Exciting news for fans of Turkish-language Netflix series, Who Were We Running From? – the award-winning director behind the hit show, Umut Aral, has just signed with Artist International Group (AIG)! A globally-minded management and production company founded by David Unger, AIG represents the best of the best of regional talent with global market ambitions – and Aral is the perfect fit. “It’s truly exciting to be a part of the internationally focused, dynamic AIG family, and a member of their extraordinary ensemble of talent,” said Aral in a statement to FilmmakerFocus.
When Who Were We Running From? debuted on Netflix in March, it quickly became one of the first Turkish productions to crack the streamer’s Top 10 in the U.S. – and it didn’t stop there. The show registered on Top 10 TV charts in a total of 78 countries and spent four weeks on the platform’s Top 10 list for international Non-English series. Based on the novel by Perihan Mağden, the thriller follows a woman with a mysterious past who lives on the go with her daughter, moving from hotel to hotel like a nameless fugitive.
But that’s not all – Aral has an impressive resume of directing credits, including four seasons of Netflix’s first Turkish original superhero genre series, The Protector; the teen dramedy, Love 101; and the 2018 feature Good Game: The Beginning, set in the world of eSports – all of which are also streaming on Netflix. Most recently, Aral finished directing another mixed-language international series – a crime drama shot between Athens and Beirut, from creator Adi Hasak.
It’s no wonder AIG CEO Unger is thrilled to have Aral on board. “Umut Aral fits perfectly into the DNA of Artist International Group,” he said. And with Aral continuing to be represented in the UK by Jack Thomas at Independent Talent Group and in France by Louis Le Gouvello at Adéquat, it’s clear that this talented director is going places.
