Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Nuri Bilge Ceylan (, born 26 January 1959) is a Turkish photographer, cinematographer, screenwriter and actor and film director best known for the Palme d'Or winning "Winter Sleep" (2014). Early life. Ceylan was born in Istanbul on 26 January 1959. His interest in photography started at the age of 15. While studying at Boğaziçi University he participated in cinema and photography clubs and he took passport-style photos to make some money. After graduating from university with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering, he went to London and Kathmandu, Nepal, to decide what to do in  life. Then he went back to Ankara, Turkey, to do military service. When he was in the army, he discovered that cinema would give shape to his life. Style and themes. Ceylan's films deal with the estrangement of the individual, existentialism, the monotony of human lives, and the details of everyday life. He uses static shots and long takes, usually in natural settings, as well as play with sound, including the use of menacing silences. He is known for filming his protagonist from behind, which, in his view, leaves the audiences to speculate on the brooding emotions of characters  whose faces are obscured. Ceylan's first films were made on low budgets, with casts generally consisting of amateur actors, most of whom were his family and neighbours. Personal life. He is married to filmmaker, photographer, and actress Ebru Ceylan, with whom he co-starred in "Climates" (2006). He directed his cousin Mehmet Emin Toprak in three films. Ceylan named his ten favorite films in the "2012 Sight & Sound Greatest Films Poll": "Andrei Rublev" (1966), "Au Hasard Balthazar" (1966), "L'Avventura" (1960), "L'Eclisse" (1962), "Late Spring" (1949), "A Man Escaped" (1956), "The Mirror" (1975), "Scenes from a Marriage" (1973), "Shame" (1968 ), and "Tokyo Story" (1953).