Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Nuri Bilge Ceylan is one of the most celebrated Turkish filmmakers working today. His background in photography has translated to a highly formal visual style featuring long, static shots and natural light. He often works with non-actors and on extremely tight budgets.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is only his sixth feature, yet Ceylan’s body of work has collected an impressive array of awards. Clouds of May (1999) was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear at Berlinale and won four awards at the Istanbul International Film Festival. The Town (1997) won the Caligari Film Award at Berlinale and several awards at Istanbul as well. He has enjoyed particular success at Cannes, where he has been nominated for the Palme d’Or four times—for Anatolia, Three Monkeys (2008), Climates (2006), and Distant (2002)—won Best Director for Three Monkeys and the Grand Jury Prize for Anatolia and Distant.