Born in Istanbul, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter Sedef Ecer practices several forms of writing in Turkish and French. Her novel, Trésor national, (Lattès 2021, Poche 2023), won literary prizes and received an enthusiastic response from critics and booksellers alike. Her plays have been produced and received staged and radio readings at international festivals, in public and private theaters in France and abroad, and in public spaces, such as cafés, libraries, and schools. They have also been taught in middle and high schools and at university theater departments (including Columbia University, UC Berkeley, Sciences Po Paris, Queens College, the Sorbonne, and the University of the Peloponnese), and translated and published in several countries. Winner of numerous prizes and grants, she was included in the “Universal Dictionary of Creatives” in 2014 (UNESCO). She is a member of the SACD and a founding member of the Parlement des Écrivaines Francophones.

 

Sedef Ecer grew up in the world of movie-making, theatre and television. 

​

As a writer and actress, she has been a nominee or a recipient of prestigious awards. (French National Center of Theater, French National Center of Cinema, Beaumarchais Award, French Society of Multimedia Writers, Draft of a Dream, Velasquez Price, Writing Stipend of Paris Region, National Theater Award of Guérande, High School Students Favorite Play, nominated for Godot Award, Collidram Award, Best Television Comedy La Rochelle Festival) She is one of the founders of Parlement des Écrivaines Francophones.

​

She writes different genres and in two languages: she has written more than 500 articles or opinion pieces for the press, novels, screenplays, explored new genres and translated Montaigne, Charlotte Delbo or Saint-Exupery’s works into Turkish. 

 

Her novel Trésor national, (Lattès 2021, Poche 2023) 

The magnificent portrait of an actress and a country ravaged by several coup d’états between 1960 and 2016. An ode to cinema. A quest for truth.

Hülya moves to Paris as a young woman. She invents an ordinary, peaceful existence for herself, without her eccentric but much-admired mother, the ghost of her dead father, or her stepfather, a high-ranking official in a much-hated regime. But the July 2016 coup d’état in Turkey forces her to remember. In spite of herself and the years that have gone by, her mother, the “National Treasure of Turkish cinema,” continues to dominate

her thoughts.
When her mother calls to ask that she write the eulogy
for her funeral, Hülya is furious. The “National Treasure” was barely a mother to her. However, she relents and decides to write the story of this woman and find out the truth.

​

But her major work is in the field of theatre. Her plays are performed in numerous theaters and festivals in different countries, published, awarded and translated into Polish, Turkish, Armenian, German, Greek, English, Persian, Italian etc.

Her plays were directed by Elise Chatauret, Thomas Bellorini, Bruno Freyssinet, Vincent Goethals, Tina Brueggemann, Hansguenther Heyme, Lisa Rothe, Evren Odcikin, Shiva, Ordooi, Erin Gilley, Laurent Maindon  and many others.

 

She was invited as a visiting artist to a variety of Universities including Columbia Barnard, Berkeley, Sciences Po Paris... 

As an actress, she played in feature films and several plays since she is three years old and has worked recently under the directions of Amos Gitaï (with Jeanne Moreau), Lorenzo Gabriel, Thomas Bellorini, etc. 

​

 

SOME OF HER RECENT WORK IN FRENCH AS A PLAYWRIGHT

 

2024/2025 : LADY FIRST (USA), E-PASSEUR (AGEN), LES DESCENDANTS (PARIS, GRENOBLE)

2024 Paris Istanbul, dernier appel, staged by Eric Bouvron, Mois Molière et Festival d'Avignon

2022 Ruptures, staged by Laurent Maindon, Scène Nationale Saint Nazaire

2020 On the Periphery, translated by Evren Odcikin, staged by Erin Gilley, Potrero Stage, San Francisco​

2019

• Istanbullywood, performance and radio play, France Culture

• Parlement des Écrivaines Francophones

2018​

• E-passeur.com , staged by Sedef Ecer, Théâtre de Suresnes.

• E-smuggler.com , translated by Amelia Parenteau, staged by Lisa Rothe, New York Public Library.

• Talk Barnard / Columbia University.

• Lady First, staged by Jonathan Pinvidi

​

2017

• Lady First, staged by Vincent Goethals, Metz Opera House.

• E-passeur.com , staged by Sedef Ecer, National Theatre Le Liberté.

• E-passeur.com , staged by Sedef Ecer, National Museum of Immigration.

• Samstag in Europa, staged by Tina Bruggemann, Ulm Festival.

• Lady First, staged by Jonathan Pinvidic, Quimper and other venues in Bretagne

• La Ferme!, staged by Lisie Philip, Chalon Festival (in), Lieu Public.

