After hundreds of TV commercials he made in the 70s, Erden Kıral entered the cinema industry in 1978 with his first feature film Kanal, confined to limited technical and financial resources. He received four awards with Hakkâri'de Bir Mevsim / A Season in Hakkâri, including the Silver Bear and FIPRESCI Prize in 1983's Berlin International Film Festival. One of the foremost film critics of Germany hailed the film as the best film of the festival, while a well-known programmer on the German ARD-1 channel claimed that "Turks don't only make kebabs but films, too". The success in Berlin was followed with many international festivals and awards. However, some film circles in Turkey critiqued this and the international successes of other "auteur" directors as "kilims, not films". Although concocted with a small budget and shot completely abroad, it was a first when he made Ayna / The Mirror in 1984 with a German producer and the support of German and British TV channels. With a Turkish cast and a Turkish screenplay, the film competed for West Germany in 1984 Venice Film Festival, against fervent protests of some well-known German directors. Living in Berlin during the time, Erden Kıral was selected as a member of the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts. Between 1992-1993, he shot with a large budget, the Turkish-German co-production Mavi Sürgün / The Blue Exile, which was invited to international festivals, received awards, and was Turkey's nominee for the Oscars. His latest film Yolda was screened at many festivals including the Venice Film Festival in 2005, and Erden Kıral continues his journey on the roads of cinema.
- Kenan Ormanlar