---
name: "Nuri Bilge Ceylan"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/nuri-bilge-ceylan"
fi1m_id: "nuri-bilge-ceylan"
imdb_id: "nm0149196"
tmdb_id: 56214
wikidata_id: "Q724172"
roles: ["Producer","Director"]
born: "26 January 1959"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "producer"
average_over: 0
updated: "2026-09-26T18:02:30.325756+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Nuri Bilge Ceylan

## Identity

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/nuri-bilge-ceylan
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** nuri-bilge-ceylan
- **IMDb ID:** nm0149196
- **TMDB ID:** 56214
- **Wikidata ID:** Q724172
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuri_Bilge_Ceylan, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q724172, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0149196/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/56214

Producer and director. Born 26 January 1959 in Istanbul, Turkey.

## Details

- **Work:** Producer, Director
- **Born:** 26 January 1959, Istanbul, Turkey
- **Also known as:** 누리 빌게 제일란, 努里·比格·锡兰, Нури Бильге Джейлан
- **Cannes Film Festival:** 4 Cannes prizes (4 won)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuri_Bilge_Ceylan, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q724172, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0149196/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/56214

## Fi1m on Nuri Bilge Ceylan

> Nuri Bilge Ceylan gives lonely people time to become interesting without making them explain themselves. We value the dry humour and close attention; we are less persuaded when a long pause merely repeats what the acting has already told us.

In *Distant* (2002), Ceylan keeps watching two lonely men after a brisker film might have moved on. Their small exchanges and the comedy of their relationship matter more than any fluent account of why they are unhappy. We were moved by *Distant*, because its small details let us understand two men who never become eloquent about their unhappiness. This is Ceylan worth seeking out, though his willingness to wait for something to happen occasionally exceeds ours.

The early films were made with family and friends, with Ceylan taking on several jobs himself. *The Small Town* (1997) and *Clouds of May* (1999) lead to *Distant*, on which he was director, writer, producer and cinematographer. His background in still photography helps explain the care of the compositions. Wide views of rooms and landscapes give gestures and expressions time to register, rather than insisting that dialogue account for everything.

In *Distant*, that care is matched by performances subtle enough to make the silence absorbing. Ceylan and his co-editor Ayhan Ergürsel leave space around the men, but sometimes keep a scene going after it has told us enough. We do not need a confrontation; we do need the next pause to reveal something the previous one did not. Some of the symbolism is blunt, too, a weakness in a film otherwise so good at letting us notice things for ourselves. The dry humour helps, keeping their company bearable even when the pace begins to drag.

With *Climates* (2006), Ceylan moved towards professional crews and actors; it also began his collaboration with cinematographer Gökhan Tiryaki. The later films make more room for talk. *Winter Sleep* (2014) builds lengthy conversations around social and moral tensions, while *The Wild Pear Tree* (2018) brings that approach to father-son friction in a provincial setting. This is a substantial change from the sparse speech of *Distant*, though the interest in difficult company remains. More dialogue does not necessarily solve the old problem of staying with a scene too long.

Start with *Distant*, provided a quiet evening does not have to mean an easy one. Its humour is an important part of the recommendation. Give Ceylan time, but there is no obligation to admire every minute he takes.

## Biography

Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a Turkish film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor and producer. Born in Istanbul on 26 January 1959, he studied engineering at Boğaziçi University and film at Mimar Sinan University.

Ceylan wrote, directed, produced, shot and edited his breakthrough feature *Distant* (2002), which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. His later films include *Climates* (2006), *Three Monkeys* (2008), *Once Upon a Time in Anatolia* (2011), *Winter Sleep* (2014), which won the Palme d'Or, *The Wild Pear Tree* (2018) and *About Dry Grasses* (2023). Five of his films have been selected as Turkey's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

He is married to filmmaker, photographer and actress Ebru Ceylan, with whom he co-starred in *Climates*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nuribilgeceylan.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Distant* (2002), Fi1m 73, Camera Operator, Cinematography, Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/distant.md)

