merve yıldıran
Merve Yıldıran (b. 1985, Ankara) studied Radio, Television, and Cinema at Ankara University, where she began investigating visual language and the structural dynamics of cinematic narratives. She expanded these areas of inquiry during her MA in Visual Communication Design at Anadolu University, which informed her interdisciplinary creative practice.
She has worked as a director, screenwriter, and designer in the field of cinema. Her short films have been screened at national and international film festivals, receiving several prestigious awards.
Her first book, Kirpi Kız, illustrated with handmade three-dimensional artwork, was published in 2015. It was her first exploration of multi-sensory storytelling, combining visual and tactile elements through photography.
Her work is informed not only by philosophical and literary interests, but also by a vibrant and joyful approach to life. In her artistic practice, joy is not a superficial aesthetic; it is the very essence and animating spirit of existence, woven into every piece.
In her engagement with puppetry, its playful anima is combined with the line and form of sculpture, suggesting the potential for a dynamic and affective encounter. This encounter extends beyond visual impression, opening a space for ongoing perceptual and emotional resonance. Within this space, the boundary between object and presence becomes fluid, gently exploring the possibility of touching an inner depth within the viewer.
Her interdisciplinary journey shapes her practice not merely as a pursuit of form, but as an ongoing dialogue between diverse cultural and intellectual disciplines. Alongside her work in cinema and literature, she continues to research and produce across a range of mediums, including playwriting, costume and stage design, character design, puppet techniques, handcrafted illustration, and doll art.
Filmography
Kim? / Who? (2024)
Malık Adlı Bir Balık / Fash the Fish (2011)
Otonomi / Autonomy (2009)
Pinata Pia (2006)
Şehrin Ayakları/ Rùa qua (2005)
Publications
Usta Pneuma ( Ayo Yayınları, 2025)
Kirpi Kız (İthaki Yayınları, 2015)
Selected Theatre Works
Noktürn "Gece Müziği" (2025)
Bağ-bozumu (2022- 2024)
Kıyı Evi (2021)
Sisypleby deyin bana, Bartyphos da olur! (2017)
Rüzgâr Çanları (2010)
Sunyata (2008)
Awards
Best Animation Film Award, SEE International Film Festival, 2025, Paris – Berlin – Washington
Best Experimental Film Award, Trabzon Film Festival, 2025, Trabzon
Best Animation Film Award, Aegean Film Festival, 2nd edition, 2025, Izmir
Best International Short Film Award, Istanbul International Women's Film Festival, 2nd edition, 2025, Istanbul
Second Prize, IFSAK Short Film Festival, 2025, Istanbul
Special Jury Prize, VS Film Festival, 2024, Cairo
Second Prize, PHILFEST’24, 2024, Ankara
Yılmaz Güney Honorary Award, Yılmaz Güney Culture & Art Festival (Cinema Awards), 2012, Istanbul
Festival Screenings / Selections
ICJ International Film Award, Official Selection, 2026, Lviv
The Short Film Channel, Official Selection, 2026, Nottingham
Ionian Contemporary Animation Festival (ICONA), Official Selection, 2025, Kerkira – Corfu
Wild About Houston: A Green Film Festival, Official Selection, 2026, Houston
Itaicine – Festival Internacional de Animação de Itaiópolis, Official Selection, 2025, Santa Catarina
Fairhope Film Festival, Turkiye Selection, 2025, Alabama
Kısa’dan Hisse Short Film Festival, Finalist, 2025, Istanbul
New England Animation Festival, Quarter-Finalist, 2025, Jaffrey – New Hampshire
Sinepark Short Film Festival, Official Selection / Finalist, 15th edition, 2025, Istanbul
NarFest Film Festival, Official Selection, 2025, Ordu
AFSAD International Short Film Festival, Finalist, 8th edition, 2025, Ankara
SETEM International Silk Road Film Festival, Official Selection / Finalist, 12th edition, 2024, Istanbul
Fethiye Film Festival, Official Selection, 3rd edition, 2024, Fethiye
Izmir International Short Film Festival, Official Selection, 2024, Izmir
Gemlik Film Festival, Official Selection, 2024, Bursa
Tuzla Film Festival, Official Selection / Finalist, 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tuzla
Canlandıranlar Animation Film Festival, Finalist / Official Selection, 2024, Istanbul
Heritales International Heritage Film Festival, Official Selection / Finalist, 2024, Evora – Lisbon – Montemor-o-Novo – Crato
48th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Finalist 2012
65th Cannes Film Festival, Turkish Stand Short Film Selection, 2012 | France
23rd Ankara International Film Festival, 2012
Festival de Courts Metrage Cinema à Grasse, 2012 | France
62nd Berlin Film Festival, Turkish Stand Short Film Selection, 2012 | Germany
20th Yasujiro Ozu Film Festival, Ozu Kidz (OFF20), 2012 | Italy
2nd Yılmaz Güney Culture & Art Festival Cinema Awards ,Yılmaz Güney Honorary Award, 2012
2nd Dikili Short Film Festival, 2012
Anibar International Animation Film Festival, Official Selection, 2012 | Kosovo Peja
Kimera International Film Festival, 2012 | Italy
12th Odtu Film Festival, Official Selection, 2012
2nd International Eskişehir King Midas Short Film Festival, 2012
10th Istanbul Association of Filmmaker Short Film Festival, 2012
8th Akbank Short Film Festival,Official Selection, 2012
Ayvalık İnternational Film Festival, 2012
5th CMS International Children’s Film Festival, 2013 | India
8th International Labor Film Festival, Official Selection, 2013
26th Braunschweig Film Festival, 2012 | Germany
35th Cairo Film Festival,Short Film Selection, 2013 | Egypt
26th Festival International de Films de Fribourg, 2012 | Switzerland
Prishtina International Film Festival, 2012 | Kosovo
14th Festival de Cine de Bogota,Short Film Selection, 2012 | Colombia
3rd International Environmental Film Festival, 2013 | Portugal
International Film Festival Bologna, 2013 | Italy
23rd Message to Man International Film Festival, 2013 | Russia
8th Almaty International Film Festival,Short Film Selection, 2012 | Kazakhstan
31st Oulu International Children And Youth Film Festival, 2012 | Finland
Copenhagen International Film Festival for Children and Youth, Official Selection, 2013 | Denmark
21th Ankara International Film Festival, Finalist, 2010
10th Ankara İLEF Özkam Awards, Best Film Award, 2006
13th Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, Student Films Competition, Finalist, 2006
17th Ankara International Film Festival, National Short Film Competition, Finalist, 2006
3rd Kar Film Festival, Fiction Section, 2006
3rd Yıldız Short Film Festival, Animation Section, 2006
5th Kısa-ca National Student Film Festival, Official Selection, 2006
6th PASO Student Film Festival, Official Selection, 2006
FIKE Évora International Short Film Festival, Évora, Portugal, 2006
Selected Jury Memberships
Fethiye International Film Festival — Experimental and Animation Film Selection Jury Member, 2025
Istanbul International Women's Film Festival — International Short Film, Experimental Film, and Animation Film Jury Member, 2026
Exhibitions
11th International İstanbul Biennial Parallel Events, "on the 12th of September / Women Unbind Their Hair"
Group Exhibition - 2009 | Garajİstanbul
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..................................................................................................................................... Merve Yıldıran
