Ela Kir

"I was born in Istanbul,Türkiye and at the age of 5 we moved to Johannesburg, South Africa.

In Johannesburg I started school at an American International School. We moved back to Istanbul when I was 11 then at the age of 16 I moved to London to pursue my passion in film.

I did a foundation course at a university in London, and from there I applied to other universities and ultimately chose the University of Essex. I fell in love with Essex at my first visit and knew it was the right place for me.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the way stories can shape perceptions and spark change. BA Film Studies felt like the perfect fit because it allowed me to explore cinema both as an art form and as a medium for social commentary. The course offered a blend of theoretical analysis and practical filmmaking, which was exactly what I was looking for. I loved being able to dissect films from a critical perspective while also learning how to bring my own creative ideas to life.

“In choosing a university for my undergraduate studies Essex stood out to me because of its reputation for fostering creativity and critical thinking, as well as its strong focus on interdisciplinary learning. The Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies (LiFTS) provided a unique opportunity to study film through a blend of theory and practice, enabling me to explore it from artistic, historical, and cultural perspectives. The campus’s vibrant, inclusive, and international community really resonated with me. Also, the social life such as all the events run by the Student’s Union and society options was also a big factor in my decision.

“One of my amazing tutors, Nic Blower, ran a module on documentary film that truly opened my eyes to the depth and possibilities within the genre. Thanks to that module and Nic's guidance, I found the path that felt right for me and began envisioning a future centered on impactful storytelling through documentary film. This led to one of my greatest highlights - creating my dissertation documentary, ‘Seriously, 2020...’. My dissertation documentary took an unexpected turn due to COVID. Originally, it was going to focus on marathon runners in London running for personal or spiritual growth. However, when all marathons were cancelled, I flew back to Istanbul to be with my family as lockdown began. The film ended up documenting my journey home, two weeks of self-isolation, and the surreal experience of lockdown. It followed conversations with friends around the world, my family anxiously awaiting news from my cousin stuck in Italy and his story, and an online interview with a healthcare worker in Boston who shared her heartbreaking experience battling COVID. It became a deeply personal reflection on a chaotic and unprecedented time. Seriously, 2020... was featured at numerous festivals, including Manchester Metropolitan University's Place 2020 exhibition, and it won the "Best Documentary" award at Prodigy Film Festival.

Ela holding a camera, filming a street artist painting a wall

A series of polaroid photographs of Ela's time at university

a black background with an outline of a person wearing a white face mask and red hood around their face. "Seriously, 2020..." is written over the top in white

Promotional poster for my dissertation piece, 'Seriously, 2020...' about the COVID pandemic

Promotional poster for my first documentary film, 'A Little Bit Like Calm', about street artists in London

a black and white photo of a camera on a tripod

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

“After graduating in 2020 I applied to the National Film and Television School (NFTS) to study MA Directing Documentary. The NFTS is widely regarded as one of the best film schools in the world, renowned for producing award-winning filmmakers, with its alumni frequently earning accolades at prestigious festivals such as the Oscars, BAFTAs and Cannes. Its Documentary Directing course is highly competitive as they only accept 10 students per year. The NFTS selection workshop was with the final 20 candidates, and since the course only accepts 10 students per year, we knew half would be “eliminated.” It was virtual, with intense, time-limited tasks each day. I was in Antalya Türkiye visiting my parents so I participated in the selection workshop from there.  The final task of the selection workshop was to create a 3-minute documentary. The biggest challenge with this project was that I had to find an interesting story, cast it, film and edit all in such a short span of time. As well as that, telling an impactful story in just 3 minutes was a challenge! I was interested in telling the story of refugees in Antalya as Antalya has a unique case in that it has refugees from both Ukraine and Russia due to the war in their home countries. I ended up finding a group of spearfishers made up of refugees from Ukraine and Russia and made the short documentary ‘Brothers in Arms’ which explores the friendship between these refugees united by shared struggles and the bond of the sea. Brothers in Arms was recently selected as a semi-finalist at the Big Fridge International Film Festival!

Ela wearing a mortarboard stood by the lake at our Colchester campus

“Essex played a pivotal role in shaping my journey to NFTS. The university provided me with a strong foundation in critical analysis and storytelling, both of which are key to the art of documentary filmmaking. The creative freedom I was given during my undergraduate years allowed me to experiment and refine my unique voice as a filmmaker. I'm incredibly grateful for the exceptional support from my tutors— they not only nurtured my confidence but also instilled invaluable lessons that continue to guide my work. Even after graduating, I’ve kept in close contact with some of my tutors; Nic Blower and Eirini Konstantinidou, who continue to inspire me and guide me toward my dream career as a filmmaker.  It was thanks to their recommendation of the NFTS that I applied in the first place, I’m truly thankful for the mentorship I received at Essex, which has been instrumental in helping me get to where I am today.

Ela is stood behind a camera, she is filming

Whilst filming a piece for my studies at NFTS

“Alongside my studies at NFTS I’m also a travel blogger (@ela_kir). Travel has always been a big part of my life having lived in Turkey, South Africa, Spain and the UK, so I’ve always been curious about new places and cultures. I started travel blogging while working fulltime between my bachelors and masters degrees to document my adventures (mostly long weekend getaways!) It has really been a great creative outlet for me and has enabled me to work with some incredible travel companies over the years, such as different tourism boards around Europe, TUI, Four Seasons Hotels, Hilton Hotels, InterContinental Hotels and many more! Combining travel and filmmaking has been amazing - it allows me to visually capture the beauty of different places and tell the stories behind them.