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Mevlüt Akkaya is an award-winning producer and director of stage and screen, and has been an active member of the international entertainment community for over a decade. He studied at Anadolu University in Turkey, Dortmund University in Germany, and Brooklyn College in New York (for Motion Picture Production), where he was awarded a scholarship. Since 1996, Akkaya has focused on cinema, working in various capacities for several independent films and commercials. He wrote and directed the film “A Jazz Story”, featuring jazz legend Gary Bartz. The film has been shown in many International film festivals, including Kino International Film Festival and The Oceanside Film Festival. “Kanake”, shot in Germany, tackles the subject of racism, and screened in such respected festivals as The Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, AFI Film Festival, and Sedona Film Festival.
As a producer, he guided in development of the films such as “Following Bliss”, “Reality Trap”, “Last Looks”, and "The Doorman”. He has also produced numerous commercials for the DFA, Tulumba, and Cola Turka. He has been a cultural bridge between the United States and Europe, having brought many projects from Europe to the U.S. Akkaya was Supervising Producer for the film "Toss-Up", which won numerous international awards, and a record-setting 11 awards at the Antalya Film Festival, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Script, and Best Actor. The film was also officially selected to screen at the respected Karlovy Vary Film Festival, the Montreal International Film Festival, and the Kiev International Film Festival. He also directed and produced a documentary about American Stand-up comedy, “When Comedy Went to School” with Jerry Lewis, Larry King, Jackie Mason, Jerry Stiller and many other well known artists. In addition to directing and producing, Akkaya also organizes film festivals. He has been personally responsible for the screening of more than 500 films in the United States during the past ten years. He is also involved with several film festivals as creator, adviser and jury member, including the Brazilian Film Festival, Eureka International Film Festival, and Skip City D-Cinema Film Festival in Japan.
Reference: nakedmindthefilm.org, muammeryanmaz.com, google.com.tr
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