Mu Tunç

Mu Tunç (born August 21, 1986) is a Turkish director, writer, film producer, and actor.[1][2] His directing work includes feature films,[3][4] digital web-series,[5] commercials, and music videos.[6] Tunç received international recognition[7][8][9][10] in 2018 for directing the teen drama Arada, which has been seen as one of the first punk films of Turkey.[11][12][13]

Mu Tunç
Born (1986-08-21) August 21, 1986
Istanbul, Turkey
EducationDesign
Occupations
Years active2010–present

Early life and education

He was born in Istanbul. His father, Altan Tunç, was a singer in the '70s.[14] His brother Orkun Tunç (ex. member of Turkish punk band Rashit) is a musician and music producer who is one of the pioneer members of the first punk hardcore bands in Istanbul.[3] He graduated from Design with an M.A. in Cinema.[15][16]

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, 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.[17]

Branding

Tunç also concentrated in the field of brand management. In 2012, he worked on the global streaming service company MUBI as a brand director and assisted them in developing their "one-film-per-day" subscription model.[18] Tunç launched the LomoKino camera on Cannes Film Festival, which Apichatpong Weerasethakul shot an experimental short film titled Ashes with the camera.[19][20][21] In 2016, Tunç worked with high-end streetwear brand Les Benjamins and assisted them in constructing their brand identity.[22] He empowered them to present their Milan Menswear debut show Ottoman Punk in Milan Fashion Week together with former fashion editor of L'Uomo Vogue, Robert Rabensteiner.[23] Vogue called the presentation an "unexpected highlight of the season."[24]

Web series

Tunç began his directing career as an independent filmmaker in 2010[25] with his online series called Diary of Mu.[26][27] 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,[5] Roisin Murphy, Asia Argento, Melissa George, Francesco Carrozzoni, Tracey Emin, Dario Argento, and many more.[28][29][26]

Feature films

Tunç made his feature film debut in 2018 with Arada, which he wrote and directed.[30] 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.[11] The film was based on Tunç's childhood years spent filming his brother's gigs and recording Istanbul's music subcultures.[3][7][31]

Arada opened nationwide on April 13, 2018, in 81 theaters[32][33][34] and premiered in international film festivals[35][36] and museums.[37][38][39][40] The film gained cult popularity by being one of the first punk films in Turkey.[11][41][3][42][13] 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."[7]

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's first solo studio album titled Beloved for the song "A True Home", featuring as guest vocal Zola Jesus which premiered on NPR in 2018.[6][43][44][45]

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.[46][47][48] He worked with Israeli artist Liraz Charhi for her solo record and shot her music video for the song titled "Zan Bezan".[49][50][51]

In 2020, Tunç directed a music video for acclaimed Icelandic singer Gyða Valtýsdóttir for the song "Í Annarri Vídd" from her solo album Evolution which premiered on Vogue Italia.[29]

Influences

Tunç stated in his interviews that he influenced by; John Cassavetes,[15] Michael Mann, F. W. Murnau, Nicholas Ray, Luis Buñuel, Kevin Smith, Spike Lee,[31] and Richard Linklater and early 80's Los Angeles and Washington D.C. punk bands.[52][53]

Accolades
  • Cinedays Skopje Film Festival: Winner Young Cinema Award (2018) [54]
  • International Izmir Film Festival: Winner Special Award (2019) [55]
  • Rome Independent Film Festival: Nominee RIFF Jury Award for Best Film (2018) [56]
  • !f 17th Istanbul Independent Film Festival: Nominee !f New Audience Award (2018) [57][58]

