Tolga Karaçelik (b. 1981, Istanbul) initially studied law at Marmara University in Istanbul, and then took a film course in New York. His feature-film debut Toll Booth (Gişe memuru, 2010) tells the tale of a 35-year-old motorway toll booth operator whose routine existence is disrupted by a new boss. Having taken a fairly ordinary plotline, the director then delves into his characters' uncompromising psychology, which transforms the tragicomic story into a metaphorical vision of the modern world. For his second film Ivy (2015), which he also wrote, he again chose a closed environment, working once more with only a handful of protagonists. In this drama about a six-man crew stranded on a ship that is not allowed to enter port, Karaçelik demonstrates that well-developed psychology and close collaboration with his actors are salient aspects of his directorial style. Ivy had its world premiere at Sundance 2015.
50. MFF Karlovy Vary
