Turkish actor Damla Sönmez was born in Istanbul to Circassian parents. After studying theatre at the Sorbonne University in Paris for a year, she travelled to undertake further studies in Turkey as well as New York City and London. Initially acting primarily in Turkish television and short films, Sönmez’s breakthrough came in Bornova Bornova (2009), which won four awards at the national Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival including Best Film and Best Supporting Actress for Sönmez herself. She won further awards for Across the Sea (2014) including at the Adana Film Festival and Milano International Film Festival. She won an additional award from Adana for Sibel in which she portrays a woman who communicates exclusively through whistling.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and emerging. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
