Alphan Eşeli is a Turkish director, writer, film producer, and photographer. His directing work includes feature films, television series, commercials and music videos. Along with writing and directing, he is the co-founder of the , and 74NewYork.
After graduating from film school, Eşeli started directing TV commercials, going on to direct many award-winning commercials for major Turkish brands. In addition, he has directed music videos for acclaimed artists. In 2010, Eşeli directed a music video for the American alternative rock band Hole for their 2010 single “Samantha.” The video was shot in an abandoned industrial factory on the outskirts of Istanbul and is set in a post-apocalyptic world. Inspired by Tracey Emin's “Sometimes the Dress is Worth More Money Than the Money”, the music video features lead singer of Hole, Courtney Love wearing a wedding dress with the word "cunt" embroidered on it. She is shown burning her possessions and running away. In 2017, he directed the controversial music video for the popular Turkish Hip Hop artistEzhel for his hit song “”.
Feature Film
Eşeli made his feature film debut with The Long Way Home, which he wrote and directed. Set in the Eastern Anatolian highlands during the brutal winter of 1914 and 1915, the film chronicles a band of survivors trying to make their way home after the deadly Battle of Sarikamish. The film was based on the experiences of Eşeli's grandfather. The Long Way Home opened nationwide on March 8, 2013, in 77 theaters and has premiered in International Film Festivals. It received positive reviews. The film earned a number of awards, including the for the Best First Feature Film and The Golden Zenith for the Best First Fiction Feature Film at the Montreal World Film Festival. It has won the New Talent Award at the and was nominated for the prestigious Sutherland Award for Best Feature Film at the 57th BFI London Film Festival. Additionally, it earned the Special Jury Prize Award, Best Actor Award and the Audience Award at the as well as the Best Art Direction Award and Best Music Original Score at the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival.
Television
In 2017 Eşeli directed the episode “ The Procedure” from the acclaimed Turkish web series . In 2018 Eşeli created and directed all 8 episodes of Turkish vampire drama web series . The series premiered on Turkish web channel . Eşeli also served as a producer on the show. The series was bought by and will be shown globally in 2019. The series follows the story of , a 200-year-old vampire who comes to Istanbul to take revenge from the vampire who has transformed her into a bloodsucking creature. There she finds herself torn in an Underworld filled with corrupt businessman, insurgent youth gangs living on the Outskirts and hidden vampires who fight for their existence in the modern world.
Short Film
In 2016, he directed , a short film that tells the story of a Syrian mother and daughter, forced to flee their country falling to pieces under civil war. The film initially started as a project within the European Commission of Human Rights. Five Turkish filmmakers were each asked to shoot a short film surrounding the topic of human rights, Alphan Eşeli was one of them. Little Bullets made its international premiere at 43rd Telluride Film Festival. The film was also screened as part of the official selection at the 54th New York Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival. Eşeli also wrote and directed the short film which became the eight-part web series “”.
In 2009, Eşeli co-founded the multidisciplinary arts and culture platform with his wife, . Since 2010, has been organizing and hosting . The festival brings together international leaders in art, design, film, fashion, music, literature and architecture with their counterparts in Turkey to promote open dialogue and form artistic collaborations. The festival is free to the public. Visitors have the opportunity to attend open panels and talks, workshops, screenings, performances and exhibitions for three days. Previous participants include Zaha Hadid, Gore Vidal, JR, Terry Gilliam, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Kirsten Dunst, Michael Stipe, Jefferson Hack, Carine Roitfeld, Stefano Tonchi, Franca Sozzani and .
Accolades
Little Bullets Official Selection at 54th New York Film Festival 2016 Official Selection at 43rd Telluride Film Festival 2016 2017 Palm Springs International Short Film Festival The Long Way Home Malatya International Film Festival awards Winner: Best Actor Winner: Special Jury Award Winner: People's Choice Award The Adana film festival 2013 Winner: Best art direction Winner: Best Original Score BFI London Film Festival 57th BFI London Film Festival The Long Way Home was nominated to the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition in 2013 at the 57th BFI London Film Festival Golden Zenith award at the Montreal world film festival
