With a Social Science Background
I was born and raised in Istanbul. I have graduated from the Austrian College, where I studied German for eight years. My undergraduate education was in Sociology, which I completed at Istanbul’s Bosphorus University. I continued with the graduate programme in the Film & Television Department at Istanbul Bilgi University. This is my second year, and I am about to finish my thesis. Coming to cinema from a social science background opens many opportunities for studies on many different levels and from many different perspectives.
During my education I also began working at an independent company, and a specialized shop for alternative music and video. I have written press releases of new albums and videos for three years. Apart from this, since 1999 I’ve been working as a journalist (art, music, and cinema) for various magazines and webzines such as Time-Out Istanbul, Aktuel, Istanbuldostlari and NME. Lastly, in 2002 I started coordinating a music training project here. We are trying to support some underprivileged young people who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds by providing them music and its technology skills. I just recently began working as the Communications Coordinator for the Independent Film Festival Istanbul.
Müge Turan (Turkey)