Tolga Örnek

Tolga Örnek — Biography

Documentaries came first for Tolga Örnek; fiction followed later, and in Turkey he works as a screenwriter, producer and director alike. His breakthrough was Gelibolu (Gallipoli, 2005), a documentary on the Gallipoli campaign, for which the Order of Australia gave him an honorary medal in its general division. The son of Özden Örnek, a former commander of the Turkish Naval Forces, he most recently returned to audiences with Mucize Aynalar (2024), an adaptation of Aziz Nesin stories.

After Robert College he studied metallurgical and materials engineering at Istanbul Technical University, took a master's degree in materials science at the University of Florida, and then trained in film and visual arts at American University. Back in Turkey he began making documentaries for Ekip Film, among them Atatürk, Kuruluştan Kurtuluşa Fenerbahçe, Topkapı Sarayı, Tanrıların Tahtı Nemrut Dağı, Çeliğin Kalbi Ereğli and Hititler. After Gelibolu he turned to fiction, directing Devrim Arabaları (Cars of the Revolution, 2008), Kaybedenler Kulübü (Losers' Club, 2011), Labirent (Labyrinth, 2011), Senin Hikayen (2013) and Sen Benim Herşeyimsin (2016).

Kaybedenler Kulübü, which he co-wrote with Mehmet Ada Öztekin, ranks among the highest-grossing Turkish films, while the action thriller Labirent was distributed worldwide. For Mucize Aynalar, adapted from six Aziz Nesin stories, he came back to Turkey after six years away and called it the most important project of his career.