Languages: German (mother tongue), Turkish (mother tongue), English (fluent)
Residence: Vienna
Place of birth: Austria
Nationality: Austrian
International Romy Award 2020 for VIENNA BLOOD
Nomination for the Grimme Award 2019 for DAS DEUTSCHE KIND
Metropolis Director Award 2018: “Best TV movie direction” for DAS DEUTSCHE KIND
Romy Award: nom. 'Best Director TV movie' for ENDABRECHNUNG
ABU-Prize 2016: won 'Best TV Drama' for TATORT "Rebecca"
Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2014: won 'Best Feature Film' for RISSE IM BETON
Diagonale 2013: won 'Thomas-Pluch-Drehbuchpreis' for KUMA (shared with writer Petra Ladinigg)
Filmfestival Del Cinema Europeo 2012: won 'Audience Award' and 'Best Feature Film' for KUMA
SKIP City Tokio Filmfestival 2012: won 'Best Feature Film' for KUMA
Pristine Filmfestival 2012: won 'Best Director' for KUMA
won 'First Steps Award 2011' for PAPA
Diagonale 2011: won 'Best Austrian Short' for PAPA
won Golden UTV Award 2009 and UTV Audience Award 2009 'Best Music Video' for SELAM
Vienna Independent Shortfilm Festival 2008: won 'Audience Award' for TODESNACHRICHTEN
Metropolis Director Award 2018: "Best TV movie direction" for "Das deutsche Kind"
2023 | Polizeiruf Magdeburg "Widerfahrnis" | Filmpool Fiction | MDR | TV series | Director: Umut Dağ
2021 | House of Promises | X Filme Creative Pool | RTL+ | TV series | Director: Umut Dağ | episodes 7 - 12
2020 | Breaking Point (OT: Die Macht der Kränkung) | Mona Film | ZDF, ORF | miniseries | Director: Umut Dağ | 6 episodes
2019 | Vienna Blood | MR-Film, Endor Production, Red Arrow Studios International | ORF, ZDF | miniseries | Director: Umut Dağ | 2 episodes (2x90min)
2018 | Tatort - Das Monster von Kassel | HR | ARD | TV series | Director: Umut Dağ
2018 | Tatort Schwarzwald - "Sonnenwende" | SWR | ARD | TV series | Director: Umut Dağ
2018 | Das Deutsche Kind | Banana Tree Film | NDR | TV movie | Director: Umut Dağ
2017 | Endabrechnung | Allegro Film | ORF | TV movie | Director: Umut Dağ
2016 | CopStories (5 episodes) | Gebhardt Productions | ORF | TV series | Director: Umut Dağ
2015 | Tatort Blum - "Rebecca" | Südwestrundfunk | ARD | TV series | Director: Umut Dağ
2014 | CopStories (5 episodes) | Gebhardt Productions | ORF | TV series | Director: Umut Dağ
2014 | Cracks in Concrete | WEGA-Film | feature film | Director: Umut Dağ | Berlinale 2014: world premiere in the section 'Panorama Special'
2013 | Kuma | WEGA-Film | Filmladen | feature film | Director: Umut Dağ | Berlinale 2012: opening film of the 'Panorama' section, 21st Philadelphia Film Festival: Honorable Mention for Best Actress - Begüm Akkaya; 20th Hamptons International Film Festival: Golden Starfish Award Narrative Feature; Russian Guild of Film Critics: Bronze Taiga Award for Best Actors Ensemble/Special Diploma
2012 | Papa | Filmakademie Wien | short | Director: Umut Dağ | Competition Max-Ophüls Award 2011
Umut Dağ was the first student of directing with Kurdish roots to study with Michael Haneke and Peter Patzak at the Vienna Film Academy and made it his mission to give a voice to those who had not been featured in Austrian films until then. His multiple award-winning films PAPA (including the First Steps Award), KUMA (Berlinale Panorama opening) and RISSE IM BETON (also Berlinale Panorama special premiere) were proof of this.
With his subsequent TV works, such as the ARD film DAS DEUTSCHE Kind (German Director’s Prize, among others), Umut Dağ continued to consistently pursue his poweful narrative style and does not shy away from confronting the audience with urgent issues such as racism and discrimination.
In addition, his works are profound and emotionally moving character studies, as demonstrated in productions such as LANDKRIMI – Endabrechnung, TATORT – Rebecca and the award-winning series AM ANSCHLAG – DIE MACHT DER KRÄNKUNG, which was highly praised by both press and audience. Die Welt headlined: “German television hasn’t managed something better than this series for a long time.”
Umut Dağ made his international debut in 2019 with two of the first three episodes of the TV series VIENNA BLOOD, which in turn won the Romy International Award 2020.
The elaborate historical series DAS HAUS DER TRÄUME will be released in autumn 2022. In it, the story of the first department store in Berlin’s Torstr. 1 in the 1920s is told. Umut Dağ directed 6 of the 12 episodes.
Umut Dag lives with his family in Vienna.
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