An international screenplay development lab exploring narrative forms through the lens of Mediterranean culture, light, and landscape.
The Dalyan Artist Residency is a residential creative retreat set against the ancient landscape of the Carian coast. It offers writers, filmmakers, and visual artists four uninterrupted weeks of creative work in one of the Mediterranean's most distinctive natural environments.
There are no mandatory sessions, no required workshops. Residents are expected only to work — to use the time, the place, and the distance from ordinary life to advance a project that matters to them.
Optional studio visits, peer conversations, and a final open presentation are offered but never obligatory. We believe the deepest development happens in solitude, and that Dalyan — with its particular quality of light and silence — enables it.
Residents stay in private rooms in a traditional Dalyan guesthouse, two minutes from the river. Each room has a dedicated writing desk and natural light. Shared kitchen, common room, garden, and terrace overlooking the reeds.
Dalyan sits between two worlds — ancient and alive. The river cuts through dense reeds and limestone cliffs carved with Lycian rock tombs. Across the water, the ruins of Kaunos rise among pine and oleander. Caretta caretta turtles nest on the beach beyond the delta.
This is a place where time moves slowly and attention deepens. The Mediterranean light, the sounds of water and wind through reeds, the proximity of history — all conspire to create an environment where stories can be honestly examined. It is why we chose Dalyan for a film development lab.
The Iztuzu Beach
Ancient Kaunos
The Dalyan Canal
Mediterranean Light
2 artists are chosen through an open call. Any kind of artistic work field is eligible.
Selected participants spend 56 days in Dalyan. Shared living, communal meals, and evening screenings create a rare environment of sustained focus.
Each artist is free to work on their own artistic project. They are welcomed to attend communal meals and evening screenings with the participants of the other labs.
The residency concludes with a private presentation of the artists' work to a select audience.
There is no tuition fee for the Artist Residency. Selected participants are responsible for their own travel to Dalyan/Ortaca/Dalaman. Accommodation, communal meals and transfers to/from Dalaman airport (DLM) are covered by the residency.
All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks of the application deadline. Selection results will be announced by mid-October 2026.