References
  1. Delaney, Louise (6 June 2019). "Mu Tunc is Bringing Punk Back to Istanbul". Culture. OFFICE Magazine New York.
  2. Meric, Sercan (11 February 2018). "Türkiye'nin ilk punk filmi: Arada". Sozcu Newspaper. Istanbul.
  3. Whitehouse, Matthew (11 January 2018). "The untold story of istanbul's 90s hardcore scene". i-D Magazine. London: VICE.
  4. Basturk, Onur (9 April 2018). "Haftanın kulübü ve filmi". Hurriyet Newspaper. Istanbul.
  5. Ho, Matt (19 November 2014). "André Saraiva on His Early Days as a Graffiti Artist". HYPEBEAST. Hong Kong.
  6. Gotrich, Lars (13 November 2018). "Watch Randall Dunn's Synth Odyssey, 'A True Home,' Filmed In Oman Desert". NPR. New York.
  7. Pomp, Joseph (7 August 2019). "Mu Tunç's Cinematic Ode to Istanbul's Punk History". Lindsay Magazine. New York.
  8. Klinkenberg, Alistair (11 October 2018). "ARADA: The Incredible Story of Punk's Turkish Infancy". Monster Children AUSTRALIA. Sydney.
  9. Nakagawa, Shimpei (18 December 2018). "「兄貴はシーンの祖で、僕はビデオをまわした」音楽が潰されたトルコ、90'sティーンたちの〈誰も知らないパンクシーン〉". HEAP Magazine JAPAN. Tokyo.
  10. Dobis, Jay (9 October 2018). ""Arada": Can A Punk Rocker Escape a Tumultuous Turkey?". MUBI Notebook.
  11. Milner, Daphne (26 October 2018). "THE COMPELLING STORY BEHIND ONE OF TURKEY'S FIRST EVER PUNK FILMS". INDIE Mag. Germany.
  12. Bacak, Armagan (25 January 2018). "Türkiye'nin ilk Punk-Rock filmi: Arada". GQ Turkey. Istanbul.
  13. Robb, John (20 November 2018). "Arada : Film review : fast paced Turkish punk rock movie is a Mean Streets Scorsese rush of beautifully shot action". Louder Than War. Manchester.
  14. Alemdar, Melis (1 March 2018). "Should I stay or go? A young Istanbul punk wonders". TRT World. Istanbul.
  15. Bengi, Duygu (1 September 2017). "Arada: Mu Tunç". Based Istanbul. Istanbul. 21: 4.
  16. "OneBeat 2019 Collaborating Artist". OneBeat Cultural Organisation. 2019.
  17. Toprak, Cigdem (1 May 2019). "Underground unter Erdogan". DIE WELT Germany.
  18. Toor, Amar (6 October 2015). "How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film". The Verge.
  19. Kasman, Daniel (5 June 2012). "Keep It Mysterious: A Conversation with Apichatpong Weerasethakul". MUBI Notebook.
  20. "Presenting LomoKino MUBI Edition & New Apichatpong Short "Ashes"". News. MUBI Notebook. 19 May 2012.
  21. "Lomography & MUBI at Cannes Film Festival". Lomography.
  22. Peltier, Claire (24 February 2016). "This Fashion Brand Works To Unite Eastern And Western Cultures In The Most Fascinating Way". A Plus. New York.
  23. Staff, i-D (18 Jan 2016). "Les Benjamins Bring Ottoman Punk to Milan". i-D. VICE.
  24. Leitch, Luke (18 January 2016). "Les Benjamins Whirls Into Milan". VOGUE. New York.
  25. Özdemir, Berceste Gülçin (May 2019). Türkiye'de Bağımsız Sinemaya Dair Tartışmalar. Istanbul: Nobel Bilimsel Eserler. ISBN 978-6056928765.
  26. KANIBELLİ, ALYA (23 September 2019). "Gelecek Bu Enerjide: Mu Tunç". GQ Turkey. Istanbul.
  27. Atılgan, Yigit (11 April 2018). "1990'lar İstanbulunda punk ve "Arada": Mu Tunç". Bant Mag. Istanbul.
  28. "diaryofmu.com Presents Roisin Murphy Diary". Elma Alt Shift. 8 June 2011.
