Deniz Gamze Ergüven was born in Ankara and lives in Istanbul. She studied Filmmaking at La Fémis in Paris, and Literature and African History in Johannesburg. Her graduation film, 'Bir Damla Su’, was selected for numerous festivals, including the Festival de Cannes Cinéfondation, and won an award at Locarno. She has developed two feature films: ‘Mustang’, co-written with Alice Winocour, and ‘Kings, winner of Emergence in 2011, and which participated in the Cinéfondation Workshop in 2011 and the Sundance Screenwriter's Lab in 2012.