TURKISH
CINEMA
Directorate
General of Press & Information
The introduction of cinema in Turkey dates
back to nearly a year after two young Frenchmen,
the Lumière brothers held their first film exhibition on December 22, 1895
in a cafe in Paris. Initial showings in
Turkey were private ones held at the Sultan's
court, the Yıldız Palace in İstanbul. Afterwards a Romanian citizen of Polish descent Sigmund Weinberg
screened films publicly at a beer hall
in Galatasaray Square, İstanbul, thus introducing this extraordinary art to many more Turkish people.
Although cinema came to Turkey as early as
the late 1890s, the actual start of
film-making in Turkey was much later.
Encountering many difficulties from the shooting of the first film in 1914 up until now, Turkish cinema is
in its present state today because of
original works produced by using
its own resources. Despite all the economic shortfalls and lack of a legal framework within which to operate that
Turkish cinema has had to surmount,
thanks to the efforts of Turkish directors,
script writers, actors, actresses and technicians, Turkish cinema has carved out a respectable position and
succeeded in competing with the
powerful foreign movie industry. Today, Turkish cinema has come to be an internationally recognized
modern art enjoying a huge popularity
in foreign countries, and at international film festivals which frequently both recognize and award its successes.
TURKISH
CINEMA IN THE PRE-REPUBLICAN PERIOD (1897-1923)
Beginning in 1908, cinema halls began to be
opened by foreigners and individuals
from the minorities living mainly in
İstanbul. But in March 1914, two Turks, Cevat Boyer and Murat Bey, opened a cinema hall.
The first Turkish film was a documentary,
"Ayastefanos'taki Rus Abidesinin Yıkılışı" (The Demolition of
the Russian Monument at St. Stephen), made
by reserve army officer Fuat Uzkınay at the beginning of World War
I, and sponsored by the Turkish Army.
This film was succeeded by a number of
films made by official or semi-official
organizations. One of these
organizations, the official War Veterans' Association, produced the feature films "Mürebbiye" (The
Governess) and "Binnaz" based
on the novels of Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar. These films, directed by Ahmet Fehim in 1919, were later censored by
the occupying forces because they were
very daring .
The War Veterans' Association also produced
a series of short films before it
ceased producing films in 1921. These
films, namely "Bican Efendi, Vekilharç" (Bican Efendi, the Secretary), "Bican Efendi, Mektep
Hocası" (Bican Efendi, the
Schoolmaster) and "Bican Efendi'nin Rüyası" (The Dream of
Bican Efendi) directed by a then famous comedian, Şadi Fikret Karagözoğlu, who also played the
leading roles, created the first comic
character in Turkish cinema.
A new era in Turkish cinema started in 1922
when theater artist Muhsin Ertuğrul
returned home from Germany where he had
worked as an actor and director since 1916. His return in 1922 was also the time when the first Turkish
private film company, "Kemal
Film" was set-up. A film based on
the novel of Halide Edip Adıvar,
"Ateşten Gömlek" (The Ordeal) in which the first Turkish Muslim women actresses, namely Bedia
Muhavvit and Neyyire Neyir acted in the
leading roles, was the first movie to deal
with the War of Independence. This film was first screened in İstanbul which was still occupied by foreign
armies, on April 23, 1923, the third
anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, and
only six months prior to the formation of
the Turkish Republic.
THE
THEATER ARTISTS' PERIOD (1923-1939)
This period was dominated by theatre
artists among whom Muhsin Ertuğrul was
the leading figure. Played by a cast of
theater actors in 1932, "Bir Millet Uyanıyor" (A Nation
Awakens), another War of Independence
epic, is not only considered to be the
best film of Muhsin Ertuğrul but is also seen as the first really noteworthy film in the history of Turkish
cinema.
1933 went down as a year of comedy,
vaudeville and opera-style films. In
1934, Muhsin Ertuğrul participated in the Second Venice International Film
Festival with his film "Leblebici
Horhor Ağa", which was awarded an honorary mention, the first
international award presented to a Turkish
director.
Muhsin Ertuğrul was also the first director
to make a film about country life with
"Bataklı Damın Kızı Aysel" which suggests Soviet influences. This film featured stage actress Cahide
Sonku, the first woman movie star of
Turkish cinema, in the leading role.
Muhsin Ertuğrul, as the only director of
his period, left an indelible imprint
on Turkish film-making during the formative
years of Turkish cinema.
The number of films made between 1914 and
1939, was not more than 23, not
including documentaries and short films.
