e x h i b i t i o n s
In Sight, The city collection Antwerp, M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp,Belgium, 2023.
I am Scared, Borger Nocturne, The Arts Institute, Antwerp, Belgium, 2023.
Art’s Birthday, M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp,Belgium, 2023.
BANG, Group Exhibition, De Vleeshaak, Antwerp, Belgium
SLOTPARCOURS ChampdAction.LAbO 2021, De Singel, Antwerp,Belgium.
15 Jaar Wolkenbreiers, Plein Magazijn, Antwerp, Belgium.
10 Jaar Wolkenbreiers, De Oude Beurs, Antwerp, Belgium.
50 years of migration from Morocco and Turkey, Museum aan de Stroom (MAS), Antwerp, Belgium.
Özge Akarsu is a Belgian-Turkish filmmaker and researcher based in Antwerp, working at the intersection of cinema, visual arts, and critical theory.
Her interdisciplinary practice explores political oppression, power structures, and human rights, using visual storytelling as a form of reflection and resistance. She is currently pursuing a PhD in the arts at the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema, and Sound (RITCS) in Brussels.
Originally trained as a lawyer, Akarsu earned a Master’s degree in Istanbul, where she studied sovereignty and the concept of the multitude through Spinoza, Deleuze, and Negri. This philosophical grounding continues to shape her research into state power, identity, and the law’s role in constructing and dismantling 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.
It was selected for Cinéma de Demain at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a jury prize and led to her participation in You Only Pitch Twice at the Torino Film Festival.
Beyond film, Akarsu works with digital and installation art.
In 2023, M HKA invited her 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, visibility, and concealment, and has been shown at Borger Nocturne, The Arts Institute, and Centrale for Contemporary Art in Brussels.
In 2024, she was awarded a two-month residency at the Saari Residence in Finland, funded by the Kone Foundation, enabling deep artistic and interdisciplinary research.
Throughout her career, Akarsu has collaborated with institutions including De Singel, MAS Museum, M HKA, and Centrale for Contemporary Art. Her work is rooted in critical inquiry and explores how visual media can expose power, question dominant narratives, and create space for political imagination.
a w a r d s
g r a n t s
r e s i d e n c i e s
Saari Residence, Kone Foundation, (FI), 2023.
TSFM’s, 'You Only Pitch Twice' (IT), Talents and Short Film Market, Cannes), 2023
Canlandıranlar Animation Festival (TR), Special Jury Award for the Best Turkish Film category,2021.
Film Festival Ostend (BE),
a prize for the ‘The Best Student Pitch’, 2020.
F e s t i v a l
s e l e c t i o n s
Cannes Film Festival, Focus Script (FR) 2023.
TSFM’s pitch session You Only Pitch Twice (IT) (chosen by Talents and Short Film Market)
European Union Human Rights Film Festival (TR), Gender Equality Competition.
Kortfilmfestival Leuven (BE), Documentary Competition, 2020.
Canlandıranlar Animation Festival (TR), 2020.
ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival, (AZ), 2020.
Ongezienkort Short Film Festival (BE), 2020
Cut to Gent Short Film Festival (BE), 2020.
Breedbeeld Short Film Festival (BE), 2020.