In 1984, Kaplanoğlu moved to Istanbul and worked for a couple of years as a copywriter for advertising companies like Güzel Sanatlar Saatchi & Saatchi and Young & Rubicam. He switched over to cinema in 1986 to become an assistant cameraman for two award-winning documentary films. In 1994 Kaplanoğlu wrote the script and directed a television seriesŞehnaz Tango with 52 episodes which was aired on TV channels Show TV and InterStar and became successful. Kaplanoğlu's debut feature Away From Home was awarded Best Director in Singapore IFF in 2001. His second feature Angel's Fall premiered in 2005 Berlinale Forum and received Best Film Award at Nantes, Kerala and Barcelona Alternativa film festivals. Between 2005 and 2010 he produced and directed the Yusuf Trilogy. Yumurta, the first film in the trilogy premiered in Cannes and won Best Director awards in Fajr, Valdivia and Bangkok film festivals. The trilogy’s second film Süt premiered in Venice IFF. Bal, the third part won the Golden Bear Award in 60th Berlinale IFF. His latest film Buğday is currently in post-production. His films are characterized by metaphysical themes and distinctively authored use of cinematography. Kaplanoglu, who is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential directors in Turkish cinema, has received 28 international awards and 10 nominations worldwide. He was a jury member in 2013 Cannes Film Festival Cinefondation and Short Films. He also is member of the European Film Academy as well as Asia Pacific Screen Academy. Besides his main pursuits in cinema, Semih Kaplanoğlu wrote articles between 1987 and 2003 on plastic arts and cinema which were published on arts periodicals and translated into foreign languages. In the years from 1996 through 2000, he had a column named "Karşılaşmalar" in the daily newspaper Radikal. Kaplanoğlu is noted for his support for the governing Justice and Development Party and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Kaplanoğlu's critics attributed the generous public funding his production company received in 2019 to his good relationship with the government.
Family
Kaplanoğlu is married to journalist, author and screenwriter Leyla İpekçi, who is a niece of the assassinated notable journalist Abdi İpekçi. Between 2006 and 2013, Leyla İpekçi wrote for Zaman and Taraf, daily newspapers affiliated with the Gülen movement. At the time, Taraf and Zaman facilitated the movement's outreach to a broader public as they gained power in Turkey in illegal and extralegal ways. The Turkish government closed down both newspapers after the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, for which they held the Gülen movement responsible. Kaplanoğlu claimed that he, like others, was cheated by the Gülen movement.
