About
In a time when anything can be generated, we believe the most meaningful thing you can do is make something irreducibly human.
Yūgen Films is an independent production company founded in 2023. We are not an agency, and we don't take on commercial work. We exist purely to make our own films—narratives, shorts, and documentaries—and to collaborate with people who believe stories should exist for their own sake.
The Origin (Founder's Note)
I grew up in Hamburg, mostly indoors. Born with a heart defect, I couldn’t play outside until I was six. So I watched films. Stacks of VHS tapes, over and over. That’s where I first understood what storytelling could do: it made a kid who couldn’t leave his apartment feel like he’d been everywhere.
At fifteen, a teacher put a camera in my hand and helped me shoot my first short. We won a couple of festival prizes, and I thought I had found my path. Instead, I spent the next decade in the design and tech worlds. I built a successful career as a Creative Director, but eventually realized I was using my creative energy to help companies sell things people didn't need.
I founded Yūgen Films to finally close the loop, leave the commercial world behind, and get back to telling the stories that matter.
People
Ali Ozturk
Founder · Writer · Director · DP
Yunus Gogce
Creative Partner
We don’t work for people. We work with them.
We're not a studio for hire. We make our own films. But some of the best work happens when the right people find each other — so we actively collaborate with filmmakers, directors, and production companies whose vision overlaps with ours. No briefs. No client-agency dynamics. Just shared conviction and a project worth showing up for.
We're also seeking funding for original work — shorts, features, documentaries. If you're a film fund, cultural institution, or private backer who wants to support stories made with intention, reach out. We'd love to hear from you.