Yilmaz Güney
Encyclopedia
Yılmaz Güney, was a Kurdish
film director
, scenarist
, novelist and actor
from Turkey
. Many of his works are devoted to the plight of ordinary, working class
people in Turkey
.
. His father was a kurd from Siverek
, and his mother was a Kurd
from Varto
, Turkey. He described himself as an "assimilated
Kurd
". His parents migrated to Adana to work as cotton field laborers. As a result of his family background young Yılmaz grew among the working class poor, which formed a strong background for his future works which generally focused on a realistic portrayal of down and out people in Turkey. Güney studied law and economics at the universities in Ankara
and Istanbul
, but by the age of 21 he found himself actively involved in film-making. As Yeşilçam, the Turkish studio system, grew in strength, a handful of directors, including Atıf Yılmaz
, began to use the cinema as a means of addressing the problems of the people. Mostly, state-sanctioned melodramas, war films and play adaptations had previously played in Turkish theaters, but these new filmmakers began to fill the screens with more artistic, personal and relevant pictures of Turkish/Kurdish life. Yılmaz Güney was the most popular name to emerge from the Young Turkish Cinema, a gruff-looking young actor who earned the moniker "Çirkin Kral," ("the Ugly King") or (pasha nashrin) in Kurdish
. After working as an apprentice screenwriter for and assistant to Atıf Yılmaz, Güney soon began appearing in as many as 20 films a year and became Turkey's most popular actor.
Although the early 1960s brought problems for freedom to Turkey, Güney was imprisoned in 1961 for 18 months for publishing a "communist" novel. The country's political situation and Güney's relationship with the authorities only became more tense in the ensuing years. Not content with his star status atop the Turkey's film industry, Güney began directing his own pictures in 1965. By 1968 he had formed his own production company, Güney Filmcilik. Over the next few years, the titles of his films mirrored the feelings of the people of Turkey: Umut
(Hope, 1970); Ağıt (Elegy, 1972); Acı
(Pain, 1971); The Hopeless (1971).
After 1972, however, Güney would spend most of his life in prison. Arrested for harboring anarchist students, Güney was jailed during preproduction of Zavallılar
(The Miserable, 1975), and before completing Endişe (Worry, 1974), which was finished in 1974 by Güney's assistant, Şerif Gören
. This was a cherished role that Gören would repeat over the next dozen years, directing several scripts that Güney wrote laboriously while behind bars.
Released from prison in 1974 as part of a general amnesty, Güney was re-arrested that same year for shooting a judge Sefa Mutlu, the public prosecutor
of Yumurtalık
district in Adana Province
, to death in a night club as a result of a drunken row and given a prison sentence of 19 years. During this stretch of incarceration, his most successful screenplays were Sürü
(The Herd, 1978) and Düşman
(The Enemy, 1979), both directed by Zeki Ökten. Düşman won an Honourable Mention at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival
in 1980.
"The Herd, in fact, is the history of the Kurdish people
, but I could not even use the Kurdish language
in this film; if we had used Kurdish, all those who took part in this film would have been sent to jail..." Güney said in his last interview with journalist Chris Kutschera.
After escaping from prison in 1981 and fleeing to France
, Güney won the Palme d'Or
at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival
for his film Yol
, whose director in the field was once again Şerif Gören. It was not until 1983 that Güney resumed directing, telling a brutal tale of imprisoned children in his final film, Duvar
(The Wall, 1983), made in France with the cooperation of the French government.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, scenarist
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, novelist and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Many of his works are devoted to the plight of ordinary, working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
people in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Biography
Yılmaz Güney was born in 1937 in the Yenice county of AdanaAdana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
. His father was a kurd from Siverek
Siverek
Siverek is a town and district in the south-east of Turkey, in Şanlıurfa Province. Population 107,634 ; 247,000 .Siverek is in Şanlıurfa province but closer geographically to the large city of Diyarbakır...
, and his mother was a Kurd
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
from Varto
Varto
Varto is a town in eastern Turkey occupied primarily by Kurdish people.Varto was the site of a major fighting during the Sheikh Said rebellion in 1924, and the 1966 earthquake that killed nearly 3,000 people....
