London based, multi-screen storyteller and award-winning director Umut Aral was born in Istanbul.

Globally experienced and multi-lingual, Aral managed multi national teams, established partnerships and worked across Europe and Asia. Most recently, Aral directed the Netflix Original Series “The Protector” that has been released globally by the end of 2018.

Throughout his career, Aral has demonstrated an affinity for breaking new ground across multiple screens. His wide body of work includes varied films, documentaries, TV commercials, music videos, TV series, viral videos, flash mobs, interactive videos, 360 and hologram videos.

In 1999, Umut Aral directed his first short film called ‘Otuzdört / Thirtyfour’. The film won awards in national film festivals and screened in numerous international film festivals receiving his first global recognition.

In 2005, Aral directed, produced and wrote his second short film ‘ÇARPIŞMA / CRASH’. Internationally acclaimed "Crash", won thirteen prestigious national and international awards and screened in esteemed film festivals like Locarno International Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Asiana Short Film Festival, and International Short Film Festival in Drama.

Since 2001, Aral has been leading a prolific career directing over 250 national and international TV commercials. Aral, has been distinguished with his cinematic flair on braded content and working in solid partnership with high-profile celebrities. Aral established himself as one of the top talented leading directors in the commercial world, winning numerous awards and being screened throughout the world with his work for clients such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mercedes Benz, McDonald’s, Nivea, Vodafone, Unilever, Nestle, Henkel, Emaar, Diageo, QNB, Nutricia, and beIn among many others.

In 2017, directed an episode of 7Yüz for BluTV; first Anthology and digital platform TV series in Turkey.

In 2018, Umut Aral has been thriving in his career with two ground breaking projects: Directed the first E-sports feature film ‘İyi Oyun / Good Game: The Beginning’ and directed Turkey’s first Netflix Original Series ‘The Protector’ which is released globally.

Umut Aral is also The Chairman of Board of Members of Mithat Alam Education Foundation and Mithat Alam Film Center - the ‘cinematheque’ , a prestigious cultural center in Istanbul.