BABYLON Europe 2011

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 EUROPE PARTICIPANTS 2012

Read more about the people selected for Babylon Europe 2012.

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BABYLON EUROPE PROJECTS 2012

Read more about the projects selected for Babylon Europe 2012.

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BABYLON BURNING Event at 55th BFI London Film Festival

BABYLON celebrated its 5th anniversary in October 2011 with a public debate on film diversity as part of the 55th BFI London Film Festival.

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2011 WORKSHOPS

Rotterdam »

Cannes »