Talal Derki (Arabic: ÷ÃÂçàïÃÂñÃÂàṬÃÂlÃÂl Dërkë) is a Syrian Kurdish filmmaker best known for his award-winning documentaries The Return to Homs (2013) and Of Fathers and Sons (2017).
Born in Damascus, Derki studied film directing in Athens at Stavrakos High Institute of Cinematographic Art and Television, graduating in 2003. He worked as an assistant director for feature film productions and was a director for various Arab TV programs & TV films between 2009 and 2012. He also did freelance camera work for CNN and Thomson Reuters. He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 2018 and subsequently became a member of the Academy. He is the winner of the German Film Awards, Lola, in 2019. Talal Derki's short films and feature-length documentaries received tens of awards at various festivals. Both of his films Return to Homs and Of Fathers and Sons won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2014 and 2018.