Mehmet Aktaş (born 1966 in

Iğdır Iğdır (; or ; ; or ) is a city in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Iğdır Province and Iğdır District.

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

) is a Kurdish

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, producer, author, and journalist. He was born in Turkey but currently resides in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Aktaş is the founder and chief executive of the film production and distribution company, Mîtosfilm, based in Berlin. In the mid-1990s, Aktaş moved to Germany after completing his studies at law school in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. While in Germany, he noticed that German audiences often disregarded cinema from the

Near East The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...

, particularly Kurdish cinema. To address this, Aktaş founded the first Kurdish Film Festival in Germany in 2002, which was supported by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds. With Mîtosfilm, Aktaş has produced feature films such as '' Close up Kurdistan'' (2007) directed by Yüksel Yavuz, '' Land of Legend'' (2008) directed by Rahim Zabihi, and '' Après la Chute'' (2009) directed by

Hiner Saleem Huner Saleem ( Kurdish: هونه‌ر سەلیم), also transliterated as Huner Salim, (born 9 March 1964), is an Iraqi– Kurdish film director. He was born in the town of Aqrah (Akre) in Iraqi Kurdistan. He left Iraq at the age of 17, and soon ...

. In 2009, Aktaş was successful as the producer of ''

No One Knows About Persian Cats ''No One Knows About Persian Cats'' () is a 2009 Iranian film directed by Bahman Ghobadi produced by Wild Bunch. The film offers the perspective of Iran as it explores its underground rock scene. It won the Special Jury Prize Ex-aequo in the Un ...

'' directed by

Bahman Ghobadi Bahman Ghobadi (; ; born February 1, 1969) is an Kurds in Iran, Iranian Kurdish film director, producer and writer. He belongs to the "Iranian New Wave, new wave" of Iranian cinema. Biography He was born in Baneh, a Kurds, Kurdish city in Iran ...

, which was honored at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

with the award ''Un Certain Regard''. Mîtosfilm also functions as a film distribution company, focusing on new Turkish,

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

, Iraqi and

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

auteur cinema. Since 2004, Mîtosfilm has released films in German cinemas, including ''

Turtles Can Fly ''Turtles Can Fly'' (Kurdish: ''Kûsî jî dikarin bifirin'') is a 2004 Kurdish war drama film written, directed and co-produced by Bahman Ghobadi. The film stars Soran Ebrahim, Avaz Latif, Saddam Hossein Faysal, Hiresh Feysal Rahman, Abdolrahma ...

'' (2004), '' Two Girls from Istanbul'' (2005), '' Süt'' (2008), and '' Min Dît'' (2010). These films illustrate Aktaş's political aspiration to provide a more authentic image of life in the

than what is typically portrayed in the news. Mehmet Aktaş also wrote the screenplay for Hisham Zaman's second feature film '' Letter to the King'' (2014), which received the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the

Göteborg Film Festival Göteborg Film Festival (GFF), formerly Göteborg International Film Festival (GIFF), known in English as the Gothenburg Film Festival, formerly Gothenburg International Film Festival, is an annual film festival in Gothenburg, Sweden and the large ...

in 2014. Mîtosfilm's latest production '' Memories on Stone'' (2014) directed by Shawkat Amin Korki and written by Aktaş and Korki was awarded Best Film from the Arab World at the

Abu Dhabi Film Festival The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF; ), formerly the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), was an international film festival held in the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 2007 to 2015. History The Middle East Internationa ...

in 2014. Korki won the prize for Best Director at the Cinedays Skopje – 13th Festival of European Film. ''Memories on Stone'' was released in Swiss cinemas by the distributor Trigon Film in November 2014. Since then, Aktaş has produced and executive produced several features and documentaries, including '' The Legend of the Ugly King'' by Hüseyin Tabak, which premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

in 2017. '' The Rain Bride'' (2022) by Hussein Hassan premiered at the

in 2023. His latest production '' In the Blind Spot'' (2023) by

Ayşe Polat Ayşe Polat (born 19 October 1970) is a German-Kurdish film director, screenwriter and film producer. Career In 1992 she releases the short film ''Fremdennacht'', which is supported by the Hamburg Film Bureau. Her 1994 short film :de:Ein_Fest_fü ...

premiered at the 73rd Berlinale in the section Encounters. The political thriller went on to win four awards at the 42nd Istanbul Film Festival, including the Golden Tulip for Best Feature and Best Screenplay. Since 2011, Aktaş has also served as the artistic director for the Duhok International Film Festival.

Filmography

''As Producer:'' 2023: In the Blind Spot; Director: Ayse Polat 2022: The Rain Bride; Director: Hussein Hassan 2017: The Legend of the Ugly King ; Director: Hüseyin Tabak 2016: ''

Gulîstan, Land of Roses ''Gulîstan, Land of Roses'' (French title: ''Gulîstan, terre de roses'') is a 2016 feature-length documentary film about women guerillas in a Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Free Women's Units, Free Women's Unit, in combat against the Islamic St ...

''; Director: Zaynê Akyol 2015: Reseba –

The Dark Wind ''The Dark Wind'' is a crime novel by American writer Tony Hillerman, the fifth in the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series, published in 1982. It is the second of the novels to feature Officer Jim Chee. Now working from Tuba Cit ...

; Director: Hussein Hassan 2014/2015: House Without Roof; Director: Soleen Yusef -in pre-production- 2014: Memories On Stone; Director: Shawkat Amin Korki 2014: Song of my mother; Director: Erol Mintaş 2013: Before Snowfall; Director: Hisham Zaman 2009: No One Knows About Persian Cats; Director: Bahman Ghobadi 2009: Après La Chute; Director: Hiner Saleem 2008: Land Of Legend; Director: Rahim Zabihi 2008: Dol; Director: Hiner Saleem ''As Executive Producer:'' 2022 Documentaries 2014/2015: The Legend Of The Ugly King – Yilmaz Güney; Director: Hüseyin Tabak -in production- 2007: Close up Kurdistan; Director: Yüksel Yavuz 2005: Traces (Le peuple du Paon); Director: Binevsa Bêrîvan 2003: Daf – Tambourine; Director: Bahman Ghobadi 2004: The War Is Over; Director: Bahman Ghobadi As author 2014: Memories On Stone; Director: Shawkat Amin Korki 2014: Letter to the King; Director: Hisham Zaman

Awards

* Memories on Stone: ABU DHABI FILM FESTIVAL, Best Film of the Arab World ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS, Unesco Award CINEDAYS FESTIVAL OF EUROPEAN FILM SKOPJE, Best Director FANTASPORTO FILM FESTIVAL, Best Script, Best Director, Special Mention of the Critics PEACE ON EARTH FILM FESTIVAL, Best Feature Film RIVER RUN FILM FESTIVAL, Best Feature Film * Song Of My Mother 20. SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL, Heart of Sarajevo for Best Film *Letter To The King AMANDA AWARD (NORWAY), Best Screenplay GÖTEBORG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film

Lecce European Film Festival The Lecce European Film Festival is an annual festival of European cinema held in Lecce, Italy. Description The festival was established in 2000 aiming to promote dialogue between different European cultures and languages. The Lecce European ...

, Fipresci Prize DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Special Mention DUHOK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Kurdish script

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aktas, Mehmet 1966 births Living people Kurdish film directors