the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, which is Academy Award and BAFTA-qualifying.

 

Media is a powerful medium that can impact societies with positive or negative outputs. I believe in order to tell truly authentic stories, inclusion must start during the development phase and continue until the end of the distribution phase. I insist this is the way to make art that can accurately represent cultures and identities, and offer positive contributions to societies as a result. Teaching is as important as producing media for me. I teach screenwriting, directing, creative business enterprises, aesthetic sensibility development, and BFA capstone project courses at Emerson College. Previously, I taught the Writing for the Screen course at RISD and creative writing workshops at GrubStreet,

the nation's largest creative writing center.

 

My curiosity about humanity, identity, and existence shapes the themes I explore in my films. I double-majored in Sociology and Film and Media Studies with a minor in Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Minnesota. I received my MFA in Film and Media Art from Emerson College in 2017. 

 

I live in Boston, MA while my heart is tout le monde. 

I love classical music and jazz, road trips, weekends with my family and friends, my cat Teo, and good food. I get along best with people who are empathetic and have good intentions. ❤️