Tolga Karacelik was born in 1981 in Istanbul, Turkey. He studied film in New York after earning a law degree in Turkey. In addition to writing and directing five short films, which screened at various festivals nationally and internationally, he has written and directed music videos and served as director of photography on a documentary. His award - winning feature debut, Toll Booth, had its European premiere at the Warsaw Film Festival and U.S. premiere at the museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York. Ivy, his secound feature film, had its world premiere in Sundance.