Dalmira Tilepbergen was born in 1967 in Kirgizstan. After a degree in Philology in Biškek and a diploma from the Moscow Film School, she made several documentaries in Russia and Kirgizstan. In 2015 her first feature film, Under Heaven, received the special mention for the best first film at the Festival des films du monde in Montreal. She writes poetry and short stories which have been translated all over the world.