Belkıs Bayrak, born in Malatya, Turkey in 1984, is a Turkish filmmaker with a MA in Film and Television from Istanbul Bilgi University. In 2018 she directed her first short film, “The Apartment”, followed in 2021 by “Cemile”, which premiered at the Dublin Film Festival and screened in more than 50 competitions. Gülizar, which premiered at Toronto and San Sebastian, is her first feature film. She is also an alumna of the Torino Film Lab, Reclaim The Frame’s Filmonomics Program, and a member of EWA. She is currently developing what will be her second feature film.