| Yeşim Ustaoğlu | |
| Birth Date: | 18 November 1960 |
| Birth Place: | Çaykara, Turkey |
| Occupation: | Film director, screenwriter |
| Yearsactive: | 1984 - present |
Yeşim Ustaoğlu (born 18 November 1960) is a Turkish filmmaker and screenwriter.[1] [2]
Ustaoğlu was born in Kars, Sarıkamış and grew up in Trabzon on the Black Sea.[3] After studying architecture at Karadeniz Technical University she moved to Istanbul, attended master's programme in Yıldız Technical University,[3] she worked as an architect, then as a journalist and a film critic.[4] Before she made her feature film debut The Trace (İz) in 1994, she had made several award-winning short films. The Trace was entered into the 19th Moscow International Film Festival.[5]
Ustaoğlu received international recognition for her next film, Journey to the Sun (Güneşe Yolculuk), which told a story of a friendship between a Turk and a Kurd.[1] Her fourth film Pandora's Box (Pandora'nın Kutusu) won The Best Film and The Best Actress award in San Sebastian Film Festival and is Ustaoğlu's biggest international success to date.[6]
| Year | English Title | Original Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | To Catch a Moment | Bir Anı Yakalamak | short film | |
| 1989 | Magnafantagna | Magnafantagna | short film | |
| 1990 | Duet | Düet | short film | |
| 1992 | Hotel | Otel | short film | |
| 1994 | The Trace | Iz | feature film debut | |
| 1999 | Journey to the Sun | Güneşe Yolculuk | Won the Blue Angel Award at Berlin[7] | |
| 2003 | Waiting for the Clouds | Bulutları Beklerken | ||
| 2004 | Life on Their Shoulders | Sırtlarındaki Hayat | documentary short film | |
| 2008 | Pandora's Box | Pandora'nın Kutusu | Won the Golden Shell Award at San Sebastian International Film Festival | |
| 2012 | Araf - Somewhere in Between | Araf | ||
| 2016 | Clair Obscur | Tereddüt | Several awards including best picture at the 53rd Antalya International Film Festival[8] |