Reis Çelik was born in Ardahan, in east Anatolia, in 1961. He moved to Istanbul after junior high school and studied music and theatre at the State Conservatoire. In 1982 he began a career in journalism, working as an economics/political correspondent for various national newspapers. In the following years, both his interviews and photographs appeared in several international newspapers and magazines. He has written and directed many internationally acclaimed films such as Tales of Intransigence (2004) Refugee (2007), and Berlinale Crysal Bear winner Night of Silence (2012).