Film, Theatre and Art Director

“In an artistic field that stages its disgust with post-Nazi society in a variety of forms, the voice of theatre maker and director Ülkü Akbaba seems rather cautious compared to her peers. She addresses the scandal of demarcation by tracing paths and developments of people and goods across borders, dissecting the crash of cultures and subcultures, from mutual invisibility to incomprehension and misunderstanding to its unmasking, the point at which violence, renewed closure, or genuine understanding and coming together are equally possible. Developing this cathartic moment without melodrama in all its nuances creates a new perspective for the majority, shows the inner view of those who act as self-determined perpetrators realizing options, even though they are marginalized by society and condemned to constantly crossing borders. It is this consistent avoidance of the exotistic view of the victims of racism that has made Ülkü Akbaba's work the point of reference for all those artists who understand that an essential antidote to the National Socialist legacy in our society is to be found within the realm enclosed by its borders.”

– Andreas Görg, Editor and Dramatic Advisor

“The Viennese film and theatre director Ülkü Akbaba has produced the internationally acclaimed documentaries "Grenzgängerinnen" and "Kaffee". Her last theatre work in Vienna, the parallel production of the play "Bakarsın bulutlar gider/Du schaust, und die Wolken ziehen", in both Turkish and German, was a milestone in expanding the horizons of Vienna's independent theatre scene to a transcultural laudience. Ülkü Akbaba has left her mark on the Viennese cultural scene far beyond her own works. Be it with the many years of empowerment and visibility of diverse artists through her cultural association IODO, or be it with the comparative study on transcultural cultural policy in Amsterdam, London, Berlin and Vienna, which has shown the Viennese administration a lot of blind spots and omissions, not all of which have been remedied yet.”

– Tina Leisch, Filmmaker and Cultural Activist