Ozlem Altingoz | Film Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with OZLEM ALTINGOZ and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi OZLEM, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I think the overwhelming majority of people give up.But I did not.I have done many amazing things and still get to do what I most want to do.Believe in yourself.Don’t be afraid to be a pest or bother other people. The only way to move forward is to take action.Don’t give up.Try always make the best.And keep going..Most important thing is goal.Be creative and make it happen. Don’t let other people block or drop you down if you want to reach your dreams..

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I was in primary school, I was usually visiting my dad’s office in Istanbul and one day I heard that a famous Turkish director was shooting a Television series at that location. I wanted to watch them and got a permission from the production company. In that day, it was like a dream, I talked to the stars, and it got me thinking of being a director. With that dream, I decided to study in a Radio and Television program in high-school and started to take theatre classes from famous actors. Thus, I met famous film stars and they wanted me to direct my own films and my journey started. I came to Los Angeles because here heart of Hollywood and Films. I decided to come here because it was the right choice. And I studied film making here I graduated May 2018 from NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY BURBANK. I have my ASSOCIATE AND FINE ARTS DEGREE.Not everything smooth. Nothing so easy.. I am living in Los Angeles and I can clearly say that the most difficult part is Hollywood film making rules such as permission, insurance, renting the equipment, hiring a reliable crew and of course your budget is the most important thing since money makes your movies and you need to have a passion to make your dream true. Award-winning filmmaker Özlem Altingöz was born and raised in Mersin, Turkey before pursuing her professional career in the United States. In the past three years alone, she has brought to life seven short films and conquered each aspect of the filmmaking process through her work on projects as director/producer/writer/editor, director of photography, production designer, or production assistant. Her short horror film “Daughter of the Lake” (2017) garnered critical acclaim 50 awards, including Best Film Short, Best Women Filmmakers, and Best Screenplay. The tale of a group of friends who stumble upon a deadly secret in the woods, “Daughter of the Lake” demonstrates Özlem’s talents as writer/director/producer through her unique blend of visual excellence, technical skill, and storyline originality. Özlem’s last short horror film, “Birth” (2018), premiered at the 2018 Festival de Cannes Short Film Corner and has won 50 awards including Best Producer, Best Director, Best Original Story, and Best Horror Short. “Birth” examines how far one man, whose life at birth was spared in a demonic deal, would go to save his family from the price of his own soul. Özlem completed a short documentary in 2020 , Los Angeles City of Dreams and Fallen Angels, that highlights a very important social problem: homelessness in Los Angeles County. The project includes well-known names to share an innovative approach with its audience including Lisa Vanderpump (Author, TV Personality) – Heather Carmichael (Executive Director, My Friend’s Place) – Kirkpatrick Tyler (LA Mayor’s Office of Homeless Initiatives). Özlem’s notable filmography, especially her work in the horror genre, engendered her overall view of film: storytelling ingenuity must trigger real reactions through the technicalities of light and shade or silence and sound. With this vision in mind, she has led a running total of seven scripts from conception to distribution as writer, director, and producer. Özlem Altingöz earned her filmmaking degree from New York Film Academy in Los Angeles.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Los Angeles has an exhaustive array of things to do. We have the plan to visit famous tourist places like Six Flags, Universal Studios, Santa Monica, Hollywood Walk Of Fame,Long Beach, Disneyland Park, etc. First of all I love adventure and fun stuff so I would take my friend first theme parks,ocean for surf etc..And of course I would take my friend to see Hollywood Sign one of the most common and fun thing to do hike to Hollywood Sign.Never forget about this I also wanna take my friend to most common desert “Joshua Tree National Park” me and my friend love camping so that would be great idea to go there since my friend in the right place for it. 🙂 Of course most of my friends love burger.I would love to take my friend to INN-OUT Burger.Must go there.And then I could take my friend Nobu Malibu,The Cheesecake Factory,Hard Rock Cafe,Pink’s Hot Dog,Korean BBQ,Smoke House Restaurant,208 Rodeo Restaurant etc….DJs and music headliners to entertain party-goers every night.So I would have to take my friend to clubs and bars in LA.We can start hit the night.There is many great clubs and bars out here so I am sure we can go one of them.. If there is a special guests at the club like famous artist or best Dj I would prefer that one first.And one night I have to take my friend to rooftop bar to see the amazing LA night view..Example Mama Shelter,Ace Hotel DTLA,The Standard,Skybar and many more rooftop places to must go for visitors ..

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe huge thanks to my family.Because they believed in my goal and dreams, the biggest factor in making my dreams come true and come from Turkey to Los Angeles has always been the faith and support of my family.And of course I did not forget of my friends big support.I was able to fulfill the responsibility that was left to me and to make my family and friends proud of my faith in my career thanks to a great deal of effort.