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Festival Staff

Vedide Kaymak

Festival Director

After graduating in Political Science and Journalism, Vedide worked in a variety of Turkish media organisations before moving to London, and a career in the cinema industry. Vedide initially worked with various arts and cultural organisations promoting Turkish culture in the UK, programming for MTV's Turkish channel and co-producing short films. However, it was her work at the Rio Cinema in East London and the subsequent creation of the London Turkish Film Festival that fulfilled her career ambition. With Vedide's leadership, the Festival has grown from a three-day event to an internationally renowned festival. For over a decade, she has also successfully promoted and distributed Turkish films to cinemas throughout the UK. In 2009 Vedide created another Turkish cinema milestone with the introduction of the annual Golden Wings Awards, including the unique Golden Wings Digiturk Digital Distribution Award which ensures cinema distribution across the UK and Ireland for the winning film.

Peter Howden

Co-Programmer

Peter Howden has been part of the London independent cinema scene for over forty years. He managed and programmed the Electric, Portobello Road and the Everyman, Hampstead in the years when independent repertory cinemas flourished in the capital. Peter has also ventured into the distribution side of the film business and he is still a regular at the Hong Kong Film Festival. He still enjoys watching, writing about and even showing films and currently does all three at the Rio Dalston, home of the London Turkish Film Festival for a mere sixteen years! He also likes cats.

Sevinç Baloğlu

Turkey Coordinator

Sevinç Baloğlu graduated from Ankara University Department of Communication in 1984. She worked as a reporter for the Turkish National Press Agency (UBA) during her university years. After graduating she became a scriptwriter for the Tara Advertising Agency and state-run TRT Ankara Television. Following her marriage to Rıza Baloğlu in 1986, she moved to Northern Cyprus and became a programmer for Bayrak Television. In 1988 she returned to Istanbul as a scriptwriter and assistant director for Istanbul Television. In the 90s she continued with scriptwriting and worked in various organisations including MTV and TRT. From 1992 Sevinç took on different roles for the Turkish Foundation of Cinema and Audiovisual Culture (TÜRSAK Vakfı). She left TÜRSAK in 2009 to found Su Production, named after her daughter. She has also worked as General Coordinator for many international film festivals between 1998 and 2008 including the International Children's Film Festival and the International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.

Müge Bakırcıoğlu

Assistant Director

Her great love for storytelling and visual communication steered her professionally into the world of films. After studying Film & TV at Istanbul Bilgi University, she received her master’s degree in TV Production from Bournemouth University. Her first step into the industry was at Working Title Films just before she returned to Turkey. Muge has worked as director at several TV Channels and media companies like TRT, Numberone TV, Dogan Group and Dogus Group between 2003-2010, focusing mainly on youth and media. She has written and directed several short films screened at festivals. In 2010, she moved back to London, studying Script Development at National Film and Television School. She did the Turkish brand clearances for the BAFTA winning movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the upcoming movie The Closed Circuit. In the past, she worked for Istanbul Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival and now she is excited to work for London Turkish Film Festival as assistant director. Besides her love for films, she is also in love with cats and music.

Burce Bennett

Hospitality & Prints Co-ordinator

After a stint at Ankara University Law School, Burce found her true calling and moved to London to study film in Kingston University. She has worked for organisations and studios such as BFI, London Film Festival, Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures. She has a probably unhealthy amount of love for cinema and brings a lot of this passion to LTFF. Burce secretly shoots personal film projects and likes vintage clothes.

Elif Yalın

Finance

Elif was born in Sakarya, Hendek in 1974. She graduated from the Department of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations, Anadolu University. She has been living abroad since 2000 due to her husbands business. She has already lived in Bulgaria, Tartary, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Norway and she recently moved to London so she is always the most wilful volunteer in every place. She loves travelling and capture those moments by taking photos. She is the closest follower of the adventurous lives of her two sons who are aged 6 and 8.

Deniz Erdoğan (Djmoom)

Music Producer / Office Admin

A former biology student, Deniz Erdogan (Djmoom)'s love in the natural world soon introduced him to the world of sounds engaging him to study music and sound technics. He has been producing music since 2000 with several collaborations in movies and documentaries. He also worked as sound recordist & specialist for several short movies that participated in film festivals. He loves music, cinema and art. He also does acting. He was excited to work for Tom Hooper`s award-winning Les Miserables Movie. He is now working for LTFF as Music Producer & Office Admin, He also produced the music for 18th London Turkish Festival Trailer. When he is djing, he is Djmoom.

Duygu Cömert

Hospitality

Duygu Cumert was born in 11 April 1989, in Izmir. She is the oldest child of the family with three children. She accomplished her education from primary school to bachelor in Izmir. After her bachelor degree in psychology at University of Economics, she is currently doing her MA on film, tv and screen media at Birkbeck College, University of London. In the future, she wants to work in a field where she can combine her biggest interests which are psychology and cinema. She recently attended Berlin Film Festival with her College.

Pınar Şeneryiğit

Hospitality

Pınar graduated from Anadolu University Communication Faculty’s Cinema and TV department. She worked as production and director assistant in TV production companies in Turkey. She completed her post-graduate study in Birkbeck College, University of London in 2012. While she was studying in Anadolu University, she worked for International Eskisehir Film Festival and she worked for British Film Institute’s London Film Festival in October 2012.

Rukiye Forshaw

Friends Coordinator

After graduating as a Tour Guide from Selcuk University in Turkey, Rukiye moved to United Kingdom as an au-pair in 1998. She continued her studies in the UK and completed Business Studies, Prince2 Project Management, IT Infrastructure Library and a qualified Interpreter. Rukiye lives in Liverpool with her husband Tom and two children Teoman Albert and Samuel Nazim. Currently Rukiye is working as Director of Anatolian Charity, which she calls it her baby (facebook or twitter), Corporate Support Officer in NHS since 2002, Interpreter for the UK Border Agency since 2002 and Friends Co-Ordinator for London Turkish Film Festival. Beginning of each year Rukiye makes a list of the goals she would like to achieve. It’s more than a list and timeline; the list would categories like Job, Family, Allotment, Health/Sports, Travel, Charity Events and Training. She thinks if you write your goals there is more chance of achieving them at the end of the year. Rukiye started running in April 2012 and already completed several half marathons in the UK and 34th EurAsia Marathon in Istanbul. Now she sets up one of her biggest challenge, running Lycian Way Ultra Marathon (250km in 7 days). Rukiye (facebook) will be running for Anatolian to raise funds to open school libraries rural parts of Turkey.