Ilker Çatak, a Turkish-German director, was born on January 11, 1984, in Berlin, Germany. He spent his formative years in Istanbul, where he completed his high school education.
Ilker's academic journey took him to Berlin and Hamburg, where he pursued his passion for film direction at Hamburg Media School. He graduated in 2014 with a degree in Film Directing, and his graduation film, SADAKAT, garnered numerous international accolades, culminating in the Student Academy Award in Gold in 2015.
Ilker's feature film debut, ONCE UPON A TIME INDIANERLAND, was released in 2017 and is an adaptation of the acclaimed youth novel 'Es war einmal Indianerland' by Nils Mohl.
His second feature film, I WAS, I AM, I WILL BE, premiered in 2019 and received the Bronze Lola at the German Film Awards. Ilker's subsequent feature film, STAMBUL GARDEN, was released in Germany in autumn 2021 and was also selected at the German Film Awards.
In addition to his feature films, Ilker has directed an episode of the popular TV show TATORT. His latest project, THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE, is set to have its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin Film Festival in 2023 and is scheduled to hit theaters in May of the same year.
