Bora Dağtekin (born 27 October 1978) is a German screenwriter and film director who has directed several of the most successful German-language films, notably ''
Fack ju Göhte
''Fack ju Göhte'' (intentional misspelling of "Fuck you, Goethe") is a 2013 German comedy film directed by Bora Dağtekin and starring Elyas M'Barek and Karoline Herfurth, while Max von der Groeben and Jella Haase appear in supporting roles. ...
''.
Early life
Dağtekin was born and raised in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
to a German mother and a Turkish father and moved to
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is s ...
to study screenwriting at the
Film Academy Baden-Württemberg
The Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg (German: ''Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg'') was founded in 1991 as a publicly funded film school in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Filmakademie is one of the most internationally renowned film sc ...
, graduating in 2006. His thesis screenplay was an retelling of the classic German play ''
The Robbers
''The Robbers'' (', ) is the first drama by German playwright Friedrich Schiller. The play was published in 1781 and premiered on 13 January 1782 in Mannheim, Germany, and was inspired by Leisewitz' earlier play '' Julius of Taranto''. It ...
'' as an action film.
Career
Dağtekin worked as a writer in the advertising industry before finding employment as a writer for various German television series, among them the soap opera ''
Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten
''Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten'' ("Good Times, Bad Times"), often abbreviated ''GZSZ'', is a long-running German television soap opera, first broadcast on RTL in 1992. The programme concerns the lives of a fictional neighborhood in Germany's ...
''. His directorial debut was ''
Türkisch für Anfänger
''Türkisch für Anfänger'' ("Turkish for Beginners") is a German television comedy-drama series, which premiered on 14 March 2006 on Das Erste. It was created by Bora Dağtekin and produced by Hoffmann & Voges Ent.
The show focuses on the Ge ...
'' (2006–2009); he also wrote and directed a feature-length film with the same name in 2012.
His biggest success was the 2013 film ''
Fack ju Göhte
''Fack ju Göhte'' (intentional misspelling of "Fuck you, Goethe") is a 2013 German comedy film directed by Bora Dağtekin and starring Elyas M'Barek and Karoline Herfurth, while Max von der Groeben and Jella Haase appear in supporting roles. ...
'', which was the fourth-most successful German film ever as measured by audience numbers and spawned a movie franchise with two sequels as well as a musical.
Personal life
Dağtekin is known to keep his private life out of the public eye. He has stated in interviews that his films are unapologetically commercial rather than artistic and that this is a reflection of his personal taste, as he does not enjoy the more experimental style of
art films
An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...
.
Filmography
Film
Writer
Awards
*2006: Deutscher Fernsehpreis (''
Türkisch für Anfänger
''Türkisch für Anfänger'' ("Turkish for Beginners") is a German television comedy-drama series, which premiered on 14 March 2006 on Das Erste. It was created by Bora Dağtekin and produced by Hoffmann & Voges Ent.
The show focuses on the Ge ...
'' for best series)
*2007:
Adolf-Grimme-Preis
The Grimme-Preis ("Grimme Award"; prior to 2011: Adolf-Grimme-Preis) is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme.Civis Media Prize
*2008: BANFF World Television Award
*2008: Deutscher Fernsehpreis (''Doctor's Diary'' as the best series)
*2008: Deutscher Comedypreis (''Doctor's Diary'' as the best comedy-series)
*2009: Adolf-Grimme-Preis (''Doctor's Diary'')
*2009:
Bayerischer Fernsehpreis
Bayerischer Fernsehpreis (the Bavarian TV award) is an award presented by the government of Bavaria, Germany since 1989. The prize symbol is the "Blue Panther", a figure from the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory. The prize money is €10,000 (Spe ...
(''Doctor's Diary'')
*2009: Winner TV Festival Monte Carlo (''Türkisch für Anfänger'')