Ümit Ünal

Ümit Ünal — Biography

Ümit Ünal graduated in 1985 from the Cinema-TV Department of Dokuz Eylül University's Faculty of Fine Arts, having already drawn attention with short films as a student; his first screenplay, Teyzem, won first prize at the 1986 Milliyet Newspaper Screenplay Competition. Directed by Halit Refiğ, it was followed by scripts for Hayallerim Aşkım ve Sen, Arkadaşım Şeytan, Piano Piano Bacaksız and Berlin in Berlin. His feature directing debut, 9 (2002), won Best Turkish Film at the Istanbul Film Festival and was Turkey's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2003 Academy Awards.

After Istanbul Tales, Ara, and Gölgesizler, adapted from a novel by Hasan Ali Toptaş, he wrote and directed Nar, which won a Special Jury Award at the Antalya Golden Orange festival; Sofra Sırları took multiple prizes at the Istanbul Film Festival, and Aşk, Büyü, vs. won Best Film from the Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD) as well as awards at LGBT+ film festivals in Barcelona, Toronto and Los Angeles. His 2024 film Evcilik won Best Screenplay at Antalya and a Best Actor prize for Nejat İşler.

Ünal has published five books -- Amerikan Güzeli, Aşkın Alfabesi, Kuyruk, Işık Gölge Oyunları and Bana Göre Kıyamet -- and held exhibitions of his drawings and photographs. He has lived in Glasgow since 2020 and presided over the jury of the 32nd Adana Altın Koza Film Festival in 2025.