Born in 1972 in Istanbul. She majored in sociology at Bogazici University. After graduating, she took lessons at director Yavuz Ozkan’s film workshop. She was assistant director in a number of Turkish and foreign projects, including documentaries, features and commercials.She gave lectures about documentary film-making at Istanbul Kadir Has University.

Her first film, the documentary “The Collector” (2002) received the Best Documentary Award at Rome Independent Films Festival. In 2006, she received the Best New Documentary Filmmaker Award in Tribeca Film Festival with “The Play”, her first feature film, that also received the Best Documentary Film Award in Trieste International Film Festival, Best Documentary Film Award in Créteil International Women Films Festival, Audience Award in Navarra Punto de Vista Film Festival, Special Prize of the Jury in Nürnberg Film Festival Turkey/Germany and Human Rights Award in Vitoria New European Film Festival.