The introduction of cinema in Turkey dates back to nearly a year after two young Frenchmen, the Lumi�re 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 origin Sigmund Weinberg screened films publicly at a beer hall in Galatasaray Square, İstanbul, thus introducing this extraordinary art to many more Turkish people.

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.

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 so daring .

A new era in Turkish cinema started in 1922 when theatre 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 two months prior to the formation of the Turkish Republic.

Muhsin Ertuğrul, as the only director of his period, left an indelible imprint on Turkish film-making during the formative years of Turkish cinema.

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.

The same year, the Domestic Film Producers' Association organized the first film festival in Turkey in which the winning film was Şakir Sırmalı's "Unutulan Sır" (Forgotten Secret).

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 Pasen, 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 chosen as the best film at the 1st Turkish Film Festival, organized by the Friends of the Turkish Films Association.

Those years also saw 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 with the best film award at the 1st Art Festival held in İzmir in 1961, while script-writer Selçuk Bakkalbaşı, was presented with an award for the most successful screen writer.

Actress Nilüfer Aydan was presented with 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 workers' strike action. In 1964, Halit Refiğ directed an interesting film about internal 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.

During this period, through the joint efforts of the Turkish Film Producers' Association and Antalya Municipality, the Antalya Film Festival, which continues to the present day, was first held. At the first festival, Halit Refiğ's film "Gurbet Kuşları" (Migrating Birds) won the best film award.

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 240 films produced, 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 collaborated for writing 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 the 1980s, a new generation of successful directors appeared. Ali Özgentürk, Ömer Kavur, Sinan Çetin, Ţerif Gören, Yavuz Turgul, Zülfü Livaneli were among the most remarkable directors of this period who won international successes. 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, and 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 (1970- ). "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 organized in the Italian city of Milan, Ülkü Erakalın's film "Afacan Küçük Serseri" (The Little Rascal) won the best film award.

In 1973, Lütfi Akad participated in the Tehran Film Festival with his film "Gelin" (The Bride) which dealt with domestic migration and Türkan Ţoray participated in the Moscow film festival with "Dönüţ" (The Return), her first attempt at directing.

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 organized 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 "Endiţe" (Anxiety).

By 1975, the black and white film era had drawn to a close. Club 7, which served as the Turkish Film Archive in 1967 and as the film archive for the State Fine Arts Academy in 1969, became a cinema-TV institution. Once again an exhibition of Turkish films was organized in Paris, and at a festival arranged 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 organized 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 that miners undergo. 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 Çarşaf 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 with the best film award at the Locarno Film Festival, the "golden leopard". Melika Demirağ, who took 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 Archive in Belgium. Süha Arın's "Tahtacı Fatma" won first prize at the 3rd Balkan Film Festival in the short films category, and at the Oberhausen Short Films Festival, Özcan Arca's "Üç Bölümlük Kısa Filim" (A Short Film in Three Parts) won an award presented by the German Youth, Family and Health Ministry.

During 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, Turkish film weeks were organized 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 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 saw 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 with 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 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 "Yokuţ" (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 with a mention by the jury, and at another festival, the 3rd International Immigrants' Film Festival in Sweden, it was presented with 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.

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 won a third place at the Valencia Film Festival. It was presented with the best film award at the 9th Nantes Three Continents Film Festival where Macit Coper, acting in the leading role, was presented with 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 organized and at a film contest arranged 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 won second place together with 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).

"Minyeli Abdullah" (Abdullah From Minye) by Yücel Çakmaklı was an example of the increasingly popular Islamic cinema. The film set a new country-wide box-office record.

"Aşk Filimlerinin 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 in a Cold and Rainy Time) by Engin Ayça and "Tatar Ramazan" by Melih Gülgen.

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 organized that year. At the Orleon Film Festival, a week was dedicated to films in which Türkan Ţoray played the leading roles.

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"

"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 Yaţar, took second place 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.

"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.

- The 4th Ankara Film Festival and the 11th International İstanbul Film Festival: "Gizli Yüz" (The Secret Face) by Ömer Kavur.

At the 4th International İzmir Film Festival, Agah Özgüç was presented with the "Golden Artemis" award for his books on Turkish cinema.

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.

"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 Ţerif Gören.

At the Alexandria Film Festival Yavuz Özkan won the best screen writer's award and Serap Aksoy won the best actress award with the film "İki Kadın" (Two Women).

In 1994, Turkish cinema was in difficulties because Turkish producers could barely find enough suitable cinemas to screen films. Most of the films produced that year were designed for television in preference to cinemas. The IFSAK cinema award was presented to Mahmut Tali Öngeren that year. A "cinema days" week was organized in Manisa. Türkan Ţoray was presented with the Kyrgyzstan International Aytmatov Club award.

Also in 1994, "Bir Sonbahar Hikayesi" (An Autumn Story) by Yavuz Özkan, was presented with best film awards both at the 6th Ankara Film Festival and the 13th İstanbul International Film Festival.

In 1995 the down-trend in film production continued. Private TV channels mainly included old Turkish films in their programmes. A group of directors established the Turkish Cinema Foundation, the first production of which was "On Yönetmen İki Film" (Ten Directors Two Films) based on ten short film scenarios on "love" and "tolerance".

