Mahmut Tali Öngören (1931 - 1999) was a journalist, scriptwriter and co-founder of Turkish state television TRT. In 1955, he graduated from Columbia University with a degree in TV and radio journalism and took a leading role in the founding of TRT state television. Öngören was a pioneer who was committed to human rights as well as film. Thus, he co-founded Turkey's first cinematheque, the Ankara International Film Festival, the Human Rights Association, the Human Rights Foundation and the Turkish Human Rights Organization TIHAK. From the mid 90s, he was an advisor to the Film Festival Turkey Germany and thus made a great contribution to the success of the festival.

For Öngören's tireless fight in the name of democracy and human rights, the Öngören Prize is awarded annually to those directors who deal with the issues of democracy and human rights. The prize, valued at 1,000€, honors the great commitment of the directors to remind us of these fundamental rights and their abuse, even under adverse circumstances.

2000    
Güneşe Yolculuk / Reise zur Sonne
Yeşim Ustaoğlu
    
2003 
Fotoğraf / Das Photo
Kazım Öz
    
2004 
Vertrieben für Frieden / Barış İçin Sürülenler 
Simone Sitte, Osman Okkan
    
2005
Politiki Kouzina / Ein Hauch von Gewürz

Tassos Boulmetis
    
2006
Die Unerwünschten / İstenmeyenler
 
Sarah Moll
    
2007
Kadına Ağıt / Requiem für eine Frau
 
Berrin Balay Tuncer, Önder Özdem
    
2008
Beautiful Bitch / Güzel “Bitch” 

Martin Theo Krieger
    
2009
4857
Petra Holzer, Selçuk Erzurumlu, Ethem Özgüven
    
2010
Mazel Tov 
Mischka Popp, Thomas Bergmann
    
2011
Das Herz von Jenin / Jenin’in Kalbi
 
Marcus Vetter, Leon Geller
    

 

2012
Zenne – Der Bauchtänzer / Zenne
 
Caner Alper, Mehmet Binay
    
2013
Waiting Area / Bekleme Alanı
 
Nora Tschirner, Natalie Beer
    
2014
Die Arier / Ariler
 
Mo Asumang
    
2015
Wir sind jung, wir sind stark / Genciz. Güçlüyüz

Burhan Qurbani
    
2016
Küçük Kara Balıklar / Kleine schwarze Fische
 
A. Haluk Ünal, Ezel Akay, Serpil Güler, Cem Terbiyeli, Önder İnce
    
2017
Das Versprechen / Bana Söz Ver
 
Marcus Vetter, Karin Steinberger

2018
Die Legende vom hässlichen König / Çirkin Kral Efsanesi

Hüseyin Tabak

2019
Kill me today, tomorrow I´m sick

Joachim Schroeder / Tobias Streck