Pelin Esmer

Pelin Esmer

53 · Born: Jan 1, 1972

Personal Details

BornJan 1, 1972 Istanbul, Turkey

Biography

Pelin Esmer is a renowned Istanbul-based director who established her film company Sinefilm in 2001 after completing her studies in sociology. Since then, she has been producing and directing independent films, many of which have been international co-productions.

One of her notable films is the feature documentary "The Play," which premiered at the San Sebastian Film Festival and went on to be screened at over 50 festivals worldwide, earning numerous awards, including the "Best New Documentary Filmmaker" prize at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Her first fiction film, "10 to 11," was selected as one of the six projects by the Cannes Film Festival's Résidence de la Cinéfondation in Paris and was an official selection at the San Sebastian Film Festival. The film traveled to numerous festivals, including Istanbul, Toronto, Tallinn, Tromso, and received the Best New Director Award from the jury president Abbas Kiarostami at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

Esmer's second fiction film, "Watchtower," premiered at the Toronto and Rotterdam Film Festivals and went on to be screened at festivals such as Göteborg, Taipei, and Fribourg. It received several awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography at the Adana Golden Bowl Film Festival in Turkey. The film also traveled to five different states in the USA as part of the Caravanserai Artist Residency Program.

Her subsequent film, "Something Useful," won the Best Screenplay Award at the Tallinn International Film Festival and received several awards, including FIPRESCI, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress, at festivals in Turkey.

In 2018, Esmer was invited to Berlin by the DAAD Artists-in-Residence Program, where she worked on her documentary film "Queen Lear." The film premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival and went on to be screened at festivals such as Göteborg, DOK.Fest München, Guangzhou, and PriMed, earning several awards, including the Yilmaz Güney Special Jury Prize at the Adana Golden Bowl Film Festival.

Esmer's latest film, "And The Rest Will Follow," is her most recent completion.

Career

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2019
Queen Lear
Queen Lear as Director
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2017
Something Useful
Something Useful as Director, Writer
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2012
Watchtower
Watchtower as Director, Writer
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2009
11'e 10 Kala
11'e 10 Kala as Director, Writer