Aclan Bates
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
A graduate of Hacettepe University Conservatory of Performing Arts
Theatre Department, Aclan Bates later received an MA in Directing for
Theatre and another in Theatre Education. He was a leading actor and
director for the Turkish National Theatre in Ankara, directing Jean
Paul Sartre's "Flies" and Bertolt Brecht's "The Good Person of
Szechuan." After looking at the world through the lens of a camera, he
decided that directing film could be far more exciting than working on
the stage. To that end, Aclan came to California and completed an MFA
in Film Directing at American Film Institute. He went on to win Best
Short at the Ankara International Film Festival with his thesis film,
"Condemned." The Turkish National Theatre then invited him to direct
their entry to the Black Sea Coast International Theatre Festival.
Aclan undertook the full musical production of George Orwell's "Animal
Farm," receiving critical acclaim and an invitation to open the fall
theatre season with the production at Ankara's Grand Theatre. His
production of Kafka's "The Trial" at Write Act Repertory received rave
reviews in Los Angeles, a daring and unique project. Aclan directed the first Turkish film, Broken Angel (Melegin Sirlari), in Los Angeles Holywood.