Togan Gökbakar

Togan Gökbakar — Biography

Togan Gökbakar is best known as the director of Recep İvedik, one of the most-watched comedy series in Turkey. His partnership with his older brother Şahan Gökbakar, who stars in the films while Togan directs and often co-writes, is among the best-known working relationships in recent popular Turkish comedy. His latest film, Erdal ile Ece, reached cinemas in 2024.

While studying film and television at Bilgi University he made the short Koş Baba Koş (Run Daddy Run), which won a student-category prize at the If Istanbul and Altın Koza festivals in 2004; shorts such as Buğra and Uyuyan Şahan followed. His first feature, the horror film Gen (2006), in which Şahan makes a brief appearance, was not widely embraced, but earned him the Promising Young Director award at the 13th Altın Koza Film Festival. The real turning point came in 2008 with Recep İvedik, with his brother in the lead; the series ran through Recep İvedik 7 (2022), and he wrote several of the instalments himself. The pair's other comedies, including Celal ile Ceren, Osman Pazarlama and Kayhan, introduced new characters, and he also produced Kayhan and Recep İvedik 5.

Outside cinema, he also took part in the NTV programme Kime Diyorum Ben.