THE
TRANSITION PERIOD (1939-1950)
After graduating from a photography school
in Germany, Faruk Kenç started shooting
films in Turkey. He was the first director
without having prior experience in theater. His success in the Turkish film industry was an important incentive for
those who were not former theater
artists to follow a career in the fledgling film industry.
During this period, film producers began to
organize themselves by forming
professional organizations and establishing
film studios. Ha-Ka Film, Ses Film, İstanbul Film, Halk Film and Atlas Film were all established in 1946. The
same year, the Domestic Film Producers'
Association and the Film Producers'
Association were also founded.
With a change in municipality tax laws in
1948, a boost was given to the Turkish
film industry, as taxes on films made in
Turkey were reduced to 25%. This regulation protected Turkish cinema in financial terms.
The same year, the Domestic Film Producers'
Association held the first film
festival in Turkey in which the winning
film was Şakir Sırmalı's "Unutulan Sır" (Forgotten Secret).
The period between 1939 and 1950 can best
be described as a transition period
which tried to build on the work of the
previous period and constituted a bridge to the next period called the "cinema artists'
period".
THE
CINEMA ARTISTS' PERIOD (1950-1970)
During the 1950s, the number and quality of
films increased and the industry began
to take on a shape of its own.
Directors like Lütfi Akad, Atıf Yılmaz, Metin Erksan, Memduh Ün and Osman Seden came to the fore. In 1952,
these were followed by new directors
among whom the foremost were Nejat Saydam, Nevzat Pesen, Orhan Aksoy and Hulki Saner.
Lütfi Akad's film "Kanun Namına"
(In the Name of the Law), made in 1952,
was a milestone in Turkish cinema. Character
portrayals, events and the natural scenes incorporated in this true-to-life film were a new departure in
Turkish film-making. It was selected as
the best film at the 1st Turkish Film Festival, held by the Friends of the Turkish Films Association.
Although the first color film in Turkish
cinema was "Salgın" (The
Plague) directed by Ali İpar, Muhsin Ertuğrul's color film "Halıcı Kız" (The Carpet Weaver) was
actually screened earlier. However,
this film, directed by Ertuğrul after a
gap of six years, was not a success.
The Turkish Cinema Artists' Association
(TSSD), established in 1959, organized
a "Turkish Films Festival" in collaboration with the Turkish Journalists' Association.
Those years also witnessed the growth of
films in which actresses began to play
in more heroic roles, inspired by the film entitled "Fosforlu Cevriye", and leading child performers also
grew in popularity. At the same time, a
new intellectual trend, called
"social realism", gained a foot-hold in Yeşilçam, the budding Turkish Hollywood in İstanbul. Metin
Erksan's "Gecelerin Ötesi"
(Beyond the Night) is a noteworthy example of this movement's influence in the 1950s.
"Denize İnen Sokak" (A Street
Leading to the Sea) directed by Atilla
Tokatlı in 1960, was a remarkable experiment. Even though the film's box office success was limited, it received
an honourable mention at the Locarno
Film Festival that year and was
screened at the Venice and Karlovy-Vary Film Festivals in 1961. It was presented the Best Film Award at the
1st Art Festival held in İzmir in 1961,
while script-writer Selçuk Bakkalbaşı, was
presented an award for the most successful screen writer.
In 1961, the İstanbul Municipality
organized a "domestic films
competition" in addition to an "art festival", where Memduh Ün's "Kırık Çanaklar" (Broken
Dishes) won the Best Film Award.
Actress Nilüfer Aydan was presented an
honourable mention at the Moscow Film
Festival after her success in
"Şehirdeki Yabancı" (Stranger in the City).
About the same time, younger producers
began to give more weight to films
dealing with social issues. "Karanlıkta
Uyananlar" (Those Awaking in Darkness) directed by Ertem Göreç, was the first film to deal with the social
consequences of labour strikes. In
1964, Halit Refiğ directed an
interesting film about domestic migration entitled "Gurbet Kuşları" (Migrating Birds). The same
year "Susuz Yaz" (Dry Summer)
directed by Metin Erksan won the "Golden Bear" award at the Berlin Film Festival. The film, which
deals with rural life, also won the
"Merito Biennali" award at the Venice Film Festival in Italy.
Among the "younger generation cinema
directors" of the 1960s were Halit
Refiğ, Fevzi Tuna, Duygu Sağıroğlu, Erdoğan
Tokatlı, Bilge Olgaç and Tunç Başaran.
During this period, through the joint
efforts of the Turkish Film Producers'
Association and Antalya Municipality, the
Antalya Film Festival, which is still being held today, was first held. At the first festival, Halit
Refiğ's film "Gurbet Kuşları"
(Migrating Birds) won the Best Film Award.
