Born in 1976 in Ankara, Ceylan started photography in 1992 and had several solo exhibitions in Türkiye and Europe participating in several group exhibitions, and won several awards. After graduating from the Film and Television Department of Marmara University, Istanbul, she received her MA at the Filmmaking Department of Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul. Her first short film On The Edge premiered in competition at Cannes Film Festival in 1998, and received several awards both locally and internationally. She followed up with three other shorts: In the Well, The Mamak Story, and Goat Path. She contributed to several films by Nuri Bilge Ceylan as a scriptwriter, art director, and actress.

Several of her articles were published in various literary and art magazines. She continues working on photography, writing film scripts, and articles for literary journals.