Thomas Arslan was born on July 16 1962 in Braunschweig. The son of a German-Turkish couple grew up in Essen and Ankara. Following his graduation from school, he studied German Literature in Munich, and later enrolled at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie in Berlin, where he majored in direction. Since 1992, he is working as a freelance screenwriter and director.

In 1994, his feature film debut "Mach die Musik leiser" was released. This was followed by a trilogy of films – "Geschwister – Kardesler" (1996), "Dealer" (1999) and "Der schöne Tag" (2001) – which reflects upon the different experiences of people of Turkish descent living in Berlin. Arslan employs long takes and a detached, documentary-like approach in his portrayals of everyday life. He mostly eschews folkloristic details and does not focus on the nationality of his characters, whose problems do not primarily stem from the fact that they are of foreign descent. "Dealer" premiered at the 1999 Berlinale Forum and was won the FIPRESCI award and the Award of the Ecumenical Jury.

Following the documentary "Aus der Ferne" (2006) about Arslan"s travels through Turkey, he directed the intimate drama "Ferien", which saw its premiere at the 2007 Berlinale Panorama. In 2010 he presented "Im Schatten" at the festival. The unique gerne film follows a gangster, who resumes his criminal career after being just released from prison.