Sinema Tarihi // DANNA GARCIA

1971

     Production increases up to 265 features. Arzu Okay, Tarık Akan and Murat Soydan are the new faces of the year while actress Lale Oraloğlu and actor Fikret Hakan direct their first films. Metin Erksan passes to musical melodramas, staring top singer Emel Sayın, but manages to emphasis his strong and personal filmic flair and taste despite trite plots. Lütfi Akad also follows the popular trend directing star singer Zeki Müren in Rüya Gibi (Like A Dream) and folk singer and composer Orhan Gencebay in Bir Teselli Ver (Give me Confort). Although being the first attempt at a "genre" later on known as "arabesque", Bir Teselli Ver (Give me Confort) ends as a box-office disappointment.

      Süreyya Duru's fairy tale Keloğlan becomes a nation-wide success and Yılmaz Güney, with Ağıt (Elegy), Acı (Pain) and Umutsuzlar (The Hopeless Ones) brings new material to his mature and poetical style. Ağıt (Elegy), the tragic story of a gang of smugglers, succeeds in entering the Venice Film Festival and Baba (Father), aimed at a popular audience, ends as one of the year's top grossers.

     Awards at the 3. Adana Film Festival are as follows:

Best film: Ağıt (Elegy), directed by Yılmaz Güney.

Second best film: Acı (Pain), directed by Yılmaz Güney.

Third best film: Umutsuzlar (The Hopeless Ones), directed by Yılmaz Güney

Best director: Yılmaz Güney

Best script: Yılmaz Güney, for Ağıt (Elegy)

Best photography: Gani Turanlı, for Acı (Pain), Ağıt (Elegy) and Umutsuzlar (The Hopeless Ones)

Best musical score: Metin Bükey, for Acı (Pain)

Best actress: Fatma Girik, for Acı (Pain)

Best actor: Yılmaz Güney, for Ağıt (Elegy)

Best suporting actor: Süleyman Turan, for Yarın Son Gün (Tomorrow is The Last Day)

Best studio: Lale Film and Ören Film

Jury's special award: Aliye Rona, for sevices rendered to the Turkish cinema.

     At the 8 th Antalya Film Festival the awards went to the followings:

Best film: Ankara Ekspresi (Express to Ankara), directed by Muzaffer Aslan

Second best film: Öleceksek Ölelim (Let's Die if we Have to), directed by Orhan Elmas

Third best film: Pamuk Prenses ve Yedi Cüceler (Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs), directed by Ertem Göreç

Best director: Muzaffer Aslan, for Ankara Ekspresi (Express to Ankara)

Best script: Bülent Oran, for Ankara Ekspresi (Express to Ankara)

Best photography: Cengiz Tacer, for Ankara Ekspresi (Express to Ankara)

Best actress: Filiz Akın, for Ankara Ekspresi (Express to Ankara)

Best actor: Fikret Hakan, for Hasret (Longing)

Best suporting actress: Suna Selen, for Pamuk Prenses ve Yedi Cüceler (Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs),

Best child actor: Menderes Utku, for Afacan Küçük Serseri (Afacan The Little Tramp)

Best short film: Hasret (Longing), directed by Behlül Dal. Gibi'yi, Orhan Gencebay'la Bir Teselli Ver'i yönetti. Ne var ki ilk arabesk eğilimli filmlerden biri olan Bir Teselli Ver her yönden Akad için büyük bir "fiyasko" oldu.

      In Milano, at "Children's Film Festival", Ülkü Erakalın's Afacan Küçük Serseri (Afacan The Little Tramp) wins the first prize.

1972

     With 299 features produced during the year the Turkish cinema breaks all its past records. Among them 158 are in color.

      A new young actor, Serdar Gökhan, starts his career; star actress Türkân Şoray directs her first film, Dönüş (The Come-back), showing a professional quality; Metin Erksan gives a fairy-tale, Keloğlan Can Kız (Keloğlan and The Girl Can);

     Yücel Çakmaklı, theorician of the "national cinema", concretises his Islamic approach in Çile (Ordeal) and Zehra. Meanwhile Melih Gülgen opens new horizons to the erotic/action cinema with Parçala Behçet (Tear Them to Pieces, Behçet) and actor Behçet Nacar becomes the leading figure of the genre.

     Utanç (Shame), directed by Atıf Yılmaz, takes into consideration the problem of women pressured by social rules; Lütfi Akad, with Irmak (The River) and Gökçe Çiçek (Gökçe, The Flower), takes a close look at rural traditions and old costums. Both works are first examples of a new approach. And, following his İnce Cumali, Yılmaz Duru signs his best film with Kara Doğan (Dark Doğan).

