Director’s Biography: Uğur Cuya

Standing behind the lens, I strive to make sense of the complex layers of life and humanity. This pursuit led me to the dynamic and creative environment of the Miki Film Collective. Between 2015 and 2017, I documented marginalized life stories emerging from the urban fabric through works such as "I Am Not an Apache" (Apaçi Değilim), "The Chauffeur" (Makam Şoförü), "Kadıköy Bicycle", and "Billy: On the Nature of Things."

During this same period, as a stance against the clamor of motor vehicles, I founded the Kinocycle film collective and initiated the "Get Out of the Car, Get On the Bike" movement. The rhythm of the bicycle carried me further with every pedal stroke, leading me on an epic 10,000-kilometer journey that continued until 2022. In my film "Cinatı," while connecting with bicycle activists on the roads from Istanbul to Tehran, I recorded a testimony that pulsed with the heartbeat of cities. For me, the bicycle became more than just a mode of transport; it evolved into an instrument of memory and awareness.

As my journeys progressed, my focus shifted toward the wisdom of the earth and the sanctity of labor. Through documentaries like "A Clean Farm: Organic and Beyond," "Sister Sevinç: I Have Love Beyond My Labor," and "Migration to the Countryside," I traced the path back to our roots, the soil, and genuine toil. Between 2019 and 2023, with works such as "Urban Gardens," "An Ode to Compost," and "Pedal Buddies," I documented life sprouting amidst concrete, the blossoming beauty of cities, and the rekindled relationship between humans and nature.

The fruit of my artistic and experimental explorations, the 2024 production "SatChitAnanda: Belgin," was awarded "Best Experimental Documentary Film" of the year. That same year, "Rejection of the Anthropocene: An Anecdote on Urban Agriculture" was featured in the EU Human Rights Film Festival selection. My films continue their festival journeys, bringing these stories to global audiences.

Diving Deeper: In 2025, I traveled to Thailand for the documentary "Anicca." With a deep dive into Thai Buddhism, I am currently continuing my research into the ancient ties between Sufism, Satchitananda philosophy, and the Buddhist concept of Anicca (the wisdom of impermanence), developing this project as both a photography book and a documentary film.