Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am Elif Koyutürk, I was born in Istanbul in 1993 as a daughter to a family from Antep, and thus food matters as much as my work in my life. I’ve been busy with films and photography for a long time. I am a happy person! I believe everything depends on being positive.

Why did you want to be a director/photographer/adventurer?

Because these are the things that I like to do the most in my life. I can express myself the best with these. I have a job that I can create a different world with, and in that world there are no boundaries to creativity. Isn’t that perfect? I travel a lot by virtue of my job; I get to meet various cultures. I listen to different human stories, very important stories for me. I’m paying my respects again to the people who deemed me worthy of telling their stories to and let me shoot them.

We recognized you with your motorsports and human stories films; can you tell us how did these courses of events happen?

I always loved taking photos. I used to take nature photos in general, and the reason to this was that I was raised in a farm. My motorsports adventure started when I met off-road, and it led me to shooting my motorsports films. On the other hand, I was always listening to people’s stories, and this encouraged me to write scenarios and shoot people.

I was working voluntarily at seniors’ centers when I was in high school; I was always inspired by those stories. Right now I am keeping on doing the same thing in different countries.

Let’s talk about your education life…

I studied 12 years at TED College, after that I continued my education at Bilgi University, in the meanwhile, I studied cinematography in Spain for 1 year and I was invited to a certificate program in Norway. I had a really entertaining education life. While I was studying, I always worked; as a receptionist, waitress, set attendant, camerawoman... I managed to create a different world for myself as I was working in various sectors and various countries. I learned how humanism is important and how EGO is unnecessary.

As a young Turkish woman you have worked with big global brands. How did you reach those brands?

I value belief above all. Nothing was a coincidence for me; I was learning the shooting dates and places of the people I wanted to meet and I was going to them. I was saying “Hello this is Elif!” and showing them my work, lucky me they always liked them! They invited me to their giant productions. When I was 21, I was literally the only woman at all of the productions I was in. To be the only woman and the youngest person in a male-dominated community was both challenging and fun.

After the shootings I did with Red Bull and KTM, I met KISKA, KTM’s production company, and I moved to Austria. In my 7 months long journey, I filmed big budget movies. I achieved beautiful memories and great experience.

How do you want to be mentioned about your career?

I want to be mentioned as someone who created a difference. It would be priceless to be mentioned as a person who raised awareness and excited feelings in people with especially my social responsibility projects.

Do you criticize yourself? Usually who criticizes you first about your work?

I guess I criticize my own work a lot more than other people. I have this habit to prove myself my better in my next work. Usually the first critic comes from my mother. I trust her the most. After I shoot my films, I always go directly to my mother with an excitement, she watches them and we revise them together. Receiving nice critics is amusing. I love receiving critics; it shows the value that people give to my work.

You did a great number of things for your goals; hence you succeeded really good works. What will you do next to accomplish your supreme objective?

I will work hard. I love my job so much that it became my life. When it’s like this, you become active always. I prepare myself a “Goals” list every month. I prepare a table about the things I need to do, hence I proceed in the way to my supreme goal more decisive. For now, my biggest goal is to do successful works in America and to shoot my first feature-length movie with my scenario. As long as you are determined and your goal is clear, there is no room for words such as “I can’t do, impossible”.

As a rising young director and photographer, what would you give up on your career road?

I guess the first thing that I gave up for a while was my social life. I was always thinking about films. Film sector literally becomes your life and you need to dedicate your life to it. Even so if you ask me, I would say that I don’t want to give up anything.

What is your biggest dream?

Of course Oscar! Maybe this is something that would make the readers say “come on!”. But I believe that your dreams are not real unless they scare you. I always live with the question “Why not?”, even though people use the words “impossible, too hard”. I proved many people many times that there is nothing as “impossible”. Nobody said it would be easy but if you work, everything is possible!

Would you tell us about your most enjoyable and the hardest production memories?

Generally they all have one thing in common: hard circumstances. I don’t work in studios; I always work outside, on mountains, in nature. Thus, circumstances change constantly; you become durable for temperatures from -20 degrees to 46 degrees, you climb with heavy equipment, you sleep and edit in your tent instead of a hotel. I enjoy these difficulties; I gain more physical and mental experience in every shooting. Nature is a luxury being served to me; I try to make use of it the most I can and to protect it as well. One of my best memories is from the shooting that I was face to face with a wolf.

Up until now you won international prizes from Sony Photography Awards and Travel Leisure, could you tell us about these?

The award I won from Sony was for a photo of a woman that I took when I was living in Sicily. I was researching about the lives on islands. On the other hand, the award I won from Travel and Leisure was for a photo of a wolf that I took when I was living in Austria. Both of them are from two different shootings that I really enjoyed.

What’s next on your calendar?

I will be holding an exhibition in Consulate General of Austria in April, all readers are welcome!