Mehmet Aktaş (born 1966 in Iğdır, Turkey) is a Kurdish filmmaker, producer, author, and journalist. He is born in Turkey but lives in Germany. He is the founder and chief executive of the film production and distribution company, Mîtosfilm, in Berlin.

In the mid-1990s, Aktaş came to Germany after he had finished his studies at law school in Istanbul. In Germany, he wondered because German people disregarded Near Eastern cinema, especially the Kurdish cinema. Therefore, he founded the first Kurdish Film Festival in Germany in 2002 which was supported by the "Hauptstadtkulturfonds".

With Mîtosfilm Aktaş produced feature films like 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. In 2009, Mehmet Aktaş was successful as producer of No One knows about Persian Cats directed by Bahman Ghobadi which was honored at the Film Festival Cannes with the award Un Certain Regard.

Mîtosfilm also functions as filmdistribution, focusing on new Turkish, Kurdish, Iraqi and Iranian auteur cinema. Since 2004, Mîtosfilm has also released films in German cinemas: Turtles can fly (2004), Two Girls from Istanbul (2005), Süt (2008) and Min dît (2010). These films illustrate Aktaş' political aspiration of giving a more authentic image of the life in the Near East than the local 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 Goteborg Film Festival 2014. Mîtosfilm's latest production Memories on Stone (2014) directed by Shawkat Amin Korki and written by Mehmet Aktaş and Korki was awarded at Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2014 as Best Film from the Arab World. Korki won the prize as "Best Director" at Cinedays Skopje – 13th Festival of European Film. "Memories on Stone" was released in Swiss cinema-theaters by the prestigious distributor Trigon Film in November 2014.

Since then, he has produced and executively produced multiple features and documentaries, including "The Legend of the Ugly King" by Hüseyin Tabak which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2017.[1] "The Rain Bride" (2022) by Hussein Hassan premiered at Göteborg Film Festival in 2023.[2]

His latest production In the Blind Spot (2023) by Ayse Polat premiered at the 73rd Berlinale in the section Encounters.[3] 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.[4]

Since 2011 Aktaş is also 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; Director: Zaynê Akyol

2015: Reseba – The Dark Wind; Director: Hussein Hassan[5]

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, Fipresci Prize

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Special Mention

DUHOK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Kurdish script

References

  1. ↑ "Die Legende vom Hässlichen König". Filminstitut.at.
  2. ↑ "The Rain Bride Premiere". Göteborg Film Festival.
  3. ↑ "In the Blind Spot Premiere". Berlinale Archive.
  4. ↑ "Istanbul Film Festival Awards". Istanbul Film Festival.
  5. ↑ Weissberg, Jay (2016-12-27). "Film Review: The Dark Wind". Retrieved 2020-05-14.
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