In 1965, 213 full length films were
produced. While the hegemony of leading
stars reached new heights, this "cinematic inflation" led to an
unavoidable explosion of poor quality films,
due to the lack of a really sound basis on which to build the industry. As the number of films increased,
this unhealthy growth in production
also led to exploitation and a blatant disregard for even the most basic standards of good cinema.
However, there were also some noteworthy films made during this period such as "Bitmeyen Yol"
(Unending Road) by Duygu Sağıroğlu,
"Yasak Sokaklar" (Forbidden Streets) by Feyzi Tuna, "Murad'ın Türküsü" (Murad's Song)
by Atıf Yılmaz, "Sevmek Zamanı"
(Time to Love) by Metin Erksan, and "İsyancılar" (The Rebels)
by Abdurrahman Palay.
The Turkish Cinematheque Society was also
founded in 1965, and at the 34th İzmir
Fair that year, Lütfi Akad's film "Üç
Tekerlekli Bisiklet" (Tricycle) won the Best Film Award, as
did Halit Refiğ's film "Kırık
Hayatlar" (Broken Lives) at the
Gaziantep Film Festival. At the Milan (Italy) Mifed Film Festival, Metin Erksan's film "Suçlular
Aramızda" (The Guilty Amongst Us) was chosen as the best of the films
dealing with social issues.
In 1966, when Turkish cinema was about to
set a record with the production of 240 films, Yılmaz Güney joined the ranks of
the new directors by directing his
film, "At, Avrat, Silah" (Horse,
Woman and Gun). The same year, Lütfi Akad's film "Hudutların Kanunu" (Border Law) was seen as the
most important film up to that time.
Akad and Güney joined in the writing of the
script of this film in which Güney acted in the leading role. "Yılanların Öcü" (The Revenge of
the Snakes) by Metin Erksan won the
Best Film Award at the Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia. That same year, when stars reached the
pinnacle of their popularity, Atıf
Yılmaz's "Ah Güzel İstanbul" (Oh! Beautiful İstanbul) won the "Silver Tree Award" at the Bordighera
Comedy Films Festival in Italy.
In 1968, through the joint efforts of the
Turkish Films Archives Institution, the
Turkish Foreign Ministry and the French
Ministry of Culture , a "Turkish Films Week" was held in Paris.
In 1969, the Adana Cinema Club, Adana
Municipality and the State Films
Archives jointly organized the 1st Golden Cocoon Film Festival in which Metin Erksan's "Kuyu" (The Well), a
passionate tragedy, was presented the
Best Film Award.
THE
POST-1970 PERIOD
In the 1970s, film production again
increased and the era of black and
white films came to an end. The spread of television, economic and social changes all damaged the film industry in Turkey. Many producers had to struggle to
survive as audiences dwindled sharply. Nevertheless, those years can be
recorded as the most productive period.
Yılmaz Güney, Lütfi Akad, Tunç Okan, Zeki
Ökten, Erden Kıral and Yavuz Özkan
created internationally acclaimed films.
In the 1980s, a new generation of
successful directors appeared. Ali
Özgentürk, Ömer Kavur, Sinan Çetin, Şerif Gören, Yavuz Turgul, Zülfü Livaneli were among the most remarkable directors of this period who won
international acclaim. Some of the
directors of the earlier periods such as Atıf Yılmaz and Tunç Başaran also created films of note. In
recent years, apart from films on
social problems there has been a trend towards stressing individuality, especially women's search for
identity and their emotional lives.
Comedy films have also grown in popularity.
In 1970, a film by Yılmaz Güney
"Umut" (Hope) was a turning
point in Turkish cinema. The film depicts the "metamorphosis
from hope to hopelessness" in a
simple and realistic style. Güney's
cinema can be described as a bridge between the cinema artists' period (1950-1970) and the new wave period.
"Umut" was chosen as the best
film at the 2nd Adana Film Festival and also
won the "Special Jury Award" at the Grenoble Film Festival in France. Ümit Utku's film "Yara"
(The Wound) won third place at the
Tangiers Film Festival.
In 1971, at the Adana Golden Cocoon Film
Festival, Yılmaz Güney's film Ağıt
(Elegy), Acı (Pain) and Umutsuzlar (Desperate People) took the first three
places. The same year, at the
Children's Film Festival held in the Italian city of Milan, Ülkü Erakalın's film "Afacan Küçük
Serseri" (The Little Rascal) won
the Best Film Award.
In 1972, Turkish cinema set a new
production record with 299 new films.
