After studying history at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Reha Erdem learned the intricacies of cinema at the University of Paris VIII in the "Cinema and Visual Arts" department. A French speaker, he participated in two documentary filmmaking workshops at the Ateliers Varan in Paris in Spring 1984 and Fall 1984 (16mm). There, he made two short films: ==Eric - Indirect== and ==Attendez piétons==. In 1988, he directed his first feature film, for which he also wrote the screenplay. This film won awards at several film festivals, and Reha Erdem was named Best Director of the Year by the Turkish Writers' Association. Between 1989 and 1999, he directed numerous commercials. In 1999, he shifted away from advertising to direct a second feature film titled ==A Run For Money== and, in 2004, ==On est bien peu de chose…==. In 2006, he released ==Times and Winds==. In September 2016, he received an award at the Venice Film Festival for his film ==Koca Dünya==. In 2017, he served as the president of the jury at the Istanbul International Film Festival.