Born in İstanbul in 1969, Alin Taşçıyan completed her secondary education in Beyoğlu Anatolian High School (1980-1987) and her higher education in the İstanbul University, School of Press and Broadcasting, Journalism and Public Relations Department (1987- 1991). She started to work in the Milliyet Sanat Dergisi (Milliyet Art Review) and in the Art and Culture Department of the daily Milliyet Newspaper in 1992, and worked there as a proofreader, reporter, cinema writer and editor for 16 years. She worked in the Star Newspaper as a columnist and cinema writer between the years 2008 and 2015.
She began making television programs in 1994 starting with the show titled “Bir Zamanlar Genç Sinemacılar” (Once Upon a Time Young Filmmakers). In the later years, during various periods, she also became the presenter of “Genç Sinemacılar” (Young Filmmakers), a program on filmmakers making short films. Between the years 1996 and 2006, she produced and presented the program “Sinemanın Büyüsü” (The Magic of Cinema) together with Atilla Dorsay, in which around 500 classical movies were screened. In 1998, she started to make the film review program “Sinema Koltuğu” (Movie Seat) together with Ali Hakan, Mehmet Açar and Tuna Erdem (and later with Yeşim Tabak) for NTV, and later continued with TRT under the new title “Beyazperde” (The Silver Screen). She moved the program to Kanal24 together with Ali Hakan. She also prepared and presented the Thematic Film Program on 24, in which significant examples of the world cinema were aired. Her reviews were published in many magazines and websites. Currently, she is making the art and culture programs titled “Film Önü / Film Arkası” (Prefilm / Postfilm) on TRT2 with Mehmet Açar, in which they review and screen examples of modern cinema. Her reviews are published on www.sanatatak.com. She has taken part and continues to take part as a consultant and programmer in various film festivals such as İstanbul Film Festival, İstanbul Short Film Festival, Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Malatya Film Festival, Aegean Films Festival (Patmos), Flying Broom Women’s Films Festival, and Filmmor Women’s Film Festival. She became a jury member and chairperson in numerous important film festivals in Turkey and abroad including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Montreal and Busan. In 2012, she was elected president to SİYAD (Turkish Film Critics Association), where she was invited to be a member in 1996. She resigned from presidency in 2014. Starting in 2009, she became the vice-president of FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) two terms in a row, then became the president of FIPRESCI for two terms in a row starting in 2015. Currently, she serves as the Deputy General Secretary of FIPRESCI.
Also a member of the European Film Academy, Taşçıyan was granted the İFSAK Cinema Award in 2001, and the Bilge Olgaç Achievement Award under the Flying Broom Women’s Films Festival in 2014.