Shonky Popcorn Films wedding video boss Fatih ‘Zultan’ Kocyigit ordered to repay aggrieved couple

A Melbourne couple has warned others to avoid a wedding video shonk who vanished with priceless footage of their special day.

Chelsea (right) and Ruth Wallace-Dixon were left disappointed by Popcorn Films boss Fatih Kocyigit who vanished with footage of their wedding. Supplied.

An aggrieved couple is hunting for a shonky wedding videographer who vanished with their cash and priceless footage of their special day.

Ruth and Chelsea Wallace-Dixon are desperately trying to track down Popcorn Films owner Fatih ‘Zultan’ Kocyigit after hiring the elusive shonk to film their wedding.

“A particular selling point was that Popcorn Films provided the raw footage, which only a few

other videographers did,” Ruth Wallace-Dixon said.

The couple transferred $1250 for a 50 per cent deposit to secure a special wedding package after email communication with Popcorn Films creative director ‘Mel’.

Mrs Wallace-Dixon said they never met or spoke to Mel which led them to believe she “may not exist”.

The couple, who were living in Geelong at the time, met Kocyigit — who told them his name was Zultan — in person at a cafe to discuss wedding plans.

The couple realised they would need up to 10 hours of footage to capture their special day which Kocyigit promised he would deliver if they coughed up the extra $1250 on the spot.

“We were initially hesitant, but he already had 50 per cent of our money and we didn’t feel like we would get that back,” Mrs Wallace-Dixon said.

“We agreed as part of this ‘deal’ that he could use footage from our wedding on his website. “He told us that he had not yet videoed a wedding for a gay couple, so he was keen to use our video for promotion purposes, which we agreed to.

“In hindsight, this might be part of the reason why he attended our wedding.”

Kocyigit filmed the January 2019 wedding but the couple were less than impressed.

“We were disappointed that during the reception we could often not locate him and found him spending a lot of time outside smoking,” Mrs Wallace-Dixon said.

“He also did not stay the additional two hours that he had promised when we met with him.”

Mrs Wallace-Dixon also said Kocyigit hurried them to cut the cake and perform their first dance because he “wanted to go home”.

Kocyigit promised to deliver the full package within a month but he stonewalled the couple for several months.

Fatih Kocyigit aka Zultan Kocyigit the elusive owner of shonky wedding video company Popcorn Films. Supplied.

Kocyigit eventually sent an incomplete edited video of the ceremony and reception minus precious footage of the couple’s mums’ speeches and a special shoe game.

The desperate couple took the matter to Consumer Affairs after Kocyigit weasled out of his commitments.

A Consumer Affairs officer told the couple there had been other complaints about Kocyigit and they had a “strong case” to take to police.

The couple took their fight to VCAT which this month ruled the no-show Kocyigit had to deliver the footage or refund the cash by October 22.

However, the tribunal advised the couple they would have to track Kocyigit down themselves if they wanted a successful resolution.

Mrs Wallace-Dixon, who now lives in Werribee with her wife, said the whole process took a “toll on our mental health”.

“It made us angry that he can rip off us on our special day … It was a horrible experience which left a sour taste,” she said.

“Every time we look at photos of our wedding it reminds us of him … It’s really been disappointing.

“He’s banking on people’s vulnerability … he’s making money exploiting desperate people who are frantically organising everything for their wedding … it’s the pits.

“I really feel for those people whose weddings he didn’t even show up to film but kept their money.”

Popcorn Films and Kocyigit have been cited on the civil claims list before and the shonk’s internet reviews are far from positive.

Kocyigit’s Yelp reviews, all of which are one-star, described the experience as “horrible”.

“Stay away,” a Yelp reviewer wrote.

“Zultan is a liar and there are many brides that he has stuffed around which is just so horrible.

“We were warned early on that he was dodgy after he filmed our wedding so we were always very cautious of what we said and did. Now he still refuses to pay. What a joke.

“You’ve screwed me over and it’s really disappointing. I just want what YOU promised me and what I paid for, nothing more.”

Other reviewers described Kocyigit as a “scammer”.

DO YOU KNOW MORE OR HAVE BEEN SHORTED BY POPCORN FILMS? EMAIL BELOW …

[e-mail]