Ferzan Özpetek is a famous Turkish film director and screenwriter who currently lives and works in Italy.
He was born on the 3rd of February 1959 in Istanbul, Turkey. After the highschool, he moved to Italy in 1976 to study at the La Sapienza University in Rome. Then he completed courses on the History of Art and Costumes at the Accademia Navona and on Film Directing at the Accademia d'Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico. He worked as an assistant director with Italian directors like Massimo Troisi, Maurizio Ponzi, Francesco Nuti and Ricky Tognazzi during several films or TV series.
In 1997 he made his first movie, "Hamam" (Turkish bath), which gained an incredible success in Italy and in Turkey, as well is in the USA. Here is a full list of his movies and release dates;
- Hamam (Turkish Bath), 1997
- Harem Suare, 1999
- Le Fate Ignoranti (The Ignorant Fairies), 2001
- La Finestra di Fronte (Facing Window), 2003
- Cuore Sacro (Sacred Hearth), 2005
- Saturno Contro (Saturn in Opposition), 2007
- Un Giorno Perfetto (A Perfect Day), 2008
- Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons), 2010
- Magnifica Presenza (Magnificent Guest), 2012
- Allacciate le Cinture (Fasten Your Seatbelts), 2014
- Rosso Istanbul (Istanbul Red), 2017
- Napoli Velata (Secret of Napoli), 2017
- La Dea Fortuna, 2019
- Le fate ignoranti (The Ignorant Angels), 2022 (TV series)
- Nuovo Olimpo, 2023
- Istanbul Trilogy: Meze - Müzik - Muhabbet (Appetizer - Music - Talk), 2024 (short films)
In October 2008, Ozpetek was honored with the Italian Solidarity Merit Medal received from the Italian government for his outstanding works. Ferzan Özpetek deals mostly with sexuality issues in several of his films, as well as homosexuality. He won several awards and nominations in many film festivals. In 2016 he married with his Italian partner, in Italy, where they lives.