Özge Akarsu is a Belgian-Turkish filmmaker and researcher based in Antwerp. Her work moves across cinema, visual arts, and critical theory, with a focus on political oppression, power structures, and human rights.  She is currently pursuing a PhD in the arts at the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema, and Sound (RITCS) in Brussels.
 

Trained as a lawyer, Akarsu holds a Master’s degree from Istanbul, where she explored concepts of sovereignty and the multitude through the works of Spinoza, Deleuze, and Negri. This philosophical foundation continues to inform her research into state power, identity, and the role of law in shaping and disrupting social norms.
 

Her animated documentary NOMOS, supported by the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF), the Netherlands Film Fund, and the Bulgarian National Film Center, examines state violence against women activists. The film was selected for Cinéma de Demain at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a jury prize and led to her participation in You Only Pitch Twice at the Torino Film Festival.
 

In 2023, she was invited by M HKA to create a digital piece for Art’s Birthday. Her short film Being with the Other, inspired by Jean-Luc Nancy’s reflections on singularity, was acquired by the City Collection of Antwerp and exhibited at M HKA (2024–2025).
 

Her recent film I am Scared reflects on the female body and visibility, and has been shown at Borger Nocturne – The Arts Institute and Centrale for Contemporary Art in Brussels.
 

In 2024, Akarsu was awarded a two-month residency at the Saari Residence in Finland, supported by the Kone Foundation, to continue her artistic and interdisciplinary research.