A European Film
Development Initiative
celebrating Europe's cultural diversity
Babylon 2011
Özgür Canel: Biography
Writer/Director
Project Title: IKNA
I was born in Turkey and emigrated to the Netherlands with my family in 1977. After a happy childhood in Zutphen where the seed for storytelling was laid, I moved to Amsterdam to study Cultural Anthropology. My dream then was to become a documentary maker. But I started working at the sidelines of television and film until in 1999 I plunged into the magical world of writing for film. My first screenplay De Loodgieter (The Plumber) got picked up by the Dutch Filmfund, but eventually never went into production. It did give me the opportunity though to enroll into the 8-week filmprogramme at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. After my haf year in the States in 2001 I returned to Holland and started working freelance for television and film. I worked on plays, built internetsites, directed for television and made programmes. My last job was being editor in chief at Mtnl, a multicultural television station. Since the beginning of this year I enjoy being a freelance writer and director.
BABYLON 2017-18 PARTNER LOGOS
BABYLON PROJECTS 2017-18
Read more about the projects selected for Babylon RiverRhine 2017-18.
BABYLON PARTICIPANTS 2017-18
Read more about the participants selected for Babylon RiverRhine 2017-18.
BABYLON ACADEMIC ASSOCIATES
Babylon collaborates regularly with partner orgnanisations, including AHRC-funded Migrant and Diasporic Cinema Research Network
Migrant and Diasporic Cinema Network
Podcast: Gareth Jones/Thierry Lenouvel
Podcast: Gareth Jones/Sarita Malik/Leslee Udwin