• At the Periphery, staged by Evren Odcikin, New Threads, San Francisco.

• Kenardakiler, staged by Mert Oner, Istanbul.

​

2016

• Lady First, staged by Vincent Goethals produced by the legendary Théâtre du Peuple.

• E-passeur.com , staged by Sedef Ecer, Théâtre du Peuple.

• E-mülteci.com , staged by Sedef Ecer The International Festival of Izmir and Istanbul.

• Samstag in Europa, staged by Tina Bruggemann, Aalen Stadt Theater.

• Am Rand, staged by Hansguenther Heyme, produced by Kammerspiele, Hamburg.

• E-Ghost Company, radio serial produced by France Culture, Paris.

• Kenardakiler, staged by Mert Öner, Istanbul.

 

2014/15   

• À la périphérie staged by Thomas Bellorini, produced by Théâtre de Suresnes.

• Writer stipend from the Ile-de-France region,

• Guérande National Drama Award (prix national d'écriture théâtrale)

• "Coup de cœur des lycéens" (chosen as high school students favorite play)

• Nominated by students organisations for the Collidram award and the Godot award.

Public readings :

Théâtre National de Strasbourg, Troisième Bureau de Grenoble, la Maison des Métallos, Grand T, Théâtre de l'Aquarium, Cent-quatre.

Excellent press.

• Turkish tour of the play, produced by French Cultural Instute and The Istanbul Municipal Theater with Turkish surtitles.

• Am Rand staged by Tina Bruggemann, produced by the Stadt Theater of Aalen.

• At the Periphery,  staged reading by Lisa Rothe in New York, at The Festival Between the Seas in 2015.

• Les descendants, staged by Eve Lamarche (Marseille, Cassis, Martigues - South of France)

• First Lady, staged by Jean-Philippe Puymartin, interpreted by the well known French actress Agnès Jaoui at The Festival Paris des Femmes at Théâtre des Mathurins, Paris.

 

 

2013

• Turkish dialogue of the movie Water Diviner directed by Russell Crowe.

• Radio serial of ten episodes Trois arbres à Istanbul directed by Jean-Mathieu Zand broadcast by the national channel France Culture.

 

2012

• L’Absente, the first part of a 3 part production Va jusqu’où tu pourras written with Michel Bellier and Stanislas Cotton staged by Joëlle Cattino. Théâtre du Gymnase (Marseille), Théâtre de Grasse, Théâtre de Port de Bouc, Théâtre de Saulcy, Halles de Schaerbeek (Bruxelles), French Cultural Institute (Istanbul), Théâtre Mahal (Canakkale/Turkey) supported by European Funds.

• The cinema adaptation project of l’Absente, written by Sedef Ecer, has been supported by the fellowship of Région ile de France.

 

2011/2012

• Les descendants, staged by Bruno Freyssinet at The Hamazgayin Theater in Armenia in 2012, Théâtre de l'Aquarium in Paris, Theater Aufbau Kreuzberg Berlin and Wuppertal.

• Silsilename, staged by Sedef Ecer, in the French Institute of Istanbul.

 

 

2010

• Comme chez soi tv movie directed by Lorenzo Gabriel, co-written with Philippe le Dem

• Broadcast by a French national channel France Télévisions, and in more than 10 countries

• Nominated in the « Best TV Comedy » category in the Festival de la Rochelle.

 

2008/2009

• Sur le seuil staged by Elise Chatauret at Théâtre Jean Houdremont, Cent-Quatre, Théâtre de Fécamp, performed in France, Switzerland, Poland and in Turkey.

• Sur le seuil / Eşikte staged by Sedef Ecer at the Festival Scènes d'Europe (Reims), at the International Theater Festival of Istanbul, supported by French Cultural Institute

• Awarded by the encouragements of the French National Centre for Theatre

• The first prize of the 12th Mediterranean Meetings.

 

MEMBERSHIPS

 

SACD, French national authors and composers agency (sociétaire)

CNL, French National Book Center’s Comittee for theater publications subventions.

 

Sedef Ecer frequently participates in conferences, lectures, workshops invited by museums, festivals, book fairs, schools, etc. (Sciences Po, Cité de l’Immigration, MUCEM, Institut des Études d’Islam, CNRS, EHESS, high schools, universities, etc)

​

She entered in the « Dictionnaire universel des Créatrices » The Universal Dictionnary of Women Creators Worldwide in 2014, supported by Unesco.

​

She is one of the three women writers, founders of Parlement des écrivaines francophones.

She is represented  by Zelig in France, Merlin Verlag in Germany and Yeni Metin in Turkey.