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Films as Director

9 (2001)

2002 Istanbul International Film Festival - Best Turkish Film of the Year,

Best Actress (Serra Yılmaz)


2002 Ankara Film Festival - Best Screenplay, Best Actor - Fikret KuÅŸkan
Onat Kutlar Best Screenplay, Promising Director



Official Turkish Entry for the 2003 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.



Written and Directed by: Ümit Ünal

Produced by: Ümit Ünal, Haluk Bener, Aydın SarıoÄŸlu

Co-Producer: PTT Production

Music: Zen







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9, an extract

Istanbul Tales (Anlat Istanbul, 2004)

2005 Istanbul International Film Festival - Best Turkish Film of the Year,

Best Actress (Yelda Reynaud)
 

2005 Adana Golden Boll International Film Festival -

Best Film, Best Editing, Best Director of Photography
 

2005 MedFilm Festival-Rome -

Artistic Expression (Original Idea) Award
 

2006 Bangkok International Film Festival -

Jury's Special Mention of Excellence



Written by: Ãœmit Ãœnal

Directed by: Ümit Ünal, Kudret Sabancı, Selim Demirdelen, Yücel Yolcu,

Ömür Atay.

Produced by: TMC Film.

Music: Gökhan Kırdar





​Anlat Istanbul, Trailer

Ara (2007)

2008 Istanbul International Film Festival - Special Prize of the Jury,
Best Actor (Serhat Tutumluer)



2008 Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, Best Screenplay, Best Editing,

Best Actress (Selen Uçer)

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Written and Directed by: Ãœmit Ãœnal

Produced by: Ãœmit Ãœnal

Music: Özgür Yılmaz







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ARA, Trailer

Shadowless (Gölgesizler, 2008)

 

Written and Directed by: Ãœmit Ãœnal

Adapted from the novel "Gölgesizler" by: Hasan Ali Toptaş

Produced by: Narsist Film

Music: Candan Erçetin







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Shadowless, an extract

The Voice (Ses, 2010)

 

Written by: Uygar Şirin

Directed by: Ümit Ünal

Produced by: Bir Film





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The Voice, Trailer

The Pomegranate (Nar, 2011)

​2011 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival - Special Jury Award

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2012 Ä°zmir Film Festival, Best Film

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Written and Directed by: Ümit Ünal

Produced by: Arti Productions

Music by: Selim Demirdelen

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​Nar, Teaser

Serial Cook (Sofra Sırları, 2018)

2018 Istanbul Film Festival

            Best Screenplay

            Best Actress

            Best Editing

2019 Yala International Film Festival, Nepal - Best Director​

2019 Dhaka International Film Festival, Bangladesh - Best Actress

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Written and Directed by: Ümit Ünal

Produced by: RTNT Film, Chantier Film

Music by: Erdem Helvacıoğlu

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​​​​​​Serial Cook, Trailer

Love, Spells and All That (AÅŸk, Büyü vs, 2019)

2020   Istanbul Film Festival

            Best Film

            Best Screenplay

            Best Actress (Selen Ucer - Ece Dizdar)

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2020   Antalya Golden Orange 

            Best Actress (Selen Ucer)

            SIYAD Turkish Film Critics Association Best Film Award

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2020   KAV Foundation The Director of The Year Award

            

2021   Mostra Fire!! Barcelona LGBT+ Film Festival - Best Film

 

2021   Inside Out, Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival - Audience Award

 

2021  Outfest LA Grand Jury Award

           Outstanding Screenwriting in an International Feature

 

2021  aGliff/ Prism Austin - All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival

           Best Narrative Jury Prize

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2022  SIYAD (Turkish Film Critics Association) Best Film, Best Screenplay,

          Best Actress

 

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Written and Directed by: Ümit Ünal

Produced by: Tayfur Aydın, Ümit Ünal Co Producer: Fuat Volkan

Music by: Ümit Ünal with the title sequence song "Rüya Bozumu" by Ezgi Altıner

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Films as Screenplay Writer

Teyzem (My Aunt, 1986) (Director: Halit RefiÄŸ) (Milliyet Newspaper Screenplay Competition, First Prize)
 

Milyarder (The Billionaire, 1987) (Director: Kartal Tibet)
 

Hayallerim, Aşkım ve Sen (My Dreams, My Love and You, 1987) (Director: Atıf Yılmaz)
 

Arkadaşım Şeytan (The Devil My Friend, 1988) (Director: Atıf Yılmaz)
 

Piano Piano Bacaksız (Piano Piano Shorty, 1989) (Director: Tunç Başaran)
 

Berlin in Berlin (1992) (Director: Sinan Çetin)
 

Amerikalı (The American, 1993) (Director: Şerif Gören)
 

Yaz Yagmuru (Summer Rain, 1993) (Director: Tomris GiritlioÄŸlu)

TV Series

Çıplak Gerçek, (Naked Truth, 2012)

An adaptation from the Israeli TV series with the same title (Ha-Emet Ha'Eroma).

Written and Directed by: Ãœmit Ãœnal

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An extract: http://youtu.be/X33N4tBvE_k

Books

Amerikan Güzeli (American Beauty) (1993) (Stories, Oglak Publishing)
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Aşkın Alfabesi (The Alphabet of Love) (1996) (A Novel, İyi Seyler Publishing)
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Kuyruk (The Tail) (2001) (A Novel, Oglak Publishing)
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Işık Gölge Oyunları (Light And Shadow Play) (2012) (Autobiography, Yapı Kredi Publishing)

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Bana Göre Kıyamet (My Personal Apocalypse) (2018) (A Novel, Everest Publishing)

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Ada ile Böcü (Ada and The Bogeyman) (2021) (Children's Picture Book, Dogan-Egmont Publishing) )

Teaching Experience

Ümit ran courses on film making and screenwriting in various instutions including Istanbul Kadir Has University (Film and Drama Department), Istanbul Bilgi University, Akademida, Sender (Turkey Screenwriters Association), YapimLab, Cer Modern (Cava Institute). 

Advertising Experience

Between 1990 and 1999 Ümit worked in various international advertising agencies in Istanbul including Manajans/Thompson and RPM/Radar as copywriter and creative director. He started directing TV commercials in 1996. Here is some of his work as a director:

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