## Complete filmography (24)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Otlar Sararırken* (2025), series, Creator
- *About Dry Grasses* (2023), Producer, Editor, Director, Writer
- *Making of The Wild Pear Tree* (2018), Producer, Writer, Director
- *The Wild Pear Tree* (2018), Screenplay, Director, Producer, Editor
- *A Long Cold Winter* (2014), Writer, Producer, Director
- *Winter Sleep* (2014), Writer, Director, Editor, Producer
- *Making of Once Upon A Time in Anatolia* (2011), Producer, Writer, Director
- *Once Upon a Time in Anatolia* (2011), Director, Writer, Editor, Producer
- *Making of Three Monkeys* (2008), Producer, Writer, Director
- *Three Monkeys* (2008), Director, Writer, Editor, Producer
- *Making Climates* (2006), Writer, Producer, Director
- *Destiny* (2006), Thanks
- *Climates* (2006), as Isa · Writer, Director, Editor, Producer
- *Making Distant* (2002), Writer, Producer, Director
- *Distant* (2002), Director, Writer, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor, Camera Operator — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/distant.md)
- *Making Clouds of May* (1999), Writer, Producer, Director
- *Clouds of May* (1999), Director, Writer, Director of Photography, Editor, Camera Operator
- *On the Edge* (1998), Thanks
- *Making The Small Town* (1997), Writer, Producer, Director
- *The Small Town* (1997), Director, Writer, Camera Operator, Director of Photography
- *Cocoon* (1995), Director, Camera Operator, Writer, Director of Photography, Producer
- *Seviyorum Ergo Sum* (1993), Actor
- *Otlar Sararırken*, Actor
- *Pale Sun*, Director, Writer

## Gallery

- ![Nuri Bilge Ceylan](https://film.one/media/person/3933477/gallery-97e5455574a2.jpg) Nuri Bilge Ceylan — Cines del Sur Granada Film Festival from Spain, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Nuri_Bilge_Ceylan%2C_Cines_del_Sur.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Hossein Shahabi & Nuri Bilge Ceylan At 19th Film Festival Of Kerala 2014](https://film.one/media/person/3933477/gallery-58dc5e16e539.jpg) Hossein Shahabi & Nuri Bilge Ceylan At 19th Film Festival Of Kerala 2014 — Sheydai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Hossein_Shahabi_%26_Nuri_Bilge_Ceylan.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Nuri Bilge Ceylan](https://film.one/media/person/3933477/gallery-a6da98a08b97.jpg) Nuri Bilge Ceylan — Image via TMDB
- ![Nuri Bilge Ceylan](https://film.one/media/person/3933477/gallery-9ab4f0ff6d93.jpg) Nuri Bilge Ceylan — Image via TMDB
- ![Nuri Bilge Ceylan](https://film.one/media/person/3933477/gallery-e969fcba9a4a.jpg) Nuri Bilge Ceylan — Image via TMDB
- ![Nuri Bilge Ceylan](https://film.one/media/person/3933477/gallery-5e6e93674109.jpg) Nuri Bilge Ceylan — Image via TMDB
- ![Nuri Bilge Ceylan](https://film.one/media/person/3933477/gallery-0540a2ea4a50.jpg) Nuri Bilge Ceylan — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Cannes Film Festival — 4 won

- 2014: Palme d'Or (won), for *Winter Sleep*
- 2011: Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix (won), for *Once Upon a Time in Anatolia*
- 2008: Cannes Best Director Award (won), for *Three Monkeys*
- 2003: Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix (won), for *Uzak*

### Other awards — 11 won, 6 nominated

- Lumière Award for Best International Co-Production 2024: Lumière Award for Best International Co-Production (won), for *About Dry Grasses*
- European Film Award for Best Director 2014: European Film Award for Best Director (nominated), for *Winter Sleep*
- European Film Award for Best Film 2014: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated), for *Winter Sleep*
- European Film Award for Best Screenwriter 2014: European Film Award for Best Screenwriter (nominated), for *Winter Sleep*
- FIPRESCI Prize of the Festival de Cannes 2014: FIPRESCI Prize of the Festival de Cannes (won), for *Winter Sleep*
- Carrosse d'or 2012: Carrosse d'or (won)
- European Film Award for Best Director 2012: European Film Award for Best Director (nominated), for *Once Upon a Time in Anatolia*
- Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards 2009: Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards (won)
- FIPRESCI Prize of the Festival de Cannes 2006: FIPRESCI Prize of the Festival de Cannes (won), for *Climates*
- Golden Orange Best Film Director Award 2006: Golden Orange Best Film Director Award (won), for *Climates*
- Prix France Culture Cinéma 2004: Prix France Culture Cinéma (won)
- European Film Award for Best Director 2003: European Film Award for Best Director (nominated), for *Uzak*
- European Film Award - People's Choice Award for Best Director 2003: European Film Award - People's Choice Award for Best Director (nominated), for *Uzak*
- Golden Orange Award Best FILM 2003: Golden Orange Award Best FILM (won), for *Uzak*
- Golden Orange Best Film Director Award 2002: Golden Orange Best Film Director Award (won), for *Uzak*
- European Film Academy Critics Award 2000: European Film Academy Critics Award (won), for *Clouds of May*
- Golden Orange Best Film Director Award 1999: Golden Orange Best Film Director Award (won), for *Clouds of May*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/nuri-bilge-ceylan