In 1973, Lütfi Akad participated in the
Tehran Film Festival with his film
"Gelin" (The Bride) which dealt with
domestic migration and Türkan Şoray participated in the Moscow Film Festival with "Dönüş" (The
Return), her first attempt at
directing.
In 1974, unionization activities heightened and "Film-Sen" (The Turkish Cinema Workers' Union) was
organized in addition to the Turkish
Film Workers' Union set up earlier.
The same year, Tunç Okan directed his first
film, a black comedy,
"Otobüs" (The Bus), which examined in depth the deep sense of
alienation felt by illegal Turkish workers
abroad. This film won several awards at
international film festivals:
The "Golden Charybe" given to
the best film at the Taormina Film
Festival held in Sicily, Italy; the
"Experimental and Artistic Films Award" at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the former Czechoslovakia;
the "Don Quixote Award"
presented by the World Cinema Clubs Federation; an award at the Strasbourg
Human Rights Film Festival in France and the
Best Film Award together with the "Cinema Critics' Special
Award" at the Santarem Film
Festival in Portugal.
Another successful film that same year was
Şerif Gören's "Endişe"
(Anxiety), based on a scenario written by Yılmaz Güney about the problems of cottonpickers and blood-feud
violence. Ömer Kavur's "Yatık
Emine" told the story of an exiled prostitute during the First World War. This was actually the first time
a Turkish film was to deal with this
subject. Lütfi Akad completed his
trilogy on domestic migration by filming "Diyet" (Blood Money) following the earlier films of this
trilogy, Düğün (The Wedding) and
"Gelin" (The Bride). Yılmaz Güney's film "Arkadaş" (The Friend) depicted the social conflicts
of that period in Turkey by using a
mature and skillful "cinema language". It won the "Best Film Award" at the 4th
Yarımca Art Festival held in İzmit.
The Adana Film Festival as such finally
came to an end in 1974. The same year,
an exhibition of Turkish films was staged
at the Paris Cinematheque. At the Asian and African Countries' Film Festival in Tashkent, in the former
Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics, actress Fatma Girik was
presented with a special award by the
Women's Committee for her role in "Kızgın Toprak" (Scorched Earth). At the Karlovy-Vary Film
Festival, a film by Süreyya Duru, "Bedrana" won the "Cidalc
Award". Actor Erkan Yücel was
presented with the "Most Successful Actor Award" at the 20th San Remo Film Festival, in Italy, for his
role in "Endişe" (Anxiety).
By 1975, the black and white film era had
drawn to a close. Club 7, which served
as the Turkish Film Archives in 1967 and as
the film archives for the State Fine Arts Academy in 1969, became a cinema-TV institution. Once again an
exhibition of Turkish films was staged
in Paris, and at a festival organized by the
Union of European Film and TV workers in Paris, Behlül Dal's "Güneşin Battığı Yer" (Where the
Sun Sets) won a special award in the
short films category.
In 1976, at the İstanbul Film Festival held
for the first time that year, no film
was considered worthy of the Best Film
Award. In 1978, the Culture Ministry opened a cinema department and a social security law for cinema workers and actors was put into effect. The same year
the Turkish Film Workers' Union was
also established.
Two noteworthy films made in 1978 were
Erden Kıral's "Kanal"
(Canal), which tells the story of a district governor who fights the injustices of rich rice growers,
and Yavuz Özkan's "Maden"
(The Mine), about the hardships experienced by miners. Another film that attained international acclaim was "Sürü"
(The Flock), directed by Zeki Ökten,
which tells a tragic story about a tribal
family migrating to a big city where the family is confronted by pressures that lead to its break-up. In Bulgaria, a Turkish films week was very
successful, and again in Tashkent,
Türkan Şoray won a best actress award for her part in Atıf Yılmaz's film "Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım". At the
Karlovy-Vary Film Festival in the then Czechoslovakia , Süreyya Duru's film "Kara Çarşaflı Gelin" (The
Dark Veiled Bride) won a special award
presented by the Union of Film Syndicates.
In 1979, the film "Sürü" (The
Flock) was presented the "Best
Film Award" at the Locarno Film Festival, the "Golden Leopard".
Melike Demirağ, who played the leading role in this film, shared the "Best Actress Award"
with Rebecca Horn. The Special Award of
this festival was given to Yılmaz Güney who was both the producer and script-writer. The film won
awards presented by the International
Protestant Film Jury and the Catholic Film
Organization at the Berlin Film Festival, and the Best Film Award at the International Outstanding Films
Contest, organized by the Royal Cinema
Archives in Belgium. Süha Arın's "Tahtacı Fatma" won First Prize at the 3rd Balkan Film Festival
in the short-subject films category,
and at the Oberhausen Short-subject Films Festival, Özcan Arca's "Üç Bölümlük Kısa Film" (A
Short-subject Film in Three Parts) won
an award presented by the German Youth, Family and Health Ministry.
