The creative world is an unforgiving terrain because of the saturation and how hard it is to gain the limelight and achieve success. With Hollywood being the leading industry for filmmakers, it takes a stroke of luck for just anyone to step onto the scene and hit it big right away. However, understanding the challenges of the industry, film producer Tuna Ertürk is breaking the mold and pursuing success in Hollywood by being authentic and true to his art style.
The Turkey-born filmmaker has worked as a producer in Hollywood for eleven years and has some notable achievements to his name. While he’s yearning for more, he’s steadily maintaining his climb up the success ladder in the film business. Sevki Tuna Ertürk understands how stiff the competition is in a film industry that has everything and everyone it needs to thrive. However, as an immigrant, he’s doing his part to contribute to the culture and make a name for himself while at it.
Tuna Ertürk has created some projects that have earned him laurels and recognition. His last project as a producer, “Noah Land,” won awards for “Best Actor and Best Screenplay at the Tribeca Film Festival. It also got featured in a New York Times article titled “Tribeca Film Festival: 9 Filmmakers Who Should Be on Your Radar.” Across multiple film festivals, “Noah Land” won 15 awards and scored 22 nominations.
As a filmmaker seeking success in Hollywood, Tuna Ertürk has operated mainly as a lone wolf. He has found it hard to network with other producers because there are too many experts who are good in their respective fields. However, he has forged ahead and pursued his dreams relentlessly. “The film industry is the toughest field to survive for an immigrant. If you don’t have enough network in Hollywood, or we can say in the film industry, things get ten times or maybe a hundred times more difficult for you, especially if you grew up outside the U.S.,” Tuna said.
With the aim of showcasing Turkish cinematography to international audiences, the Los Angeles Turkish Film Festival is a celebration of Turkish Cinema in the heart of the West Coast. It’s also the haven for a community of visionary artists and filmmakers looking to be involved in and be a part of a steadily growing scene, opening up opportunities for young and aspiring filmmakers to feature their works alongside other prominent directors and film enthusiasts.
Comprising American and Turkish film industry professionals, the LATFF’s board of advisors includes well-renowned individuals such as Barbara Boyle, the Associate Dean of Entrepreneurship and Special Initiatives for the School of Theater, Film and Television of UCLA. Working alongside them, Tuna Ertürk has contributed as a producer and member of the jury for 5 years.
Despite his journey so far, Tuna Ertürk is humble enough to acknowledge that there’s a lot of work ahead for him to do, and he advises up-and-coming producers to be ready to put in work. “There’s a lot of uncertainty in the film industry. You wake up working hard by yourself every day and taking all sorts of gigs, hoping to get your big break. You don’t know when that will be, but you keep doing them anyway. That is how it is, and I hope everyone will be prepared and patient enough to apply themselves to the craft,” Tuna advised.
Coming from Turkiye to study film in the United States and staying back to pursue a dream is one of the most daring things that Tuna Ertürk ever did, and a decade later, he’s still set on seeing his dreams come to life. Thus, he hopes that his stories will gain global acceptance in the next few years, and he will produce projects that will reach every part of the world. “On my way to the top, I’m learning about the human spirit and how it interweaves with the art of filmmaking and cinema. The goal is to create projects that people will enjoy and resonate with. I see a bright future, and I’ll be a part of that future as the main character,” Ertürk said.
