Originally from Turkey, Ilayda Cetinkaya, is a recent graduate of the AFI Conservatory where she earned an MFA in Producing. She moved to the US in 2014 at the age of seventeen to pursue filmmaking, gaining acceptance to Idyllwild Arts Academy, a boarding arts high school in Idyllwild, California. 

 

She completed her BFA in Film Production and minors in Psychology and Advertising from Chapman University. During her time at Chapman, she displayed her creative prowess by writing, directing, and co-producing multiple music videos and short films. Notably, her Por Una Cabeza Music Video amassed over +120K views on YouTube and was chosen for both the 2020 Los Angeles and Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festivals.

 

At AFI, she produced various short films, and her thesis film received the SLOAN award. One of her notable achievements at AFI was producing the 35mm short film "SKIN," which earned the distinction of being a Student Academy Award Finalist. 

 

She also interned with the award-winning writer / director Oran Zegman, Steven Prinz's Borderless Pictures, and Alma Har’el’s JELLYWOLF & ZUSA Pictures. Ilayda is passionate about dedicating her career to telling stories about the LGBTQ+ community and other underrepresented communities, using film as a powerful medium to create awareness and foster inclusivity.