FILMOGRAPHY
THE PROTECTOR (2018 - 2020)
The first Netflix Turkish original series, The Protector essays the adventures of Hakan Demir (Cagatay Ulusoy), who goes from being an ambitious but luckless young shopkeeper to an unlikely hero who suddenly discovers his lineage linked to an ancient order tasked with being the Muhafiz ( The Protector ) of Istanbul.
With a ring, a dagger and a talismanic shirt all of which have special powers, he is bestowed with the responsibility of keeping the city safe from the shenanigans of the Immortals, another ancient order who thrive on wreaking havoc on humankind. He is helped by the Loyal Ones, who are mortal human beings tasked with protecting his life at all costs. With training from Zeynep (Hazar Erguclu), one of the leaders in his army, he must become a worthy warrior within a short period of time, as the threat of a reprisal of the full set of Seven Immortals looms large.
With 32 episodes over four seasons, The Protector is available on Netflix.
The first Netflix Turkish original series, The Protector essays the adventures of Hakan Demir (Cagatay Ulusoy), who goes from being an ambitious but luckless young shopkeeper to an unlikely hero who suddenly discovers his lineage linked to an ancient order tasked with being the Muhafiz ( The Protector ) of Istanbul.
With a ring, a dagger and a talismanic shirt all of which have special powers, he is bestowed with the responsibility of keeping the city safe from the shenanigans of the Immortals, another ancient order who thrive on wreaking havoc on humankind. He is helped by the Loyal Ones, who are mortal human beings tasked with protecting his life at all costs. With training from Zeynep (Hazar Erguclu), one of the leaders in his army, he must become a worthy warrior within a short period of time, as the threat of a reprisal of the full set of Seven Immortals looms large.
With 32 episodes over four seasons, The Protector is available on Netflix.
IÇERDE (2016-2017)
Sarp (Cagatay Ulusoy), the top ranking police cadet of his graduating year, is picked by Yusuf (Mustafa Ugurlu), the director of the organized crime division, to infiltrate the gang led by his arch nemesis Celal Baba (Cetin Tekindor). Simultaneously, Celal Baba grooms his adoptive son Mert Karadag (Aras Bulut Iynemli) to take on a spot in Yusuf's division. Unbeknownst to Yusuf, Sarp and Mert, Mert is in reality Umut Yilmaz, Sarp's long lost younger brother whom Celal had kidnapped in order to ensure his father Metin's silence. Sarp is enticed to enter Celal's gang in the secret hopes of finding his little brother.
As the boys remain committed to their missions while they have encounters with love, family and tested loyalties, "Icerde" fulfills its journey when the two brothers, after a string of conflicts and adventures, eventually find each other.
The 39 well-crafted episodes written by Ertan Kurtulan and Toprak Karaoglu have a perfect blend of drama, suspense, action, humor and romance enacted by a talented cast; a suspenseful but haunting musical score by Toygar Isikli; and an action-packed directorial mastery by Uluc Bayraktar, which maintains Icerde as a tight story that is widely appreciated by global audiences as movie making genius.
Sarp (Cagatay Ulusoy), the top ranking police cadet of his graduating year, is picked by Yusuf (Mustafa Ugurlu), the director of the organized crime division, to infiltrate the gang led by his arch nemesis Celal Baba (Cetin Tekindor). Simultaneously, Celal Baba grooms his adoptive son Mert Karadag (Aras Bulut Iynemli) to take on a spot in Yusuf's division. Unbeknownst to Yusuf, Sarp and Mert, Mert is in reality Umut Yilmaz, Sarp's long lost younger brother whom Celal had kidnapped in order to ensure his father Metin's silence. Sarp is enticed to enter Celal's gang in the secret hopes of finding his little brother.
As the boys remain committed to their missions while they have encounters with love, family and tested loyalties, "Icerde" fulfills its journey when the two brothers, after a string of conflicts and adventures, eventually find each other.
