Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Deniz Gamze Ergüven was a French filmmaker who rose to prominence in 2016 when her feature directorial debut, "Mustang," was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Born in Ankara, Turkey, Ergüven moved to France with her family when she was 6 months old. Her father was a diplomat and had business in the European country, which was where Deniz would remain for the majority of her childhood. Having grown up in the birthplace of cinema, Ergüven became obsessed with movies at a very young age. She would spend days on end watching movies at her local theater, while dreaming of a life behind the camera. When it came time to enter college Ergüven enrolled in France's La Fémis filmmaking school, where she absorbed all aspects of the art of moviemaking. It was during her time at La Fémis that Ergüven wrote and directed a number of short films, including "A Drop of Water" and "Mon trajet préféré," both of which were released in 2006. With her filmmaking career in its early stages, Ergüven felt unfulfilled making short films. As was her dream since childhood, she longed to direct features, but had trouble securing the financing for her various projects. Then, while attending a Cannes Film Festival workshop in 2011, Ergüven met the director Alice Winocour. She quickly formed a tight creative bond with Winocour, and by the end of the workshop the two women agreed to collaborate on a screenplay together. The screenplay became 2015's "Mustang," which Winocour co-wrote and Ergüven directed. The film was a critical hit in France, and went on to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film at the 88th Academy Awards, thus proving Deniz Gamze Ergüven was well on her way to becoming one of the most important directors in France.