Onur Ünlü

Onur Ünlü — Biography

Onur Ünlü was born on 24 June 1973 in İzmit; after graduating from Anadolu University's Faculty of Communication Sciences, he earned a master's degree at Marmara University and, between 1993 and 1998, collected poems written under the pen name "Ah Muhsin Ünlü" in the book Gidiyorum Bu. He entered television in 1999 as screenwriter and a small-role actor on Deli Yürek, then founded the production company Eflatun Film with Orkun Ünlü and Funda Alp in 2006, the same year he wrote, directed and produced his first feature, Polis. From 2011 to 2013 he directed the surreal comedy series Leyla ile Mecnun, which became a social-media phenomenon, alongside the surreal drama Şubat. His 2015 series Beş Kardeş, on Kanal D, was pulled despite strong ratings after the channel declined to renew it over political references such as a prison scene in its seventh episode; he went on to make Kırık Kalpler Bankası and write the screenplay for Uzaklarda Arama, directed by Türkan Şoray. After web ventures including Eflatun TV shorts and the series Görünen Adam, he offered these productions through a paid site, Hayatımı Satıyorum, in 2020, and relaunched Leyla ile Mecnun on Exxen in 2021. He won the Golden Orange award for Best Screenplay for Beş Şehir (2009) and for both Best Screenplay and Best Director for İtirazım Var (2014); a new film, Kurumuş, was announced in late 2025.