Pelin Esmer is a Turkish filmmaker based in Istanbul. After her studies in sociology she moved on to cinema. While working as an assistant director in movies she started making her own independent films. After her first documentary The Collector she founded her film company Sinefilm and wrote, directed, and produced her films The Play, 10 to 11, Watchtower, and Something Useful. Her films have been screened in many festivals around the world including San Sebastian, Toronto, Rotterdam, Tribeca, Tallinn, Göteburg, and received many awards. In 2007, she has been invited as a guest artist by Cannes Film Festival’s Résidence du Cinéfondation in Paris and in 2018 by DAAD Artist Program in Berlin.At the moment she is about to complete her latest film Queen Lear,  which is expected to be released in 2019.

Learn more: pelinesmer.com

While at Camargo, Esmer planed to develop her script, Listen to Mine, a story that aimed to chase after some questions such as who wants to die without a life story to tell; the most real one, the most dramatic one, a story that could turn into a great novel or an unforgettable film that would live longer than us? Life is hard, as already agreed, but don’t we wish to believe that “my life has been harder than yours”? Aren’t we tempted to get in a “whose life is more dramatic therefore more interesting” competition? And who is to decide for the winner?

Pelin Esmer was in residence at the Camargo Foundation in 2019, as part of the Core Program.