Meliha Calisir

Born in Turkey and fluent in both English and Turkish, Meliha Calisir is a filmmaker whose work moves between cultures, languages, and the liminal spaces where identity is shaped. Her films explore themes of displacement, belonging, and the quiet resilience of human connection -- stories told with a visual intimacy that invites audiences to feel before they understand.

Meliha is currently completing her BA in Directing for Film & Television at Columbia College Chicago on a full-ride Chicagoland Transfer Scholarship, where she has earned a place on the Dean's List. Her short film Misafir received the Best Screenplay award at the MU Convention, affirming her instinct for narratives that resonate across borders. Before Columbia, she built a foundation in broadcast engineering, bringing a technical precision to her creative vision.

Beyond her own films, Meliha has volunteered at the Chicago 60th International Film Festival and Filmscape Chicago, immersing herself in the broader filmmaking community. She hosted A Taste of Turkey, a cultural radio show that bridged communities through storytelling. Whether behind the camera or at the microphone, her work is driven by a single conviction: that the most powerful stories are the ones we almost forgot to tell.