In 1980, Turkish films continued to win
acclaim. "Sürü" (The Flock)
was screened for eight weeks in Zurich and seven weeks in Basel. At the London Film Festival, it was chosen
the best from among 93 films. At the
Rotterdam Festival, film critics chose
it as one of the year's best three films, and at the 10th International Antwerp Film Festival in
Belgium, it was again given the Best
Film Award. Zeki Ökten's film "Düşman" (The Enemy), based on a screen-play written by Yılmaz Güney,
which focuses on unemployment and
workers' problems, won the Special Jury
Award and the International Catholic Film Organization's first prize at the 30th Berlin Film
Festival. Ali Özgentürk's
"Hazal" which depicts rural life and the tragic lives of
village womenfolk won five
international awards. "Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde" (On Fertile Lands) directed by Erden Kıral,
won the Special Jury Award and also the
Elal-France Union of Artistic and
Experimental Cinema Award. A year later, in 1981, it was chosen as the best film at the European
Films Festival in Strasbourg. Again in
1981, but after a gap of two years, the 18th
Antalya Film Festival was held,
but no film was considered good enough to win the Best Film Award.
In 1982, Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören's
film "Yol" (The Road), which
examines the very basics of human suffering, was chosen as the film of the year at the 35th Cannes Film Festival,
together with Costa Gavras' film "Missing", thus sharing the "Golden Palm" award. In France, at
the Hyreres Young Cinema Festival,
Sinan Çetin's "Bir Günün Hikayesi" (The Story of a Day) won the "People's Jury" award. Ali
Özgentürk's "At" (Horse) was
rated third at the Valencia Mediterranean Countries' Film Festival, and at the Lecce Film Festival
(1983) in Italy, it received the Best
Film Prize. In 1983, Şerif Gören's film
"Derman" (Remedy), depicting
the revolt of women against male domination in Turkish villages, won the Jury Award at the Valencia Film
Festival.
During this period a search for new modes
of expression was observable in Turkish
films which became more inclined to deal with individuality, women's search for
identity and human emotions.
In 1983, Turkish film weeks were held in
Budapest and Kuwait. The same year
Erden Kıral's film "Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim" (A Season in Hakkari), which dealt with the problems and struggles of an intellectual confronted for
the first time with the hard life in
Hakkari in Southeast Anatolia, won five
awards in a row at the 33rd Berlin Film Festival. Later the same year, it won yet another award at the
Corsica 2nd Mediterranean Cultural Film
Festival.
1984 witnessed the founding of the Film
Producers' Asssociation. The same year,
Erden Kıral's film "Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim" (A Season in Hakkari) was chosen as the "opening
film" for the Los Angeles Olympic
Games. Şerif Gören's film "Derman" (Remedy) won two more awards: one presented by the
International Cinema Critics and the
other by the International Cinema Clubs
Federation at the 24th Karlovy-Vary Film Festival held in former Czechoslovakia. At the 3rd Mediterranean
Cultural Film Festival, Erden Kıral's
film "Ayna" (The Mirror) won the "Critics' Award", and Ali Özgentürk's "At" (Horse)
won a prestigious award at the Sao
Paulo Film Festival in Brazil.
"Züğürt Ağa" (The Penniless Landlord) by Nesli Çölgeçen,
a comedy with a social content , based
on a script by Yavuz Turgul, was seen as
an exceptionally witty film in 1985. It was in 1985 that the Ministry of Culture initiated a series of
competitions offering incentive awards
for three main branches: drama, documentary and animation.
