Can Merdan Doğan

Can Merdan Doğan (1987, Ankara, Turkey) is a writer, director, and playwright. He completed his studies at Ankara University's Theater Department and obtained his master's degree from Kadir Has University in Istanbul, specializing in Cinema and TV. In 2013, Doğan was nominated for "Playwright of the Year" at the Journal of Theatre Awards for his play "I Played Games with My Dad When I Was a Kid," which also received the Afife Award for the Best Actress in a Musical comedy that year.
Doğan's first feature film, "Arabesque Underground" (2014), for which he worked as a screenwriter and assistant director, premiered at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and received five awards in Turkey. His short film "Stiletto" (2021) premiered at the 65th BFI London Film Festival's short film competition, where it won the "Best International Short Film" award at the Dublin International Film Festival. The film has since been screened at over 20 film festivals in Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Turkey, earning multiple awards. It was also broadcasted on Canal+ France in 2022.
Currently, Can Merdan Doğan is pursuing his Ph.D. in Media, Theater, and Popular Culture in Germany while working on his debut film, "Backstage." He is particularly interested in queer cinema and exploring hybrid forms of storytelling.

May 5, 1987