DENIZ ORBAY
2025-26 Traveling Fellow
A Camera's Purpose: Independent Filmmaking Around the World
Deniz will explore independent filmmaking communities around the world, investigating how the films they make differ by culture and region, and what kind of stories are told when there is no financial incentive. He believes grassroots films say a lot about the social climate of a communities, and wants to see how films are used in contexts of political activism and highlighting diverse voices.
Deniz aims to learn more about each step of indie filmmaking, from the ideation phase to its distribution to local theaters and streaming services, and everything in between. How do communities of racial, sexual, and political minorities use indie movies to get their voices heard by the people? How does the acting, themes, and production of independent films change as geography, culture, and economy change? How does a story about love play out in a short film based in Argentina, compared to one in Morocco? Would Greek and Irish film students frame the exact same scene in the same way, and if not, why?
Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey
Majors/Minors: Computer Science and Mathematics/Cinema and Media Arts
Deniz Orbay was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. With a British mom, Turkish dad, and an obsession with American TV, he grew up learning a lot about different forms of storytelling from different cultures. Over quarantine, he discovered his passion for watching and making movies.
At Vanderbilt, Deniz double majored in Computer Science and Mathematics, with a minor in Cinema and Media Arts, gaining more experience in filmmaking. He wrote TV show, movie, and concert reviews for the Vanderbilt Hustler for two years, and wrote satire for the Slant. He was selected to participate in the Bridging the Gap program, a Vanderbilt-Belmont-Fisk joint initiative, to investigate inequities within the criminal justice system. His junior year, he founded Basement Films, a fiction filmmaking club, to facilitate more student-led short films. He has worked with the career center and administration to find ways to lend more support to students pursuing alternative career paths. Among other larger film projects, he was the creative lead in making a short film in partnership with the UNCCD about land degradation.
Off campus, he has gained experience working in the film industry through internships in Los Angeles and Nashville. During his Computer Science major, he developed his technical side with projects like a VR video game, combining storytelling and programming knowledge.