Art & Culture

Highlights from Kaan Urgancıoğlu’s Talk at El Gouna Film Festival 2025

BYMeriem Belhiba

October 23, 2025

As part of the eighth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, which got underway from October 16 to 24, the CineGouna Theatre hosted a heartfelt and inspiring conversation with Turkish actor Kaan Urgancıoğlu, ambassador for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and one of the most recognizable faces in contemporary Turkish drama.

Moderated by Sherif Nour El Din, the session delved into Kaan’s artistic journey, his Arab roots, and his views on the Turkish industry’s evolution from local storytelling to global recognition. The talk reflected one of the festival’s central aims this year: celebrating cross-cultural dialogue and learning from cinematic voices that have transcended borders.

Read on for the highlights.

1. Arab roots, shared emotions

@milleworlddotcom #KaanUrgancıoğlu joins audiences for an engaging talk at El Gouna Film Festival, moderated by #SherifNourElDin. #egypt🇪🇬 #gounafilmfestival ♬ original sound – milleworlddotcom

Kaan began the session by reflecting on his Syrian heritage through his maternal grandfather, Mohamed Ali Bey, who moved to İzmir generations ago. “I’m proud of those roots,” he said, describing them as “a spiritual and cultural bridge that connects me to the Arab world.” He explained that the closeness between Turkish and Arab cultures is one reason Turkish drama resonates so deeply across the region. “We speak different languages, but we feel the same stories.”

2. From finance student to actor

Visiting Egypt for the first time, Urgancıoğlu spoke about his unexpected path to fame. Born in İzmir, he initially studied finance before moving to New York to train at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. “That’s where I started searching for what makes me unique as a Turkish actor,” he said, adding that his real growth happened back home in Istanbul, where he “learned the meaning of discipline,” describing Turkish sets as “demanding but full of passion.

3. The slow rise and the global breakthrough

Kaan emphasized that success came to him gradually. “Fame arrived slowly, and I’m grateful for that, because slow success is steady success.” His global breakthrough came with Kara Sevda (Endless Love), the first Turkish series to win an International Emmy Award, where he played Emir Kozcuoğlu, a villain so complex that audiences “hated him and felt for him at the same time.” He admitted that the role took an emotional toll, saying, “After the show, I even needed time to recover — some friends stopped watching because they couldn’t separate me from Emir. That’s when I realized how powerful storytelling can be.”

4. Messages from the Arab world

The actor spoke fondly of his connection with Arab audiences, revealing that he read “almost every message” sent to him after Kara Sevda aired across the Middle East. “Even though I played the antagonist, the amount of love I received was incredible,” he said. “It proved how emotionally intelligent and generous Arab viewers are.” He also praised recent Arab remakes of Turkish series, calling them “beautiful reinterpretations that add new cultural rhythms and meanings.”

5. Lessons from Turkish drama — and from El Gouna

@milleworlddotcom #KaanUrgancıoğlu talks about the Arab audience’s reception of #KaraSevda (Endless Love) during a conversation at the El Gouna Film Festival. #egypt🇪🇬 #turkiye🇹🇷 #gounafilmfestival ♬ original sound – milleworlddotcom

For Urgancıoğlu, Turkish drama’s global success stems from discipline and authenticity. “We work long hours and push our limits, but that teaches teamwork and humility,” he said. “Talent is nothing without consistency.” Reflecting on his first visit to Egypt, he described El Gouna as “a festival that brings worlds together,” adding, “It’s important to have these conversations — to learn from each other’s journeys and from stories that reach beyond borders.”

As the audience erupted in applause, Kaan smiled and concluded: “We may come from different places, but art always brings us to the same feeling.”

Highlights from Kaan Urgancıoğlu’s Talk at El Gouna Film Festival 2025

1. Arab roots, shared emotions

2. From finance student to actor

3. The slow rise and the global breakthrough

4. Messages from the Arab world

5. Lessons from Turkish drama — and from El Gouna

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Highlights from Kaan Urgancıoğlu’s Talk at El Gouna Film Festival 2025

1. Arab roots, shared emotions

2. From finance student to actor

3. The slow rise and the global breakthrough

4. Messages from the Arab world

5. Lessons from Turkish drama — and from El Gouna

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