Born in Ankara in 1979, Nazlı Elif Durlu earned her bachelor’s degree on Film and Television Science at Utrecht University. Between 2005-2008, she worked as a screenwriter in Los Angeles on various film and television series projects. The short films Güven Bana (2009), Sonra (2012) and Düldül ve Bülbül (2013), which she wrote and directed, were screened at various festivals in Turkey and around the world. Her short film script for Almost was filmed by Hany Abu Assad in 2010, and was part of the anthology film Do Not Forget Me Istanbul. She completed her first feature film Zuhal, which she co-wrote with Ziya Demirel, in 2021. She currently lectures on film interpretation and production at the İstanbul Bilgi University Department of Film and Television, as well as working on her next project.