  29. BELLINI, ELISA PERVINCA (14 January 2020). "Madre natura: il video í Annarri Vídd di Mu Tunc". Vogue Italia. Milano.
  30. Westad, Jan Peter (1 October 2019). "ARADA: Mu Tunç discusses his directorial debut set in Istanbul's 90s punk scene". TANK Magazine. London.
  31. Clugston, Hannah (14 September 2018). "A personal trip through Turkey's punk scene". Huck Magazine UK.
  32. "Box Office Details for ARADA". Box Office Turkey. 13 April 2018.
  33. "Box Office Details for ARADA". Box Office Mojo. 13 April 2018.
  34. Afsar, Gulay (19 April 2019). "'ARADA' KALMAK!". Milliyet Newspaper. Istanbul.
  35. "Rome Independent Film Festival". RIFF Rome Independent Film Festival. 17 November 2018.
  36. "SENSORIA Music & Film Festival". SENSORIA Music & Film Festival. Sheffield. 1 October 2018.
  37. ElGenaidi, Deena (22 April 2019). "The Global Culture of Punk On Screen". Hyperallergic. New York.
  38. Richardson, Mark (11 April 2019). "The Art of Rock: Four Museums Explore How We Connect to Music". New York Times. New York.
  39. "ISTANBUL MODERN MUSEUM - Count Us In!". ISTANBUL MODERN MUSEUM. 29 November 2018.
  40. "Director's Screening: Arada". MAD Museum of Arts & Design. New York. 6 Jun 2019.
  41. Kroll, Yoni (9 June 2019). "Arada shows how punk is still putting the counter in counterculture". The Key - WXPN.
  42. "Global Punk". SCREEN SLATE. 1 June 2019.
  43. CHAPSTICK, KELSEY (13 November 2018). "SEE WOMAN TAKE RITUALISTIC VISION QUEST IN RANDALL DUNN'S STUNNING NEW VIDEO". Revolver Magazine.
  44. Helman, Peter (13 November 2018). "Stereogum". Stereogum.
  45. "Amerika'da Melisa Şenolsun rüzgarı". CNN Turk. 17 November 2018.
  46. MURRAY, ROBIN (20 March 2019). "Premiere: Tōth - 'When I Awoke'". CLASH Music. London.
  47. Heneck, Dylan (27 March 2019). "Tōth - When I Awoke". Indieshuffle.
  48. Staff, BrooklynVegan (21 March 2019). "Tours announced: Frank Iero, slowthai, Fujiya & Miyagi, Deicide/Origin, more". Brooklyn Vegan.
  49. "TRANS MUSICALES 2019 – Liraz Charhi, identité forte". Rolling Stone France. Paris. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  50. Vural, Sinem (9 December 2019). "Sanatçı Liraz: Kadınların dans etmeye hakkı var". Hurriyet Newspaper. Istanbul.
  51. Stisi, Par Bastien (28 November 2019). "Depuis Israël, Liraz chante l'émancipation féministe". Radio Nova. Paris.
  52. Ildır, Aslı (17 April 2018). "İstanbul'da bir punk masalı". Time Out Istanbul. Istanbul.
  53. Kearns, Burt (5 June 2019). "MU TUNC: THE DIRECTOR OF TURKEY'S FIRST PUNK MOVIE. OR, THE FALL OF EASTERN CIVILIZATION". Please Kill Me. Los Angeles.
  54. LAZAREVSKA, MARINA (20 November 2018). "FESTIVALS: Award at Cinedays European Film Festival". Film New Europe.
  55. "İzmir Uluslararası Film Festivali'nde ödüller sahiplerini buldu". NTV News Channel. 28 July 2019.
  56. "ARADA". RIFF Rome Independent Film Festival.
  57. "Female cinema professionals shine at this year's !F". DAILY SABAH Newspaper. 13 February 2018.
  58. FitzHerbert, Billy (8 February 2018). "The 17th !f Istanbul Independent Film Festival: February 15–25". Yabangee.

Further reading

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