Dutch-Turkish artist and filmmaker Veysi Yildirim received the award for Best Graduate Student of the St. Joost Academy of Fine Arts in the Netherlands in 1999. He currently lives and works in Amsterdam.

Veysi was born with congenital hearing loss and spent the first four years of his life not speaking. His condition triggered missing out on linguistic feeling - essentially that formed in the first two years of one's a life; and yet, it was compensated by Veysi enjoying what he calls "a greater visual acuity". From the moment he started wearing hearing aids, he became fascinated by the effect of sound on body and spirit.

Living in opposite worlds (West, East; deaf, hearing; Islamic, Christian, secular), Veysi has developed a particular view on reality. Films are his medium to reach out to people and have them experience - through cinematographic means - inner rest and contemplation.