At the 25th Karlovy-Vary Film Festival,
Talat Bulut received the "Best
Character Actor" award from the Cinema
Institute of Prague University for his portrayal in "Derman" (Remedy). The same film won the "Golden
Sword" award at the 4th
International Damascus Film Festival in Syria. Based on the votes of the audience, Erden Kıral's
"Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim" (A Season
in Hakkari) was chosen as the best film at the 4th New German Film Festival in Luxembourg. At the 35th
International Berlin Film Festival,
Tarık Akan was given a special mention for his role in "Pehlivan"
(The Wrestler), a film by Zeki Ökten. At the
7th International Women's Film Festival, "Kaşık Düşmanı" by
Bilge Olgaç, won the Best Film Award
and was also presented the "French
Journalists' Special Press Award". Halil Ergün was chosen the best actor by audiences for his role in
this film. At the 1st International
Tokyo Film Festival, "At" (Horse) by Ali Özgentürk won a $ 250,000 cash prize. At the New York Film Festival, a Turco-German production,
"Gülibik", won an award
presented by the Educational Film Library Asssociation. In Portugal, Erden Kıral's "Ayna"
(The Mirror) won the Grand Award at the
International Figuera da Fox Film Festival. Süha Arın's short-subject film "Kapalıçarşı'da
Kırkbin Adım" (Forty Thousand Steps in
the Grand Bazaar) won the "Jury's Award of Honour" at the
Tourism Films Festival in Vienna.
In 1986, approximately 20 new Turkish films
revived audience ratings and brought a
new vitality to Turkish cinema by
developing new approaches to filming. New regulations for the cinema, video and music industries were
brought into effect. Among the most
prominent films of the year were: "Anayurt Oteli" (Anayurt Hotel) by Ömer Kavur, "Aaah
Belinda" by Atıf Yılmaz,
"Züğürt Ağa" (The Penniless Landlord) by Nesli Çölgeçen
and "Muhsin Bey" by Yavuz
Turgul. At the 14th Strasbourg Film
Festival, Ali Özgentürk's "Bekçi" (The Guard) and Muammer
Özer's film "Bir Avuç Cennet"
(A Taste of Paradise) shared second place. At the 32nd Oberhausen Short Films
Festival in Germany, Dilek Gökçin's
"Yokuş" (The Slope) won the International Grand Jury Prize. At the 11th International Sports
Films Festival in France,
"Pehlivan" (The Wrestler) by Zeki Ökten won the International Olympics Committee Award. At the World Rural
Films Festival in France, "Bir
Avuç Cennet" (A Taste of Paradise) was presented a mention by the jury,
and at the 3rd International
Immigrants' Film Festival in Sweden, it was
presented the Grand Award. At the 8th Nantes Three Continents Festival, Hülya Koçyiğit was
chosen the best actress for her role in
"Kurbağalar" (Frogs), a film by Şerif Gören.
High-quality and well-produced films
continued to grow in number in 1987,
with more emphasis being placed on good direction rather than on stars. The trend of "cinema d'auteur"
was strengthened and revitalized with
new directors. That year another
professional association was formed: the Professional Union of Cinema Production (SESAM).
At the 13th Santarem Film Festival in
Portugal, "Bir Avuç Cennet"
(A Taste of Paradise) won the Best Film Award together with the Best Script Award. At the 44th Venice
International Film Festival,
"Anayurt Oteli" (Anayurt Hotel) by Ömer Kavur shared the International Cinema Writers' Federation
Award (Fipresci) with a film by Ermanno
Olmi, "Lunga Vita alla Signora." "Anayurt Oteli" also placed third at the
Valencia Film Festival. It was
presented the Best Film Award at the 9th Nantes Three Continents Film Festival where Macit Coper, acting in the
leading role, was presented the Best
Actor Award. Zülfü Livaneli's film
"Yer Demir Gök Bakır" (Iron Earth, Copper Sky) won the Christian Film Organization's Award.
In 1988, the Cinema Actors' Association
(SODER) was founded. During the 7th
International Istanbul Cinema Days, the
Eczacıbaşı Foundation Award was presented to Tunç Başaran for his film "Biri ve Diğerleri" (The One
and the Others). The 1st Ankara Film
Festival was held and at a film contest staged
during this festival for the purpose of promoting the younger generation of directors and producers, Orhan
Oğuz's "Herşeye Rağmen"
(Despite Everything) was chosen the best film. At the 5th European Cinema Festival in Italy that year, this film
was considered the best in the category
of "outstanding European films
chosen by the critics", and was also awarded the "Youth Award" at the Cannes Film Festival. At
the 36th San Sebastian Film Festival,
Yavuz Turgul's "Muhsin Bey" won the Special Jury Award. At the 37th International Mannheim
Film Festival in Germany, the film
"Herşeye Rağmen" (Despite Everything) won the Grand Cash Prize. At the Amiens Film
Festival in France, Hülya Koçyiğit was
chosen best actress for her role in
"Bez Bebek" (Rag Doll) by
Engin Ayça. Films by Yılmaz Güney and other Turkish films were shown during Turkish Cinema Weeks in Paris
and Ottawa.
