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The eighth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival featured a special panel discussion with Turkish star Kaan Urgancioglu, who expressed his willingness to work in Egyptian and Arab drama, saying it would undoubtedly be “a unique experience and a chance to engage with a different culture.”
His remarks came during an open discussion moderated by Sherif Nour Eldin about Turkish-Arab cooperation in cinema while he attended the El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) in Egypt.
El Gouna is an international film festival held annually in the Red Sea resort town of El-Gouna in Egypt.
Urgancioglu attended the special screening of 'El Sadat El Afadel' (The Gentlemen), the latest film by Egyptian director Karim El Shenawy.
Urgancioglu surprised the audience by revealing his Syrian roots on his mother’s side, speaking candidly about the intersections of Arab and Turkish cultures and their influence on his artistic and personal identity.
Urgancioglu noted the strong similarities between Egyptian and Turkish cultures — in temperament as well as in humor.
He pointed out that this resemblance was evident in the Egyptian film, screened during the festival, which he described as a reflection of both Egyptian and Turkish social spirit.
He pointed out that in the early 2000s, during his university years, Turkish TV series began to gain wide popularity across the Arab world.“
At that time, we received many messages from Arab viewers and learned that they were following our work with great enthusiasm — it was both gratifying and surprising,” he said.
Urgancioglu, known in the Arab world for his famous Turkish series called 'Endless Love' ( Karasevda ), achieved tremendous success both in Türkiye and abroad after being dubbed into several languages.
Speaking about his beginnings, he revealed that he first took up acting while studying and soon realized his passion to pursue it professionally.
Urgancioglu noted that working in television often feels like “living someone else’s life,” as actors enter people’s homes daily and build a unique intimacy with audiences.
He added that early discipline shaped his craft and that he never sought quick fame, believing that “fame without substance is a curse.”
"I don’t think too much about the audience," Urgancioglu said.
Recalling the rise of Turkish dramas, he said that when international audiences began sending messages, he realized the industry’s potential to become a global phenomenon.
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