Board of Directors
TAHA FEYİZLİ
PRESIDENT
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Email: feyizlitaha@outlook.com
Place and Date of Birth: Istanbul
Foreign Languages:
English (Proficient)
Arabic (Beginner)
Ottoman Turkish (Proficient)
EDUCATION
2020 – 2023
Hacı Bayram University, Institute of Social Sciences – Department of History, Master's Degree (Ankara)
1989 – 1994
Hacettepe University, Faculty of Letters – Department of History, Bachelor's Degree (Ankara)
WORK EXPERIENCE
1995 –
TRT Internal Productions Department – Producer / Director
2001 – 2003
TRT Ankara Television – Director of Education and Culture Programs
Taha Feyizli is a director and producer who approaches cinema not merely as a visual medium of storytelling, but as a space of thought where memory, history, and human conditions intersect. Born in Istanbul, Feyizli has carried his intellectual background—rooted academically in the discipline of history—into the fields of cinema and television through a long-standing production practice within TRT since 1995. Over a professional career spanning more than thirty years, he has produced hundreds of episodes and dozens of films in documentary, docudrama, dramatic documentary, and fiction genres, making lasting contributions to Türkiye’s visual memory.
A graduate of Hacettepe University’s Department of History, and having completed his master’s degree in History at Hacı Bayram Veli University, Feyizli constructs his narratives upon a strong historical consciousness. In his films, history is not merely a field of knowledge belonging to the past; it is a living reference point that enables an understanding of the present. This approach is particularly evident in works such as Eskici, The Other, The Confluence of Two Rivers, Women with Distant Gazes, and Ismail Gaspirali.
Taha Feyizli’s cinema focuses on the relationship between the individual and the “other,” as well as themes of identity, migration, and belonging. The 13-episode dramatic documentary Eskici has become one of the milestones of Turkish documentary cinema, earning numerous national and international awards. The work was selected as the “Best and Most Professional Film” at the ABU Documentary Film Festival, ranked among the top ten films at Grand Prix Europa, and received honorary and achievement awards at both the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and the Ankara Film Festival. The same production was also awarded “Best Television Documentary of the Year” by the Radio and Television Writers Association.
The six-part international documentary The Other won the Sedat Simavi Television Grand Award, demonstrating that Feyizli’s cinema is grounded not only in aesthetics but also in ethics. The film was screened in major cultural centers such as Berlin, Cannes, Frankfurt, Milan, and Antalya, representing Türkiye on international platforms.
His 2022 television film The Confluence of Two Rivers was honored with the “Wings of the East” Award by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and premiered in Diyarbakır with the participation of senior officials from the Ministry and TRT. The film was also screened as the opening film of the Konya International Sufi Film Festival. This work stands out as one of the most mature examples of Feyizli’s narrative world shaped around history, geography, and spirituality.
Throughout his career, Feyizli has served as director and producer in more than 50 documentaries and programs. His 13-episode documentary Mosaic was broadcast on Sweden’s national television channel SVT1, marking a significant achievement in international broadcasting. Long-running projects such as Unknown Cinemas (52 episodes), Travelogue (13 episodes), World Cuisines (30 episodes), and Pages from History (365 episodes) are concrete indicators of his disciplined production approach.
In addition to directing, Taha Feyizli has also distinguished himself as a festival founder and executive. He has held leadership and executive roles in organizations such as the Köyceğiz Kaunos Golden Lion Turkish Film Festival and the International Far East Film Festival. As the Türkiye partner of the International Frankfurt Turkish Film Festival, he has contributed to the visibility of Turkish cinema in Europe. He has served as jury president and jury member at numerous international festivals, considering the sharing of knowledge and experience with young filmmakers as a professional responsibility.
Today, Taha Feyizli continues to approach cinema not merely as a tool of expression, but as an aesthetic record of the relationship between human beings, themselves, and the world. His films invite the audience not only into a story, but into a memory, a call of conscience, and often into questions whose answers remain within the viewer.
ÖZDEM AVŞAR
2nd PRESIDENT
Özlem Avşar completed her undergraduate studies in Industrial Engineering at Eskişehir Osman Gazi University. Following this, she began working at ROKETSAN, where she served as a responsible engineer on international projects.
Later, she joined TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation), participating in various projects. She worked in the Education Department and subsequently in the Television unit, where she served as a Producer and Director on various documentary film projects. She was involved in highly acclaimed productions such as Ahi Evran Veli, Öteki, Sportreler, and Yaşamın Sesleri.
She currently works as a Producer at TRT Foreign Broadcasts Department.
She also serves as a Coordinator on many KADİM projects.
Prof. Dr. HASAN TAHSİN FEYİZLİ
2nd PRESIDENT
He was born in Kırşehir on October 19, 1934. After primary school, Feyizli began memorizing the Quran. In 1951, he came to Istanbul to complete his training in recitation and tajwid (rules of Quranic recitation); he studied fundamental works on classical Arabic sciences with Müfit Kurutluoğlu. During his years at Istanbul Imam Hatip High School, he was a student of important figures such as Celaleddin Ökten, Ömer Nasuhi Bilmen, Mahir İz, and Nurettin Topçu; and benefited for many years from Gönenli Mehmed Efendi and Ermenekli Saffet Efendi.
While working as a teacher in Gaziantep, Feyizli received his certificate of memorization of the Quran. During the same period, he completed his undergraduate studies in electrical engineering and also invented a device that prevents the burning out of three-phase motors, for which he received a patent from Vienna.
Professor Hasan Tahsin Feyizli began his academic career in 2005 at the Islamic University of Rotterdam. He completed his master's degree in 2007 with an Arabic thesis on recitation (qira'at) and his doctorate in 2012 with an English thesis on the relationship between law and ethics in the Quran. He earned his associate professorship and professorship titles through his original works in the fields of recitation and Quranic studies.
Video recordings of his six years of Quranic exegesis lectures at the Tacettin Dervish Lodge are available online. The author of numerous important works, including the "Commentary on the Holy Quran," Professor Feyizli is among Turkey's leading scholars. In 2023, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Turkish Writers' Union for his contributions to culture and scholarship.
ÖZGER AVŞAR
GENERAL SECRETARY
Özger Avşar completed his undergraduate studies in Business Administration at Anadolu University in Eskişehir. He then began working at TRT General Directorate, specifically in the Ankara Television Directorate, where he worked as a Producer and Director on various television projects. He participated in numerous productions including "Voices of Life," "The Eye of Love," "The Meeting of Two Rivers," and "Health First."
He currently works as a Producer and Director at the TRT Internal Broadcasting Department.
He also serves as a Coordinator on many KADİM projects.
NEZİH DEMİRTEPE
TREASURER MEMBER
Demirtepe, who graduated from Anadolu University's Public Relations department, held various positions at Ziraat Bank, and later served as the Bank's Press and Public Relations Manager for a long time.
He also served as an Advisor at the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey.
Nezih Demirtepe has been professionally involved in culture and art since a young age. He has held exhibitions in various art disciplines, primarily photography and painting.
Demirtepe, who retired from his position as a consultant at the Turkish Language Association,
has served in the establishment and management of many associations and foundations in the field of civil society. He is the President of the Turkish Macedonian Association and the Vice President of the Board of Directors of GESAM.