Renan Ozturk

Renan Ozturk discovered his passion for climbing while attending Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As a member of the small community of climbers there, he honed his skills, deepened his connection to the sport and dreamed of the remote and beautiful places it could take him. Ozturk graduated with a degree in biology, but not before traveling to Nepal to study the language and culture of a country to which he's still deeply connected.

Ozturk has developed into an extremely talented and prolific filmmaker with a growing list of credits, including the short films Towers of the Ennedi, Living the Dream and Samsara, which is about his 2008 attempt — along with Conrad Anker and Jimmy Chin — to climb Meru, an enormously challenging peak that has stymied many top-notch climbers. Samsara chronicles their attempt, which falls short within sight of the summit. The three alpinists went back to Meru — less than six months after a ski accident that fractured Ozturk's skull — and summitted, a story that is  featured in the 2012 film House of Cards.