The 39 well-crafted episodes written by Ertan Kurtulan and Toprak Karaoglu have a perfect blend of drama, suspense, action, humor and romance enacted by a talented cast; a suspenseful but haunting musical score by Toygar Isikli; and an action-packed directorial mastery by Uluc Bayraktar, which maintains Icerde as a tight story that is widely appreciated by global audiences as movie making genius.
DELIBAL (2015)
Baris (Cagatay Ulusoy) is a talented musician and gifted architectural student, who falls in love with Fusun (Leyla Lydia Tugutlu), at first sight. Fusun is a driven, ambitious sociology student who is trying to fit the mold of her family's expectations after her elder sister elopes.
Initially rejecting Baris's advances, Fusun eventually gives into his charm and unfiltered love, and agrees to get married. Hidden from Fusun is Baris's medical condition of suffering from bipolar disease, having him alternate between manic states at unpredictable times.
The story explores their love through the choices we make in the name of love.
"Delibal" is a unusual subject matter to be tackled in the Turkish film industry, and both the movie and Cagatay's performance were widely appreciated.
Baris (Cagatay Ulusoy) is a talented musician and gifted architectural student, who falls in love with Fusun (Leyla Lydia Tugutlu), at first sight. Fusun is a driven, ambitious sociology student who is trying to fit the mold of her family's expectations after her elder sister elopes.
Initially rejecting Baris's advances, Fusun eventually gives into his charm and unfiltered love, and agrees to get married. Hidden from Fusun is Baris's medical condition of suffering from bipolar disease, having him alternate between manic states at unpredictable times.
The story explores their love through the choices we make in the name of love.
"Delibal" is a unusual subject matter to be tackled in the Turkish film industry, and both the movie and Cagatay's performance were widely appreciated.
MEDCEZIR (2013 - 2015)
In this loose adaptation of the Fox series The O.C., Yaman (Cagatay Ulusoy), is an intelligent but wounded young man, born into poverty. Despite a string of adverse circumstances and poor choices by his errant family, Yaman manages to stay true to his values.
Falling prey to his brother's wayward ways, Yaman is rescued by Selim Serez (Baris Falay), an idealistic lawyer married into a rich family, who sees his youth in Yaman and wants to afford him a new lease in life.
The Serez family welcome Yaman into their lives in the rich enclaves of the snooty Altinkoy, where Yaman enrolls in the local college. As he finds love with neighbor Mira Beylice (Serenay Sarikaya), the pair brings a beautiful journey to life, set against the backdrop of the social tensions that exist within their insular neighborhood and society.
A stunning production featuring an all-star cast that includes Taner Olmez and Hazar Erguclu, an air tight script from a team led by Ece Yorenc, and an astounding soundtrack from Toygar Isikli, Medcezir became the 5th most successful Turkish TV series in terms of net sales (as at 2019).
EMIR'IN YOLU (2012)
This is a short-lived spin-off from "Adini Feriha Koydum" , taking new turns in the story after the surprising end of the love saga in Adini Feriha Koydum. Cagatay reprises his role as Emir Sarrafoglu, now a broken and devastated man in contrast to the youthful and loving Emir of the prior two seasons. Cagatay is, perhaps, in his best physical form in this season as he plays the debonair Emir.
This is a short-lived spin-off from "Adini Feriha Koydum" , taking new turns in the story after the surprising end of the love saga in Adini Feriha Koydum. Cagatay reprises his role as Emir Sarrafoglu, now a broken and devastated man in contrast to the youthful and loving Emir of the prior two seasons. Cagatay is, perhaps, in his best physical form in this season as he plays the debonair Emir.
ANADOLU KARTALLARI (2011)
Fashioned after the 1986 Tom Cruise starrer "Top Gun", the film follows the journey of five cadet air force pilots. Ahmet Onur (Cagatay Ulusoy) is a maverick pilot who is mentored by Kemal Tanacan (Engin Altan) as he navigates challenges of flight school and his personal life. With stellar performing female colleagues while male peers struggle with the pressures of school, the production is a testament to the growing gender diversity in otherwise traditionally male roles.
The film, commissioned for the centenary of the Turkish Air Force, was filmed in collaboration with the Turkish Air Force in the air base in Konya (source: IMDB). The aerobatic teams of the Turkish Air force, Türk Yıldızları and Solo Türk, performed the realistic aerial combat scenes.
