Ali Ihtiyar, is a Canadian filmmaker and photographer born in Turkey, currently based in Montreal. He received a Master’s in Fine Arts, Film and Television Production from Marmara University (Istanbul). He has acted as both director and director of photography for numerous projects.
For over twenty years, he has worked on documentaries, commercials and photo shoots, including album covers for Kalan Music (notably Dijvan Gasparyan and Erkan Ogur). The Hollywood International Film Festival selected his short fiction “Pencere” (Window) as the Best Foreign Film (2004). The inaugural Sony World Photography Awards shortlisted his Immigration Series, “Faces” in 2008 for the portrait category. His film and photography creations have been exhibited and shown internationally, and have received awards and distinguished honors in Canadian and Quebecois arts councils, moreover he has acted as juror for the Conseil des Arts du Quebec. In 2014, “There is a Thief” was presented in the short film competition at the Festival des Films du Monde (Montreal). Most recent recognition for his artworks came with the Huawie Next image awards “Enchanting Flow” Best in Category, 2023 China and his Short Experimental Film “Scream at the International Motion Picture Awards (Ontario, 2023) Winner of Best film on Nature-wildlife category
Major international recognition has come to the artist following “Halet and Nail” Photo Solo Exhibition hosted by Maltepe University, about the famed historical figure, Turkish Archaeologist Halet Cambel in 2018. The success followed “Isolated” , a Solo Exhibition of Photography, in 2017, Istanbul, held at the Turkan Saylan Cultural Center. “Isolated” was a direct anthropological exploration of the conditions and experience of dislocation and transmigration of Syrian refugees at the border region of Turkey. The internal migration and historical context of the experience of Kurdish, Alevi and Armenian peoples in exile in Anatolia are at the thematic core of his work. He is currently engaged in several film and photography projects in both Québec and Turkey.