, Turkey. He described himself as an "assimilated
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
Kurd
Kürd
Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
". His parents migrated to Adana to work as cotton field laborers. As a result of his family background young Yılmaz grew among the working class poor, which formed a strong background for his future works which generally focused on a realistic portrayal of down and out people in Turkey. Güney studied law and economics at the universities in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, but by the age of 21 he found himself actively involved in film-making. As Yeşilçam, the Turkish studio system, grew in strength, a handful of directors, including Atıf Yılmaz
Atif Yilmaz
Atıf Yılmaz Batıbeki was a renowned Turkish Kurdish film director, screenwriter and film producer. He was almost a legend in the film industry of Turkey with 119 movies directed. He also wrote 53 screenplays and produced 28 movies since 1951. He was active in almost every period of the Turkish...
, began to use the cinema as a means of addressing the problems of the people. Mostly, state-sanctioned melodramas, war films and play adaptations had previously played in Turkish theaters, but these new filmmakers began to fill the screens with more artistic, personal and relevant pictures of Turkish/Kurdish life. Yılmaz Güney was the most popular name to emerge from the Young Turkish Cinema, a gruff-looking young actor who earned the moniker "Çirkin Kral," ("the Ugly King") or (pasha nashrin) in Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. After working as an apprentice screenwriter for and assistant to Atıf Yılmaz, Güney soon began appearing in as many as 20 films a year and became Turkey's most popular actor.
Although the early 1960s brought problems for freedom to Turkey, Güney was imprisoned in 1961 for 18 months for publishing a "communist" novel. The country's political situation and Güney's relationship with the authorities only became more tense in the ensuing years. Not content with his star status atop the Turkey's film industry, Güney began directing his own pictures in 1965. By 1968 he had formed his own production company, Güney Filmcilik. Over the next few years, the titles of his films mirrored the feelings of the people of Turkey: Umut
Umut
Hope is a 1970 Turkish drama film, written and directed by Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören, featuring Güney as an illiterate horse cab driver, who, after losing one of his horses in an accident, sets out into the desert in a quest for a mythical lost treasure...
(Hope, 1970); Ağıt (Elegy, 1972); Acı
ACI
ACI is an acronym that may refer to:* Accusative and infinitive aka Accusativus cum infinitivo, a construction in Latin grammar* Access Control Item, used for Access Management...
(Pain, 1971); The Hopeless (1971).
After 1972, however, Güney would spend most of his life in prison. Arrested for harboring anarchist students, Güney was jailed during preproduction of Zavallılar
Zavallilar
Zavallılar is a film directed by Yılmaz Güney and written by Yılmaz Güney and Atıf Yılmaz. Cast includes Yılmaz Güney, Yıldırım Önel, Göktürk Güney, Hülya Şengül, Hakkı Güvenç and Güven Şengil. It was produced by Güney Film....
(The Miserable, 1975), and before completing Endişe (Worry, 1974), which was finished in 1974 by Güney's assistant, Şerif Gören
Serif Gören
Şerif Gören is a Turkish film director. Aside from important films under his own signature, he is also the winner of the Palme d'Or award in Cannes Film Festival in 1982 for the film Yol, which he had directed on behalf of Yılmaz Güney, who at the time was serving a prison sentence for the murder...
. This was a cherished role that Gören would repeat over the next dozen years, directing several scripts that Güney wrote laboriously while behind bars.
Released from prison in 1974 as part of a general amnesty, Güney was re-arrested that same year for shooting a judge Sefa Mutlu, the public prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
of Yumurtalık
Yumurtalik
Yumurtalık is a small city and a district in Adana Province of Turkey. It is a Mediterranean port at a distance of about from Adana center. Yumurtalık's population does not exceed 5,000 in winter, but in summer, it rises to 30 to 40,000 people since many inhabitants of Adana have holiday homes here...
district in Adana Province
Adana Province
Adana Province is a province of Turkey located in south-central Anatolia. With a population of 2,085,225, it is the fifth most populous province in Turkey. The administrative seat of the province is the city of Adana, home to 78% of the residents of the province...
, to death in a night club as a result of a drunken row and given a prison sentence of 19 years. During this stretch of incarceration, his most successful screenplays were Sürü
Suru
Suru may refer to:* Suru Valley, valley in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir* Suru River, tributary of the Indus River in India* Suru River, headwater of the Boia Mică River in Romania* Suru, Nigeria, Local Government Area in Kebbi State, Nigeria...
(The Herd, 1978) and Düşman
The Enemy (1979 film)
The Enemy is a 1979 Turkish drama film, written, produced and co-directed by Yılmaz Güney with Zeki Ökten during Güney's second imprisonment, featuring Aytaç Arman as Ismail an overqualified young Turkish worker who unable to find employment is reduced to poisoning the local stray dogs and begging...
