Dr Eylem Atakav is Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies at the University of East Anglia where she teaches courses on women, Islam and film as well as Middle Eastern media. She is the author of 'Women and Turkish Cinema: Gender Politics, Cultural Identity and Representation' (2012) and editor of 'Directory of World Cinema: Turkey' (Intellect, 2013). Dr. Atakav writes frequently on issues around gender and culture for the Huffington Post (UK) and for her co-authored blog on women’s cinema: Auteuse Theories.
Eylem has been credited for contributing to the University of East Anglia's successful appeal of its 2016/17 Teaching Excellence Framework grade from Silver to Gold. Eylem's exceptional contribution to student satisfaction at UEA was recognised in 2016 when she was appointed a National Teaching Fellow, the foremost accolade a higher education teaching professional can receive. Among her other awards are the 2016 Award for Outstanding Pedagogical Achievement by the Society of Cinema and Media Studies and, in the same year, the Most Inclusive Teacher of the Year Award from UEA Students’ Union.
"I believe that it’s vital to take students outside the classroom to inspire them and truly prepare them for the world of work.
For example, I arranged for a group of students to help run the Golden Island International Film Festival in Cyprus. It was an exciting and challenging project that gave them experience at international level, something study in a classroom alone could never do. I also involved students when I was asked to contribute to a House of Lords report on religion in public life. Students have a lot to offer, and it’s important that we listen to them.”
