The Istanbul-based Armenian writer-director Aren Perdeci’s second feature film “Lost Birds’” screenplay was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Margaret Herrick Library’s Core Collection in 2016. “Lost Birds” is the first film shot in Turkey to depict the great tragedy of 1915.

Set against the backdrop of the First World War in a small Armenian village in Ottoman Anatolia, the film follows a young brother and sister who embark on a perilous journey to find their mother.
“Lost Birds” was featured in American Cinematographer Magazine’s September 2015 issue, singing praises to its stunning cinematography. The ten page article was a first for a Turkish Project at the legendary magazine.

Admiringly reviewed by the HFPA at the 2015 Golden Globes, “Lost Birds” was premiered at the Egyptian Theatre in LA in 2015 and won the Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award at the Arpa International Film Festival along with best feature film and best director awards. The film was also congratulated by the then governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Perdeci’s debut “Wrong Time Travellers” was shot on super 16mm with an innovative style to directing. The film won an honorable mention at the 34th Brussel Independent Film Festival in 2007.

Aren Perdeci is currently developing his third feature film “Hello” with his directing partner Ela Alyamac. “Hello” was selected for the residency program of Film Independent’s Global Media Makers 2022 and Perdeci has become a member of the Film Independent community.