(The Enemy, 1979), both directed by Zeki Ökten. Düşman won an Honourable Mention at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival
30th Berlin International Film Festival
The 30th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 18 to February 29, 1980.-Jury:* Ingrid Thulin * Betsy Blair* Mathieu Carrière* Alberto Isaac* Peter Kern* Károly Makk* Alexander Mitta* Alexandre Trauner...
in 1980.
"The Herd, in fact, is the history of the Kurdish people
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
, but I could not even use the Kurdish language
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
in this film; if we had used Kurdish, all those who took part in this film would have been sent to jail..." Güney said in his last interview with journalist Chris Kutschera.
After escaping from prison in 1981 and fleeing to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Güney won the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival
1982 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Giorgio Strehler *Jean-Jacques Annaud *Suso Cecchi d'Amico *Geraldine Chaplin *Gabriel García Márquez *Florian Hopf *Sidney Lumet *Mrinal Sen...
for his film Yol
Yol
Yol is a 1982 Yılmaz Güney film. The screenplay was written by Yılmaz Güney, and it was directed by his assistant Şerif Gören, who strictly followed Güney's instructions, as Güney was in prison at the time. Later, when Güney escaped from prison, he took the negatives of the film and edited it in...
, whose director in the field was once again Şerif Gören. It was not until 1983 that Güney resumed directing, telling a brutal tale of imprisoned children in his final film, Duvar
Duvar
Duvar is a 1983 Turkish drama film directed by Yılmaz Güney. It was entered into the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Tuncel Kurtiz - Tonton Ali* Ayse Emel Mesci Kuray - La 'politique' * Malik Berrichi - L'Arabe...
(The Wall, 1983), made in France with the cooperation of the French government.
Actor
- ZavallılarZavallilarZavallılar is a film directed by Yılmaz Güney and written by Yılmaz Güney and Atıf Yılmaz. Cast includes Yılmaz Güney, Yıldırım Önel, Göktürk Güney, Hülya Şengül, Hakkı Güvenç and Güven Şengil. It was produced by Güney Film....
(1975) - Arkadaş/' (1974)
- Endişe (1974)
- Ağıt (1972)
- Sahtekar (1972)
- Baba (1971)
- Çirkin ve Cesur (1971)
- İbret (1971)
- Kaçaklar (1971)
- Namus ve Silah (1971)
- Umutsuzlar (1971)
- Vurguncular (1971)
- Canlı Hedef (1970)
- Çifte Yürekli (1970)
- İmzam Kanla Yazılır (1970)
- Kanımın Son Damlasına Kadar (1970)
- Onu Allah Affetsin (1970)
- Piyade Osman (1970)
- Sevgili Muhafızım (1970)
- Şeytan Kayaları (1970)
- Son Kızgın Adam (1970)
- UmutUmutHope is a 1970 Turkish drama film, written and directed by Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören, featuring Güney as an illiterate horse cab driver, who, after losing one of his horses in an accident, sets out into the desert in a quest for a mythical lost treasure...
