Illustrator, Animator, Filmmaker
Mehves Topcuoglu (she/her), born in 2002 in Boston, MA, is a Turkish illustrator, animator, and animated filmmaker currently based in New York City. She is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts, with an expected graduation in May 2027. She made her directorial debut with her animated short film “Echo”, which has been screened and awarded at numerous national and international film festivals.
Her work spans animation and visual storytelling, with a focus on traditional, multimedia, and analog animation techniques. She often incorporates an experimental approach into her practice, working primarily with mixed media and analog methods, most notably colored pencils, ink, and watercolor. Her drawings are distinguished by their intricate and soft rendering achieved with colored pencils, and their predominantly monochrome or limited color palettes.
Education
Master of Fine Arts in Illustration as Visual Essay, School of Visual Arts (New York/USA, 2027)
Summer School in 2D Character Animation, GOBELINS (Paris/FR, 2024)
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, Graduated Summa Cum Laude as the 3rd highest ranked student, GPA: 3.78/4.00, Bilkent University (Ankara/TR, 2024)
Erasmus Exchange Semester in Graphic Arts, Grade: 4.94/5.00, Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk (Gdansk/PL, 2023)
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, Visual Arts High Level Course, IDF Bilkent High School (Ankara/TR, 2020)
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Bronze Program, Project in Field Botany (2019)
Awards
Oscar-Qualifying 25th International Izmir Short Film Festival, National Animation Honorable Mention Award, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Izmir, 2024)
43rd GMK Graphic Design Awards, Paribu Young Designer of the Year 3rd Place, Animated Short Film "Echo"(Istanbul, 2024)
43rd GMK Graphic Design Awards, Student Graduation Projects Achievement Award, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Istanbul, 2024)
Festival Nominations and Screenings
35th Ankara Film Festival, Best National Short Film Finalist, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Ankara, 2024)
Montreal Independent Film Festival, Best Student Film Nominee, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Montreal, 2024)
12th Canlandiranlar International Animation Film Festival, Finalist, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Istanbul, 2024)
Accessible Film Festival, Short Film Competition Official Selection, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Ankara, 2025)
9th Arctic International Film Festival "Golden Raven", Animation Competition Program, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Anadyr, 2025)
15th Sinepark Short Film Festival, Animation Train Category Finalist, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Istanbul, 2025)
Artales Short Film Screening and Interview Session, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Ankara, 2025)
PASO XXV Short Film Festival, Screen Movies Official Selection, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Ankara, 2025)
PASO XXV Short Film Festival, Ultra Short Film Category Finalist, Animated Short Film "Decay of Identity" (Ankara, 2025)
9th Çali Köy Film Festival, Short Film Competition Finalist, Animated Short Film "Echo" (Bursa, 2025)
Exhibitions and Events
"Portraits and Absences" Collaborative Concert, Animated Visuals for Live Piano Recital (Bilkent University Concert Hall/Ankara, 2025)
The 14th National Alzheimer's Conference, Animated Short Film "Decay of Identity" was chosen by the Turkish Alzheimer's Association for exhibition. (Antalya, 2024)
BILGRA Senior Graphic Design Exhibition, Animated Short Film "Echo" was chosen to be included in the "Best of Show" list. (CerModern Hub Art Centre/Ankara, 2024)
"Uncertainty" International Exhibition of Erasmus Students, 1 Piece Displayed: Lithography printmaking work titled "Field of Sight" (Oliwski Ratusz Kultury Art Gallery/Gdansk, 2023)
Experimental Typography Movie Poster Exhibition, 1 Piece Displayed: "The Sixth Sense" poster design alongside a collective board of sketches and materials used & QR code for the process video. (CerModern Hub Art Centre/Ankara, 2023)
New Faces for the Next Century, 1 Piece Displayed: "Yanik Saraylar" Analog Book Jacket design (Bilkent University FADA Exhibition Hall/Ankara, 2023)
World Biennial of Student Poster, 1 Piece Selected: "Unity Defeats War" Poster Design (University of Novi Sad Academy of Art/Serbia, 2022)
Complete and formatted CV available upon request.
For commissions and inquires please send an e-mail to: topcuoglumehves@gmail.com