Rûken Tekeş - Founder / Director & Writer
Born in Diyarbakır / Turkey, lived in Istanbul, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Athens, Vienna, Venice, Kiev, San Diego and Moscow. She graduated with an E.MA in Human Rights and Democratization from EUIC Venice, after having completed programmes in University of Vienna, University of California Los Angeles, and a BBA in University of Marmara.
Tekeş worked a number of years as International Human Rights Expert for United Nations with honors and recognitions, and following that as university lecturer on human rights and representative of NGOs. In parallel to her legal, political and academic work, she contributed to human rights in cinema by pioneering the EUIC Human Rights Cinema Award, School in Cinema & Human Rights Advocacy, and UN International Human Rights Film Festival. Tekeş is a member of European Film Academy.
She is a self-made filmmaker; started scriptwriting and directing on social, political and environmental issues in 2015 and established Sarya Films in 2016.