(1970) - Yedi Belalılar (1970)
- Zeyno (1970)
- Aç Kurtlar (1969)
- Belanın Yedi Türlüsü (1969)
- Bin Defa Ölürüm (1969)
- Bir Çirkin Adam (1969)
- Çifte Tabancalı Kabadayı (1969)
- Güney Ölüm Saçıyor (1969)
- Kan Su Gibi Akacak (1969)
- Kurşunların Kanunu (1969)
- Aslan Bey(1968)
- Azrail Benim (1968)
- Beyoğlu Canavarı (1968)
- Can Pazarı (1968)
- Kardeşim Benim (1968)
- Kargacı Halil (1968)
- Marmara Hasan (1968)
- Öldürmek Hakkımdır (1968)
- Pire Nuri (1968)
- Seyyit Han (1968)
- At hırsızı Banus (1967)
- Balatlı Arif (1967)
- Bana Kurşun İşlemez (1967)
- Benim Adım Kerim (1967)
- Büyük Cellatlar (1967)
- Çirkin Kral Affetmez (1967)
- Eşkiya Celladı (1967)
- İnce Cumali (1967)
- Kızılırmak-Karakoyun (1967)
- Kozanoğlu (1967)
- Kuduz Recep (1967)
- Kurbanlık Katil (1967)
- Şeytanın Oğlu (1967)
- Anası Yiğit Doğurmuş (1966)
- Arslanların Dönüşü (1966)
- At Avrat Silah (1966)
- Bomba Kemal (1966)
- Çirkin Kral (1966)
- Esrefpaşalı (1966)
- Hudutların Kanunu (1966)
- Kibar Haydut (1966)
- Kovboy Ali (1966)
- Silahların Kanunu (1966
- Tilki Selim (1966)
- Ve Silahlara Veda (1966)
- Yedi Dağın Aslanı (1966)
- Yiğit Yaralı ÖlÜr (1966)
- Ben Öldükçe Yaşarım (1965)
- Beyaz Atlı Adam (1965)
- Dağların Oğlu (1965)
- Davudo (1965)
- Gönül Kuşu (1965)
- Haracıma Dokunma (1965)
- Kahreden Kurşun (1965)
- Kan Gövdeyi Götürdü (1965)
- Kanlı Buğday (1965)
- Kasımpaşalı (1965)
- Kasımpaşalı Recep (1965)
- Konyakçı (1965)
- Korkusuzlar (1965)
- Krallar Kralı (1965)
- Sayılı Kabadayılar (1965)
- Silaha Yeminliydim (1965)
- Sokakta Kan Vardı (1965)
- Tehlikeli Adam (1965)
- Torpido Yılmaz (1965)
- Üçünüzü de Mıhlarım (1965)
- Yaralı Kartal (1965)
- Halime'den Mektup Var (1964)
- Her Gün Ölmektense (1964)
- Kamalı Zeybek (1964)
- Kara Şahin (1964)
- Kocaoğlan (1964)
- Koçero (1964)
- Mor Defter (1964)
- On korkusuz Adam (1964)
- Prangasız Mahkumlar (1964)
- Zımba Gibi Delikanlı (1964)
- İkisi de Cesurdu (1963)
- Dolandırıcılar Şahı (1961)
- Tatlı Bela (1961)
- Tütün Zamanı (1959)
- Alageyik (1958)
- Bu Vatanın Çocukları (1958)
Director
- DuvarDuvarDuvar is a 1983 Turkish drama film directed by Yılmaz Güney. It was entered into the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Tuncel Kurtiz - Tonton Ali* Ayse Emel Mesci Kuray - La 'politique' * Malik Berrichi - L'Arabe...
(1983) - YolYolYol is a 1982 Yılmaz Güney film. The screenplay was written by Yılmaz Güney, and it was directed by his assistant Şerif Gören, who strictly followed Güney's instructions, as Güney was in prison at the time. Later, when Güney escaped from prison, he took the negatives of the film and edited it in...
(1982) - DüşmanThe Enemy (1979 film)The Enemy is a 1979 Turkish drama film, written, produced and co-directed by Yılmaz Güney with Zeki Ökten during Güney's second imprisonment, featuring Aytaç Arman as Ismail an overqualified young Turkish worker who unable to find employment is reduced to poisoning the local stray dogs and begging...
(1979) - Sürü (1978)
- ZavallılarZavallilarZavallılar is a film directed by Yılmaz Güney and written by Yılmaz Güney and Atıf Yılmaz. Cast includes Yılmaz Güney, Yıldırım Önel, Göktürk Güney, Hülya Şengül, Hakkı Güvenç and Güven Şengil. It was produced by Güney Film....
(1975) - Arkadaş (1974) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071159/)
- Endişe (1974)
- Ağıt (1972)
- Acı (1971)
- Baba (1971) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069752/)
- İbret (1971)
- Kaçaklar (1971)
- Umutsuzlar (1971)
- Vurguncular (1971)
- Yarın Son Gündür (1971)
- Canlı Hedef (1970)
- Piyade Osman (1970)
- UmutUmutHope is a 1970 Turkish drama film, written and directed by Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören, featuring Güney as an illiterate horse cab driver, who, after losing one of his horses in an accident, sets out into the desert in a quest for a mythical lost treasure...
(1970) - Aç Kurtlar (1969)
- Bir Çirkin Adam (1969)
- Pire Nuri (1968)
- Seyyit Han (1968)
- Bana Kurşun İşlemez (1967)
- Benim Adım Kerim (1967)
- At Avrat Silah (1966)
External links
- Interviews and information
- Great Directors profile of Yilmaz Guney, Senses of Cinema