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Belmin Söylemez / Director

Born in Istanbul.  She worked as copy writer, editor, producer for companies like ARD German TV (Istanbul Office) and BBA (Independent Press Agency Istanbul). She made music videos and promotion films as a director and producer.  Her short films and documentaries have been screened in international film festivals like Toronto, Göteborg, Sarajevo and recieved a number of awards nationally and internationally. Her films were broadcasted on TV Channels such as ARTE France/Germany,  SVT (Sweden), YLE (Finland) SBS (Australia). Her films have also participated in exhibitions such as “Call me Istanbul”, ZKM Karlsruhe, Germany and `Free Kick`- the 9th Istanbul Biennial.  Prsent Tense is her first fiction feature film.

Filmography:

‘State of Sleep’ 1999 short film
A short film about dreams and the unconscious.

‘The Moustache’ 2000 documentary
A documentary about Turkish men and their moustaches.

“ZAP!” 2000 short film
A short film about losing and getting lost in Istanbul.

‘Waves’ 2001 short film       
A film about seeing the sea for the first time, learning to swim in the deep waters of the Bosphorus.

‘Windows’ 2002 short film (for Oda Projesi)
Daily life in a courtyard in the historical neighbourhood of Galata.

‘The Picture of My Life’ 2003 video (for Oda Projesi)
A video about the people of Galata, picturing themselves in photos of the past and present. 

‘34 Taxi’ documentary 2005
A documentary about the taxi drivers of Istanbul.  

 ‘What a Beautiful Democracy!’ documentary 2008 (co-director)
A feature documentary on women from different backgrounds, running as candidates for the Turkish Parliament. 

www.belminsoylemez.com