In 1989, Tunç Başaran's film
"Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar" (Don't
Let Them Shoot the Kite) won awards at the Cannes Film Festival, and also at the Valencia Mediterranean
Festival placed second and also received the International Cinema
Clubs' Federation "Don
Quixote" award. Again at the Valencia Film Festival, Zülfü Livaneli's film "Sis" (Fog) shared
the "Golden Palm" award with
"Meeting Point" by Goran Markovich. At the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival "Sis"
also won the "Golden Antigone"
award. Yıldız Kenter won the Best Actress Award at the Bastia Film Festival for her part in Halit Refiğ's
film "Hanım" (The Lady). At
the Nantes Three Continents Film Festival, Reha Erdem's film "A Ay" shared second place
with a foreign film "Mali".
"Tarlabaşı, Tarlabaşı" won a special award presented by the
Vaud Canton Architects' and Engineers' Chambers at Lausanne and Süha Arın won a special jury award for his film
"Dünya Durdukça" (Forever).
TURKISH
CINEMA DURING 1990s AND 2000
In 1990, only 75 films were produced.
Although there was a notable decrease
in the number of films produced , there was
however an increase in quality encouraged by the Ministry of Culture which also organized a congress on
"Turkish Cinema".
"Minyeli Abdullah" (Abdullah From
Minye) by Yücel Çakmaklı was an example
of the increasingly popular films with Islamic themes. The film set a new country-wide box-office
record.
With the participation of 203 experts from
the cinema, press, universities and
business circles, the Turkish Cinema and
Audiovisual Culture Foundation was established.
Some of the significant films of the year
included:
"Aşk Filmlerinin Unutulmaz
Yönetmeni" (The Unforgettable
Director of Love Films) by Yavuz Turgul, "Bekle Dedim Gölgeye"
(I asked the Shadow to Wait) by Atıf
Yılmaz, "Benim Sinemalarım" (My
Cinemas) by Fürüzan and Gülsün Karamustafa, "Berdel" by
Atıf Yılmaz, "Camdan Kalp"
(Heart of Glass) by Fehmi Yaşar, "Eskici
ve Oğulları" (The Junk Dealer and His Sons) by Şahin Gök,
"Karartma Geceleri" (Blackouts) by Yusuf Kurçenli, "Piano
Piano Bacaksız" (Piano Piano, Kid) by Tunç Başaran, "Robert'in
Filmi" (Robert's Film) by Canan
Gerede, "Soğuktu ve Yağmur Çiseliyordu" (It was during a Cold and Rainy Time) by Engin Ayça and
"Tatar Ramazan" by Melih Gülgen.
Films that won best film awards at film
festivals organized in Turkey in 1990:
The 3rd Ankara Film Festival: "Med
Cezir Manzaraları" (Views of Tides) by Mahinur Ergün. The 9th International Film Festival:
"Karartma Geceleri" (Blackouts)
by Yusuf Kurçenli. The 27th Antalya Film Festival: "Karılar Koğuşu" (Women's Ward) by Halit Refiğ. The
2nd International İzmir Film Festival:
Türkan Şoray and Halit Refiğ shared the
"Golden Artemis", the best film award.
In addition in 1990, "Karartma
Geceleri" shared the Special
Jury Award with "Moon in the
Mirror" by Chilian director
Silvio Caiozzi.
In 1991, 33 films were produced. For
political reasons, Kurdish epics were
the themes dealt with in some films like
"Siyabend ile Heço" (Siyabend and Heço) by Şahin Gök,
"Mem u Zın" by Ümit Elçi, the
first examples of their kind. Due to a lack of
financial resources, the Ankara Film Festival was not held that year. At the Orleon Film Festival, a
week was dedicated to films in which
Türkan Şoray played the leading roles.
Films that won best film awards at
festivals held in Turkey in 1991:
The 10th İstanbul International Film
Festival: "Camdan Kalp"
(Heart of Glass) by Fehmi Yaşar. The 28th Antalya Film Festival: "Gizli Yüz" (The Secret
Face) by Ömer Kavur. The 3rd İzmir Film
Festival: "Gizli Yüz"
Turkish films that won awards at festivals
held abroad in 1991:
"Benim Sinemalarım" (My Cinemas) by Fürüzan and
Gülsün Karamustafa, won the
"Special Crystal Simura Award " at the 9th Tehran Film Festival.
"Berdel" by Atıf Yılmaz, won the CICAE award at the
41st International Berlin Film
Festival, the Best Film Award at the
8th European Cinema Festival (Italy), the Best Film Award at the 12th Mediterranean Film Festival (Spain),
and the "Global Media" award
presented by the Population Institute in New York.
