Harika Uygur, CSA
Biography

Harika Uygur was born in Istanbul. During her final years at university and afterward, she worked as an assistant director to Osman F. Seden for many years. In 1994, she joined the leading production company IFR, where she served as an assistant director to Ezel Akay. In 1997, she transitioned into the role of casting director within the same company.

After completing her casting direction training at Seattle Broadway Hall in 1999, she returned to Istanbul in 2000 and founded her own casting agency.

In 2009, she joined the International Casting Directors Association, which operates under European Film Promotion. In 2011, she received an invitation from CSA (Casting Society of America), headquartered in the United States, becoming its first international member.

Harika Uygur attended Yekta Kopan's writing and reading workshop for four terms, furthering her journey as a writer. This experience led to a collaborative project that evolved into a dictionary of stories titled İpekli Mendil, published by Can Yayınları in December 2014. In 2015, inspired by Yekta Kopan’s short story Elephant Graveyard, she directed a short film that was later selected for the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner.

Continuing to improve herself in fields that contribute to her profession, Uygur became a certified instructor of Kundalini Yoga and led workshops on Louise Hay’s Heal Your Life program.

Since 2011, she has conducted seminars and workshops based on her experiences in Bu Rol Senin (This Role Is Yours), sharing essential casting insights. This work later transformed into a book, published by Destek Yayınları in May 2016. That same year, she served as a jury member for the National Competition at the Antalya Film Festival.

In 2017, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and received the Best Casting Director award at the Locarno Film Festival.

In 2025, she was nominated for the CSA Artios Awards—considered the most prestigious casting award in the world—in the International TV Series category.

Alongside these achievements, she has been a jury member for the Sadri Alışık Theatre Awards for many years and has served as the jury president since 2023. In 2025, she was honored with the Achievement Award by the Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival, organized by the Flying Broom Foundation.

Harika Uygur continues her work as a casting director in television, film, and commercials while also teaching Chubbuck Method acting classes. One of her main goals is to help Turkish actors succeed in international projects. To support this mission, she organizes various seminars and workshops. In 2025, she is a guest lecturer at Bahçeşehir University in collaboration with the Sadri Alışık Foundation, training aspiring actors.