
Taner Birsel
Acting
Biography
Taner Birsel, born in 1959 in Akhisar in the province of Manisa, Turkey, first studied Journalism and Public Relations between 1976-1980. Then he went on to study Performing Arts at the Conservatory of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul, from 1981 to 1985. He has been an actor at the Istanbul State Theatre and starred in more than 30 plays since 1985. Some of the plays he starred in: King Lear, Cyrano de Bergerac, Hamlet, Ay Isiginda Samata, The Death of Danton. Apart from plays, he is well-known for his career in the motion pictures as well. Some of his awards are as follows: Award for the Best Male Actor at the 24th SIYAD (Turkish Film Critics Association) Awards; Award for the Best Male Actor at the 21st SIYAD Awards for his role in "The Confession", (2002), which was screened at the "Un Certain Regard" section of the 2002 Cannes Film Festival; Award for the Best Male Actor for his role in "A Run for Money" (1999) at the 21st Istanbul Film Festival.
Known For

Set in the 1960s, the story of the Akarsu family includes Ali, Cemile and their four children: Berrin, a law student, Aylin and Mete, high school students, and 5 year old Osman. Ali begins an affair with Caroline, a Dutch woman, which leads to the disintegration of the family.
Time Goes By

A group of unique characters from dramatically different socio-cultural backgrounds meet in startling circumstances in the vibrant and colorful city of Istanbul, some by chance and some by force of will.
Ethos

In 1950, amidst the ravages of the Korean War, Sergeant Süleyman stumbles upon a a half-frozen little girl, with no parents and no help in sight and he risks his own life to save her, smuggling her into his army base and out of harm’s way.
Ayla: The Daughter of War

When Cem finds himself at the brink of losing the love of his life, Alara, he embarks on an expedition to the Blue Cave, Alara's most beloved archeological site, to feel close to her again.
Blue Cave

A group of men lead a search for a victim of a murder to whom a suspect named Kenan and his mentally challenged brother confessed. However, the search is proving more difficult than expected as Kenan is fuzzy as to the body's location. As the group continues looking and the night begins dragging on, its members can't help but chat with each other about everyday life, as the conversations turn more and more serious, revealing their deeper secrets and profound stories.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

A man suspects his wife of being unfaithful, but he's not prepared for what her confession will do to him.
The Confession

In a small Turkish town, two young tuberculous poets try to survive while publishing their poems. As they both fall in love, their life would never be the same.
The Butterfly's Dream

When her husband Cemal is arrested in Romania, Emine is left alone with their child who needs immediate surgery.
Ember

The film is set in present-day Istanbul. Selim is a shop owner in his early forties. He sells clothing for men in his shop situated in one of the back streets of Istanbul. Selim is a family man who has devoted his life to his home and his work. He lives with his wife Ayla, his six-year-old daughter Esma and his old father in a simple flat in and old, modest neighbourhood. He has warm relations with his family. He is an affectionate father. One of his neighbours, a young widow named Nihal tries to seduce Selim, but her flirtation leaves him cold. Selim is known for his honesty and integrity among his family and friends. He is a careful spender. As a little child, he has learned that money is not easily earned. He has no tolerance for petty "trickery" met in daily life. One day, Selim finds a bag full of dollar bills (approximately 500,000$) in a cab. From that day on, Selim finds himself in a bewildered state with a bag full of money on his hands.
A Run for Money

A documentary about the shooting session of the film "Once Upon A Time in Anatolia" by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. 'Once Upon A Time in Anatolia' had been shot in about 11 weeks in the steppes of middle Anatolia close to "Keskin", a middle Anatolian town next to the city of Kirikkale.
Making of Once Upon A Time in Anatolia

Ishak, a wandering musician from a small mountain town. A lynching he was a part of 7 years ago comes back to haunt him as he returns to his town to say farewell to his dying mother. Facing the other five perpetrators--his childhood friends—as well as the community and government officials supporting them, Ishak struggles with the guilt weighing upon him. However, the bigger the crime is, the stronger the silence gets since everyone has blood on their hands.
Black Night

Deniz ends up in hospital and has to face the ghosts of past. She manages to discover herself and the hidden secrets in her family drawers.
Drawers

In the years of military coup, Turkey was unable to produce its own cars. But Pasha believed that Turkish people can produce their own cars so he ordered 2 cars. Gunduz and engineers with him must produce 2 cars in only 130 days!
Cars of the Revolution

Elephants and Grass (Turkish: Filler ve Çimen) is a 2001 Turkish drama film, written and directed by Derviş Zaim, about six different stories that merge into a common theme. The film, which went on nationwide general release across Turkey on January 5, 2001, won awards at film festivals in Antalya and Istanbul, including the Golden Orange Behlül Dal Jury Special Award.
Elephants and Grass

Hasret has been seeing the same nightmare for some time, but she keeps living unaware that what she sees is actually remembering. A 30-year-old woman who works in a News Channel, living alone in the flat left by her musician parents who died in a car crash twenty years ago. Is it? The question creeps into her mind, and then (or maybe even before) her life through recurring nightmares: Is it possible that her parents did not die in a car crash?
Inflame

In a small village, young Mert is about to get traditionally circumcised, but the family does not have the money to follow up with the circumcision celebration. The family wants to be able to serve lamb meat to the guests at the celebration. Mert’s older sister scares him that if they cannot afford a lamb the father will slaughter him instead.
The Lamb
No description available.
Sır Dosyası

The residents of a small town set between a stormy sea and an ominous forest are becoming insane. They are convinced that successive signs appearing in the town are indications of doomsday.
Sideway

A barber working in Istanbul longs to be ‘both here and far, far away’. One day, he takes the day off and disappears abruptly without warning anyone. He then settles in a far-flung village. Some mysterious events start happening in the village as people disappear one by one.
The Shadowless

Mustafa is a hard-working and ambitious agricultural merchant who is cold and austere towards his family. One day he has a brain hemorrhage on a business trip and goes into a coma after the operation. Guler is suspicious of her husband having an affair. Veysel, their teenage son, wants to leave the military academy and study business administration. Ali, their 10-year-old son, has to cope both with his bully classmate and the chewing gums he has to sell. Hasan, Mustafa's younger brother, chose to live a life in solitude after getting a divorce, and has always been an outsider to the family. But now, with his brother in coma, he finds himself involved in family affairs. Hasan has to solve the mystery about Mustafa's mistress and the money lost during his trip.