Aclan Büyüktürkoğlu

Aclan Büyüktürkoğlu — Biography

Turkish-American Aclan Büyüktürkoğlu, born in Ankara on 25 June 1966, acts and directs for both the theatre and film. He trained at the Theatre Department of Hacettepe University's Ankara State Conservatory and in 1991 became a member of the Trabzon State Theatre company, studying for a master's in stage directing at the same time; filmmaking later drew him to the United States, where the American Film Institute's directing program accepted him. His AFI thesis film "Condemned" won first prize at the Ankara International Film Festival, and he went on to direct several short films, documentaries and commercials in the US.

He returned to Turkey's State Theatres in 2003 to stage the musical "Animal Farm" in Trabzon, later translating and directing numerous American plays for Turkish audiences. In Los Angeles, his staging of Kafka's "The Trial" for the Write Act Repertory Theatre earned a Stage Alliance nomination. After leaving the State Theatres in 2004, he continued acting and directing in Los Angeles, provided a voice role in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," and taught film and stage acting at the Filmstar Performing Arts Center he founded in Ankara. He appeared in the 2012 film "Takip: İstanbul," and in 2015 wrote, directed and starred in the film "Antikacı."