"Camdan Kalp" (Heart of Glass) by
Fehmi Yaşar, placed second both at the 13th Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival and the 9th Bergamo Film Festival
in Italy. The film also won the Georges
Sadoul Best Foreign Film Award in Paris.
"Piano Piano Bacaksız" by Tunç
Başaran shared the Best Film Award with a Swedish film, "Yeraltı
Gizlilikleri" (Underground
Secrecy). The film also won the Best Film Award at the Canadian International Children's and Youth Films
Festival.
"Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar" (Don't
Let Them Shoot the Kite) by Tunç Başaran, won a top award at the Lyon
Children's Film Festival in France.
"Gizli Yüz" (The Secret Face) by
Ömer Kavur, won the CICAE award at the
Bastia Mediterranean Film Festival, and the Best Film Award at the 20th Montreal New Cinema Festival.
In 1992, 38 films were produced out of
which only 12 were released.
"Mavi Sürgün" (Blue Exile) by
Erden Kıral, supported by the Ministry
of Culture, and Eurimages, was the most expensive of all Turkish films produced until that year.
The Adana Golden Cocoon Film festival was
revived after a long interval. The
Yılmaz Güney Art Foundation was established.
Some of the notable films in 1992:
"Mavi Sürgün" (Blue Exile) by
Erden Kıral, "Berlin in
Berlin" by Sinan Çetin, "Cazibe Hanımın Gündüz Düşleri"
(The Daydreams of Cazibe Hanım) by
İrfan Tözüm, "Çıplak" (Naked) by
Ali Özgentürk, "Düş Gezginleri" (Dream Wanderers) by Atıf Yılmaz, "İki Kadın" (Two Women) by
Yavuz Özkan, "Gölge Oyunu" (Shadow Game) by Yavuz Turgul,
"Zıkkımın Kökü" by Memduh Ün,
"Dönersen Islık Çal" (Whistle If You Come Back) by Orhan Oğuz.
Films that won best film awards at Turkish
film festivals held in 1992:
* The 4th Ankara Film Festival and the 11th
International İstanbul Film Festival:
"Gizli Yüz" (The Secret Face) by Ömer Kavur.
* The Adana Golden Cocoon Film Festival:
"Karartma Geceleri"
(Blackouts) by Yusuf Kurçenli.
* The 29th Antalya Film Festival:
"Cazibe Hanımın Gündüz Düşleri"
(The Daydreams of Cazibe Hanım) by İrfan Tözüm.
At the 4th International İzmir Film
Festival, Agah Özgüç was presented with
the "Golden Artemis" award for his books on Turkish cinema.
Also in 1992, "Sürgün" (The
Exile) by Mehmet Tanrısever, ranked
second both at the 45th Salerno Film Festival and at the 2nd Tashkent Film Festival where Tanrısever was
rated the "Best First Film Director."
At the 8th Bastia Mediterranean Cinema
Festival, Türkan Şoray won the Best
Actress Award for her role in "Soğuktu ve
Yağmur Çiseliyordu." (It Was During a Cold and Rainy Time).
In
1993, 83 films were produced. The Ankara Art Foundation awarded Agah Özgüç for his publications on cinema.
The Cinema writers Foundation (SİYAP),
closed down after the 12 September 1980 coup,
was re-established. "Amerikalı" (American) by Şerif Gören, set
a box office record that year.
Some of the notable films in 1993:
"Yaz Yağmuru" (Summer Rain) by
Tomris Giritlioğlu , "Ay
Vakti" by Mahinur Ergün, "Bir Sonbahar Hikayesi" (An
Autumn Story) by Yavuz Özkan,
"Çözülmeler" (Dissolution) by Yusuf
Kurçenli, "Gece, Melek ve Bizim Çocuklar" (The Night, the
Angel and Our Boys) by Atıf Yılmaz,
"Ağrı'ya Dönüş" (Return to Ağrı), "Şahmaran" by
Zülfü Livaneli, "Yalancı"
(Liar) by Osman Sınav, "Kız Kulesi
Aşıkları" (Lovers of Leander's Tower) by İrfan Tözüm, "Amerikalı" (American) by Şerif Gören.
Films that won best film awards at film
festivals held in Turkey in 1993:
The 12th International İstanbul Film
Festival: "İki Kadın" (Two
Women) by Yavuz Özkan.
The 5th Ankara Film Festival: "Cazibe
Hanımın Gündüz Düşleri" (The
Daydreams of Cazibe Hanım) by İrfan Tözüm.
The 7th Adana Film Festival: "Zıkkımın
Kökü" by Memduh Ün.