"...the shorts had the same irresistible flavor as
Martin Scorsese’s 1974 documentary “Italianamerican.”
In its opening scenes, Catherine Scorsese, the director’s mother,
sits on a shiny, plastic-wrapped couch and considers the silliness of her son’s film:
“What should I say? You want me to tell you how I make the sauce?”
I have watched it countless times, always noticing some new, magnificent idiosyncrasy
in Ms. Scorsese’s tone, her gestures, her humor, the precise clutter of her countertops and shelves.
I thought of her again when I watched the charming short by Zeynep Dilara."
Zeynep Dilara is an independent filmmaker and screenwriter. She primarily produces, directs, and writes documentaries for TV channels and streaming platforms such as Disney+, National Geographic, and YouTube, while also writing fictional screenplays, teaching storytelling, and creating a children’s story book series in Turkish.
She is currently residing in New York under O-1 Non-immigrant Status for Extraordinary Artist, supported by advisory letters from the DGA, AMPTP, and IATSE, along with memberships with Women Make Movies and the International Documentary Association.
She holds personal references from Debra Zimmerman, longtime executive director of Women Make Movies;
Zeynep Atakan, longtime producer of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Palme d’Or winning films; and Pelin Esmer, an acclaimed independent Turkish director and screenwriter.
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As of 2026, she began development on her upcoming feature-length documentary, “The Bullied Brain.” The project is currently in the early stages of development, with a secured book rights and collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Fraser, PhD, author of the book “The Bullied Brain.”
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Beyond her filmmaking career, Zeynep Dilara has consistently prioritized community building and social impact through education and mentorship.
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In 2017, she founded the independent educational platform Yazabilirsin ("You Can Write" in Turkish), providing free, publicly accessible resources, practical guidance, and shared industry knowledge for aspiring film and television writers.
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In 2021, she joined the online academy of Hypers Academy, where she designed and taught courses on Social Impact, helping emerging creatives explore storytelling as a tool for meaningful social change.
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After relocating to New York, she continued her educational work remotely while expanding her mentorship initiatives in the U.S., developing programs with Girls Write Now—a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring young women and gender-expansive youth through writing—and DCTV NYC, a nonprofit media arts center that empowers diverse communities through documentary filmmaking education.
Filmography
2022
Platform: YouTube
Presented by: Grandmas Project
Production: Chai Chai Films
Credit: Director, Editor, DOP
Produced by: Independent
Grandmas Project is a collaborative web series sharing the recipes and stories of grandmas around the world, filmed by their grandchildren. In the second season of this film series, SILE represented Turkey among international films.
This 8 minutes documentary film premiered in Paris and has been screened in more than 10 countries with special screenings. Still getting invitations from documentary film festivals.
2022
Platform: National Geographic Global
Presented by: Turkish Airlines
Production: Cornerman
Credit: Unit Director
Produced by: National Geographic
Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, the home of Turkish Airlines for decades, is closed now. But the moving day there was a massive logistical challenge is of a scale never before attempted. 18 hours non-stop shooting, 12 unit director, capturing the real-time action. This 45 minutes documentary film, broadcasted in 19 countries on National Geographic global channels.
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2021
Platform: YouTube
Presented by: Vodafone Turkey
Production: VMLY&R
Credit: Writer, Director
Produced by: Vodafone
Vodafone has been advocating gender equality for years under the roof of #BenVarım (I Exist / I Am For in Turkish) and defying stereotypical perceptions that women cannot exist in professions associated with men. This 20-minute digital documentary film showcases the stories of the members of Turkey's most important women's football team Besiktas and depicts the history of women's football in Turkey. Film reached more than 3 Million audience in first week on YouTube
2020
Platform: KickStarter
Presented by: MIOPS
Production: Independent
Credit: Director
Produced by: MIOPS
MIOPS is a leading manufacturer of creative camera products. In a 5-minute digital film, 25 different features of the product are showcased through highly cinematic footage. This campaign was the fourth Kickstarter campaign of MIOPS, following three very successful campaigns. They raised $536,890 through this campaign with the help of 2,225 backers, marking the highest result the company has ever achieved.
2019
Platform: National Geographic Turkey
Presented by: Finish
Production: Cornerman
Credit: Director
Produced by: National Geographic
Global water crisis threaten some of the biggest metropolitan cities of the world such as Istanbul. This 45 minute documentary film tries to find a solution to this gloomy situation with the guidance of the host. Despite being prepared for broadcast on the National Geographic channel, this film has been broadcasted on all national channels in Turkey. In the first year of release, film reached over 85 million viewers. In 2023, the documentary was officially added to the curriculum of middle school students by the Turkish Ministry of National Education.
2018
Platform: DASDAS Theatre
Presented by: DASDAS Theatre
Production: Independent
Credit: Director, Editor
Produced by: Independent
The Persians is an ancient Greek tragedy written during the Classical period of Ancient Greece by the Greek tragedian Aeschylus. This 5 minute short film made as a promotional short film and adapted to screenplay based on original text.
2017 - 2022
Platform: YouTube
Presented by: Zeynep Dilara
Production: Independent
Credit: Founder, Director, Content Creator
Produced by: Independent
"You Can Write" (Yazabilirsin) is Turkey's first fully independent online education program on creative writing, story-telling and scriptwriting. This program shares educational content, archive, knowledge and motivational support via official web site www.yazabilirsin.com, YouTube and Instagram.
This educational digital video series reaches viewers through a YouTube channel consisting of an average of 54 video contents, each around 15 minutes long.
2016
Platform: National Television
Presented by: Dogus Otomotive
Production: Bocek Yapim
Credit: Writer, Director
Produced by: McCann Ericson