Gözde Kural

Gözde Kural was born in 1987 in Ankara, Turkey. She studied Advertising and Film-TV Production at Istanbul Bilgi University. After graduating, she began her career as an assistant director and went on to direct numerous music videos and commercials. She has written, directed, and produced three short films - Awake, The Braid, and The Laceration. In 2015, she wrote and directed her debut feature film Dust, which was shot in Afghanistan. Dust premiered at several international film festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival (First Films Competition), Shanghai International Film Festival, and Mumbai International Film Festival. The film received multiple awards, including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (2016), as well as Best Film and Best Screenplay at the Sweden Afghan International Film Festival (2017). Her second feature film, Cinema Jazireh, was recently completed and had its world premiere at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it won the Ecumenical Jury Award.