Born in Kazakhstan, she moved to Germany in 1990, taking up film and drama studies at Berlin"s Free University in 2001. She studied directing at Baden-Württemberg Film Academy and won the 2008 Kazakhstan Film Award for "Welche Richtung geht"s nach Hause?". "Die Haushaltshilfe" won the 2009 German Short Film Award.

Source: 60. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)