Mu Tunç (born August 21, 1986) is a Turkish director, writer, film producer, and actor. His directing work includes feature films, digital web-series, commercials, and music videos. Tunç received international recognition in 2018 for directing the teen drama '' Arada'', which has been seen as one of the first punk films of Turkey.

Early life and education

He was born in Istanbul. His father, Altan Tunç, was a singer in the '70s. His brother Orkun Tunç (ex. member of Turkish punk band

Rashit Rashit is a Turkish punk rock band founded in Istanbul in 1993 by Tolga Özbey (guitar), Adem Kurt (vocals), Murat Yeşil (bass) and Gökhan Tunçişler (drums). They are considered to be the first major local representative of punk rock and insp ...

) is a musician and music producer who is one of the pioneer members of the first punk hardcore bands in Istanbul. He graduated from Design with an M.A. in Cinema.

Career

Advertising

Tunç began his career in digital advertisement and marketing before directing his feature films. After graduating from Design, Tunç started working on international digital agencies such as;

McCann McCann may refer to: * McCann (surname) * McCann (company), advertising agency * McCann Worldgroup, network of marketing and advertising agencies * Marist College athletic facilities ** McCann Arena ** James J. McCann Baseball Field * McCann Res ...

, and he led the creative process of several advertising and marketing campaigns, including brands like Coca-Cola, L'Oreal, MasterCard, Starbucks, and many other international brands.

Branding

Tunç also concentrated in the field of

brand management In marketing, brand management refers to the process of controlling how a brand is perceived in the market (economics), market. Tangible elements of brand management include the look, price, and packaging of the product itself; intangible element ...

. In 2012, he worked on the global streaming service company

MUBI Mubi (; stylized as MUBI; the Auteurs before 2010) is a global streaming platform, production company and film distributor. MUBI produces and theatrically distributes films by emerging and established filmmakers, which are exclusively available ...

as a brand director and assisted them in developing their "one-film-per-day" subscription model. Tunç launched the LomoKino camera on

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

, which

Apichatpong Weerasethakul Apichatpong Weerasethakul (; ; , born 16 July 1970) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, film producer and Professor at Tama Art University in Tokyo. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Apichatpong h ...

shot an experimental short film titled ''

Ashes Ashes may refer to: * Ash, the solid remnants of fires. Media and entertainment Art * ''Ashes'' (Munch), an 1894 painting by Edvard Munch Film * ''The Ashes'' (film), a 1965 Polish film by director Andrzej Wajda * ''Ashes'' (1922 film), ...

'' with the camera. In 2016, Tunç worked with high-end streetwear brand Les Benjamins and assisted them in constructing their brand identity. He empowered them to present their Milan Menswear debut show ''Ottoman Punk'' in

Milan Fashion Week Milan Fashion Week () is a clothing trade show held semi-annually in Milan, Italy. Upcoming autumn/winter fashions are showcased in February/March of each year, and upcoming spring/summer fashions are showcased in September/October of each year ...

together with former fashion editor of ''

L'Uomo Vogue ''Vogue'' (stylized in all caps), also known as American ''Vogue'', is a monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers style news, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. It is part of the global collection of ...

'', Robert Rabensteiner. ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' called the presentation an "unexpected highlight of the season."

Web series

Tunç began his directing career as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

filmmaker in 2010 with his online series called ''Diary of Mu''. The project portrays naturalistic conversations that happen in real places with artists and creators from all around the world. Tunç started the project in Paris and shot a variety of artists such as; André Saraiva, Roisin Murphy,

Asia Argento Asia Argento (; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with ...

Melissa George Melissa Suzanne George (born 6 August 1976) is an Australian and American actress. She began her career playing Angel Parrish on the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'' between 1993–1996. After moving to the United States, George made her ...

, Francesco Carrozzoni,

Tracey Emin Dame Tracey Karima Emin (; born 3 July 1963) is an English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. She produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, Neon lighting, neon text ...

Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. His influential work in the horror film, horror and giallo genres during the 1970s and 1980s has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the ...

, and many more.

Feature films

Tunç made his feature film debut in 2018 with '' Arada'', which he wrote and directed. The story set in 90's Istanbul and chronicles a young punk who decides to move to California in pursuit of a successful music career and sets on a journey through Istanbul's underworlds in search of a ticket. The film was based on Tunç's childhood years spent filming his brother's gigs and recording Istanbul's music subcultures. '' Arada'' opened nationwide on April 13, 2018, in 81 theaters and premiered in international film festivals and museums. The film gained cult popularity by being one of the first punk films in Turkey. According to Joseph Pomp; "''Arada'' offers a full-blown survey of the tensions between globalist liberalism and traditional values that, to this day, constitute the pulse of Istanbul."

Music videos

Tunç directed a variety of music videos for acclaimed artists from New York to London to Reykjavik to Tel Aviv. He directed a music video for

Randall Dunn Randall Dunn is an American record producer, audio engineer, composer, and musician. As a music producer, he has worked with artists and filmmakers including Danny Elfman, Jim Jarmusch, Panos Cosmatos, Nathan Fielder, Benny Safdie, Guillermo De ...

's first solo studio album titled Beloved for the song "A True Home", featuring as guest vocal

Zola Jesus Nika Roza Danilova (born Nicole Rose Hummel; April 11, 1989), known professionally by her stage name Zola Jesus, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her music has been noted for combining elements of electronic, industrial, ...

which premiered on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

in 2018. In 2019, Tunç worked with American musician Alex Toth (known from Brooklyn band Rubblebucket) and shot a music video for his song "When I Awoke," which influenced by Tarkovsky's sci-fi film

Stalker Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring t ...

. He worked with Israeli artist Liraz Charhi for her solo record and shot her music video for the song titled "Zan Bezan". In 2020, Tunç directed a music video for acclaimed Icelandic singer

Gyða Valtýsdóttir Gyða Valtýsdóttir (born 5 January 1982) is an Icelandic musician and multi-instrumentalist and winner of the 2019 Nordic Council Music Prize. She was an original member of the experimental music group Múm and has released four full-length solo ...

for the song "Í Annarri Vídd" from her solo album ''Evolution'' which premiered on ''

Vogue Italia ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of '' Vogue'' magazine owned by Condé Nast International. In publication since 1964, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. The publication is currently edited by Francesca Ragazzi and ...

''.

Influences

Tunç stated in his interviews that he influenced by;

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four ...

F. W. Murnau Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (born Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe; December 28, 1888March 11, 1931) was a German film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is regarded as one of cinema's most influential filmmakers for his work in the silent era. An e ...

Nicholas Ray Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Described by the Harvard Film Archive as "Hollywood's last romantic" and "one of postwar American cinem ...

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

, and

Richard Linklater Richard Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making films that deal thematically with suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. In 2015, Linklater was included on the annual ''Time'' 100 li ...

and early 80's

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

punk bands.

Accolades

* Cinedays Skopje Film Festival: Winner Young Cinema Award (2018) * International Izmir Film Festival: Winner Special Award (2019) * Rome Independent Film Festival: ''Nominee'' RIFF Jury Award for Best Film (2018) * !f 17th Istanbul Independent Film Festival: ''Nominee'' !f New Audience Award (2018)

References

External links

Mu Tunç
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

* MAD Museum of Arts & Design / New York
Global Punk Film Series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tunç, Mu 1986 births Punk filmmakers Mass media people from Istanbul Living people