The Ministry of Culture distributed the 1994 Cinema Merits in December, 1995. Feature films "Babam Askerde" (Father is in the Army Now) by Handan İpekçi, "Yengeç Sepeti" (Lobster Pot) by Yavuz Özkan, "C Block" (Block C) and "İz"(Track) by Yeşim Ustaoğlu, and Nuri Bilge Ceylan's short film "Koza" (Cocoon) won the awards.

The 9th Adana Film Festival: "Soğuk Geceler" (Cold Nights) by Kadir Sözen.

At the 7th İzmir International Film Festival: On the occasion of the celebration of "One Hundred Years of Cinema", the "Golden Artemis" award was presented to: Prof. Dr. Alim Ţerif Onaran for his essays on the theory of cinema, director Ömer Lütfi Akad and actor Fikret Hakan for their contributions to Turkish cinema.

The Habitat International Film Festival was held in İstanbul between June 1-6 1996. Aiming to contribute to the aims of the world series of Habitat II conferences, 80 films on the theme of "city life, growth and development" were screened at the festival.

-The 33rd Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival: "Tabutta Röveţata" (Somersault in a Coffin) by Derviţ Zaim.

-The 15th International İstanbul Film Festival: "80. Adım" (The 80th Step) by Tomris Giritlioğlu.

-The 8th Internaional İzmir Film Festival: Şener Şen. Also at this festival Nedim Otyam was presented with a "diploma of honour".

-ÇASOD (Modern Cinema Actors and Actresses Association) Awards: Menderes Samancılar for his role in "Soğuk Geceler" (Cold Nights), Fikret Hakan for his role in "Gerilla" (The Guerrilla), Ali Sürmeli for his roles in "Sokaktaki Adam" (The Man in the Street) and "Düţ, Gerçek Bir de Sinema" (Dream, Reality and Cinema)

-The 6th Cologne Film Festival which especially featured Turkish films "Aşk Ölümden Soğuktur" (Love is Colder than Death) by Canan Gerede won the best film award.

-The 2nd Sorrento Mediterranean Film Festival: "Zıkkımın Kökü" by Memduh Ün was presented with the best children's film award by the United Nations Press Association.

-The 5th Icronos Archeology Films Festival: A special jury award was presented to Dr. Ţükrü Künüçen for his film "Midas".

The most remarkable films of that year included "Akrebin Yolculuğu" (Journey on the Clock-hand), "Dırejan", "Hamam" (Turkish Bath), "Masumiyet" (Innocence), "Mektup" (The Letter), "Usta Beni Öldürsene" (Sawdust Tales), "Kuşatma Altında Aşk" (Love Under Siege), "Ağır Roman" and "Kasaba" (The Town).

-The First Exhibition of World Underwater Films was held in İstanbul in December.

-The premiere of Yusuf Kurçenli's documentary "Antika Talanı" (The Plundering of Antiquities) was held at the Çankaya Palace. This film was later screened in several documentary film festivals.

-"Eşkiya" (The Bandit), "Dırejan", "Akrebin Yolculuğu" (Journey on the Clock-hand), "Masumiyet" (Innocence), "Işıklar Sönmesin" (Let There Be Light), "Sen de Gitme" (Please Don't Go) "Tabutta Röveşata" (Somersault in a Coffin) and "Usta Beni Öldürsene" (Sawdust Tales) were shown at the 5th London Turkish Films Festival.

-A special part at the 38th Salonica Film Festival was dedicated to director Ömer Kavur. His films, "Akrebin Yolculuğu" (Journey on the Clock-hand), "Gizli Yüz" (The Secret Face), "Anayurt Oteli" (Anayurt Hotel) were screened at the festival.

- The 9th Ankara Film Festival, and Orhon Murat Arıburnu Award: "Sen de Gitme" (Please Don't Go) by Tunç Baţaran.

-SİYAD (the Cinema Writers' Association) Award: "Eţkiya" (The Bandit) by Yavuz Turgul.

- The 13th International Alexandria Film Festival: a special jury award for "Sen de Gitme" (Please Don't Go) by Tunç Başaran. Best actress award: Işık Yenersu for her role in the same film.

- The Salonica Film Festival in Greece: "The Silver Alexander" award, and the best actor award for Ahmet Uğurlu.

In 1990, Turkey became a member of the European Support Fund (EURIMAGES) established for the joint production and distribution of Cinematographic Audiovisual Works of Art. It is evident that this membership has made a great contribution to efforts by the Turkish film industry to reach international audiences. It is noteworthy that most of the films produced in recent years, and that especially films such as "Eşkiya" (The Bandit) , "İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında" (İstanbul Under My Wings) and "Hamam" (Turkish Bath), joint productions supported by Eurimages, were received with great interest both at home and abroad.

Y 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
F   22   36   61   44   48   61   50   61   80   76

Y 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
F   78  113  131  128  180  213  240  209  177  230 

Y 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
F  226  265  299  209  189  225  164  124  126  195

Y 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
F   68   72   72   74  124  127  185  185  117  117

Y 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 
F   75   33   39   82   82   37   37   20