Fashioned after the 1986 Tom Cruise starrer "Top Gun", the film follows the journey of five cadet air force pilots. Ahmet Onur (Cagatay Ulusoy) is a maverick pilot who is mentored by Kemal Tanacan (Engin Altan) as he navigates challenges of flight school and his personal life. With stellar performing female colleagues while male peers struggle with the pressures of school, the production is a testament to the growing gender diversity in otherwise traditionally male roles.
The film, commissioned for the centenary of the Turkish Air Force, was filmed in collaboration with the Turkish Air Force in the air base in Konya (source: IMDB). The aerobatic teams of the Turkish Air force, Türk Yıldızları and Solo Türk, performed the realistic aerial combat scenes.
ADINI FERIHA KOYDUM (2010 - 2012)
Feriha (Hazal Kaya), is the ambitious and intellectually gifted daughter of a doorman, who lives with his family in the basement of an apartment compex in an upper-class neighborhood of Istanbul. Feriha has grown up on Cansu's hand-me-downs, whose family, despite the girls' childhood friendship, never allows Feriha to forget that she is the daughter of the lowly help while Cansu is an heiress.
Feriha earns a full scholarship to a prestigious, private university, where she meets and falls for a handsome and rich young man, Emir (Cagatay Ulusoy), who is much neglected by his family. For fear of being treated as an outcast, Feriha feeds the misconception that she is from a rich family as well. The magnetic love between Emir and Feriha cannot be denied, until he discovers the truth which exposes the chasm between their socioeconomic and cultural values.
As their paths cross again and again, neither able to move away from the other, Adini Feriha Koydum is a coming of age story, where the protagonists push the boundaries of preordained paths on the power of their love.
Feriha (Hazal Kaya), is the ambitious and intellectually gifted daughter of a doorman, who lives with his family in the basement of an apartment compex in an upper-class neighborhood of Istanbul. Feriha has grown up on Cansu's hand-me-downs, whose family, despite the girls' childhood friendship, never allows Feriha to forget that she is the daughter of the lowly help while Cansu is an heiress.
Feriha earns a full scholarship to a prestigious, private university, where she meets and falls for a handsome and rich young man, Emir (Cagatay Ulusoy), who is much neglected by his family. For fear of being treated as an outcast, Feriha feeds the misconception that she is from a rich family as well. The magnetic love between Emir and Feriha cannot be denied, until he discovers the truth which exposes the chasm between their socioeconomic and cultural values.
As their paths cross again and again, neither able to move away from the other, Adini Feriha Koydum is a coming of age story, where the protagonists push the boundaries of preordained paths on the power of their love.
PARANOIA (2010)
Even before he won his Best Model award, Cagatay Ulusoy participated in "Paranoia", a short black-and-white silent film, written and directed by Özgür Özer. The skit portrays a young man experiencing a panic attack while he reacts to the external stimuli around him.
Even before he won his Best Model award, Cagatay Ulusoy participated in "Paranoia", a short black-and-white silent film, written and directed by Özgür Özer. The skit portrays a young man experiencing a panic attack while he reacts to the external stimuli around him.
OTHER PROJECTS OF MENTION:
Arka Sokaklar (2009) - Officer (this is a crime drama running on Kanal D since 2006 - present)
Recep Ivedik 3 (2010) - Extra
Eve Dusen Yildirirm (2012) - as Emir Sarrafoglu - guest appearance
Gulun Adi (2013) - short film, Musteri
Muhabbet Matinesi (2013) - short film
Menajerimi Ara (2020) - as himself - guest appearance
Arka Sokaklar (2009) - Officer (this is a crime drama running on Kanal D since 2006 - present)
Recep Ivedik 3 (2010) - Extra
Eve Dusen Yildirirm (2012) - as Emir Sarrafoglu - guest appearance
Gulun Adi (2013) - short film, Musteri
Muhabbet Matinesi (2013) - short film
Menajerimi Ara (2020) - as himself - guest appearance