     The 9 th Antalya Film Festival awards the followings:

Best film: Zulüm (Cruelty), directed by Atıf Yılmaz

Second best film: Sev Kardeşim (Love, Brother), directed by Ertem Eğilmez

Third best film: Üvey Ana (The Step-mother), directed by Ülkü Erakalın

Best director: Atıf Yılmaz, for Zulüm (Cruelty)

Best script: Sadık Şendil, for Sev Kardeşim (Love, Brother)

Best photography: Cengiz Tacer, for Zulüm (Cruelty)

Best actress: Zeynep Aksu, for Üvey Ana (The Step-mother)

Best actor: Murat Soydan, for Üvey Ana (The Step-mother)

Best suporting actress: Fatma Karanfil, for Üvey Ana (The Step-mother)

Best suporting actor: Süleyman Turan, for Güllü

Best character actress: Şükriye Atav, for Emine

Best character actor: Münir Özkul, for Sev Kardeşim (Love, Brother)

     And the 4 th Adana Film Festival award are:

Best film: Kara Doğan (Dark Doğan), directed by Yılmaz Duru

Second best film: Yaralı Kurt (The Wounded Wolf), directed by Lütfi Akad

Third best film: Irmak (The River), directed by Lütfi Akad

Best director: Yılmaz Duru, for Kara Doğan (Dark Doğan)

Best script: Sabah Duru, for Kara Doğan (Dark Doğan)

Best photography: Ali Uğur, for Kara Doğan (Dark Doğan)

Best actress: Hülya Koçyiğit, for Zehra

Best actor: Cüneyt Arkın, for Yaralı Kurt (The Wounded Wolf)

Best suporting actress: Muhterem Nur, for Kara Gün (Dark Day)

Best suporting actor: Osman Alyanak, for Irmak (The River)

1973

      Production goes down to 209 features, with only 30 of them in black and white. Festivali'nde Afacan Küçük Serseri (Ülkü Erakalın) birincilik ödülü aldı.

      Türkân Şoray directs her second feature, the rather fair Azap (Torment); Safa Önal with Umut Dünyası (Hopeful World) and Ertem Eğilmez with Canım Kardeşim (My Dear Brother) looks, with a warm and humanitarian approach, at the lives and problems of the "small people" reaching a much more successful level of expression. And with Gelin (The Bride) and Düğün (The Wedding) Lütfi Akad brings a new interpretation to the problem of internal emigration.

     Akad's Gelin (The Bride) competes at the Second International Teheran Film Festival; in Paris a week of Yılmaz Güney's films is held and Türkân Şoray's Dönüş (The Come-back) enters the Moscow Film Festival.

     Awards of the 10 th Antalya Film Festival are:

Best film: Hayat mı Bu (Is This Life), directed by Orhan Aksoy

Second best film: Dinmeyen Sızı (Unending Ache), directed by Nejat Saydam.

Third best film: Suçlu (Guilty), directed by Mehmet Dinler

Best director: Nejat Saydam, for Dinmeyen Sızı (Unending Ache)

Best script: Hamdi Değirmencioğlu, for Hayat mı Bu (Is This Life),

Best photography: Melih Sertesen, for Dinmeyen Sızı (Unending Ache)

Best actress: Hülya Koçyiğit, for Tanrı Misafiri (A Guest from God)

Best actor: Tarık Akan, for Suçlu (Guilty)

Best suporting actress: Semra Sar, for Hayat mı Bu (Is This Life)

Best suporting actor: Yıldırım Önal, for Dinmeyen Sızı (Unending Ache)

Best child actor: Menderes Utku, for Afacan Harika Çocuk (Afacan, The Wonder Boy)

Best short film: Yuva Hasreti (Homesick), directed by Behlül Dal.

      At the 5 th Adana Film Festivali the followings are awarded:

Best film: Gelin (The Bride), directed by Lütfi Akad

Second best film: Canım Kardeşim (My Dear Brother), directed by Ertem Eğilmez

Third best film: Mahpus (Prisoner) , directed by Nejat Saydam

Best director: Ertem Eğilmez, for Canım Kardeşim (My Dear Brother)

Best musical score: Cahit Oben, for Canım Kardeşim (My Dear Brother)

Best actress: Türkân Şoray, for Mahpus (Prisoner)

Best actor: Kadir İnanır, for Utanç (Shame)

Best suporting actress: Ülkü Ülker, for Utanç (Shame) and Nazan Adalı, for Gelin (The Bride)

Best studio: Ören Film sayısı ise bu yıl 30'a düştü. Çifte Rabialar'la dinsel filmler gene yeni bir tırmanışa geçti.

1974

     189 features were produced during the year with only 6 of them in black and white.

     The new directors are Ömer Kavur and Tunç Okan, the year's new young actress Gülşen Bubikoğlu and Kemal Sunal starts as a promising comedian.

     The Turkish film workers gathers in newly organised unions, thus Nazif Taştepe is put at the head of the "Türk Film İşcileri Sendikası" (Union of the Turkish Film Workers) and Şerif Gören is elected as President of "Film-Sen, Türkiye Film Emekçileri Sendikası " (Union of Turkey's Film Laborers).

      Director Oksal Pekmezoğlu starts a new trend with "Beş tavuk bir horoz" (Five chickens, one rooster) adapted from an Italian comedy staring Lando Buzzanca. Such new trend of erotic comedies will become, in the near future, one of the main reasons of the forthcoming crisis.

     Tunç Okan, a former action pictures star, directs his first film in Sweden and by relating, with a good mixture of realism and blackhumor, the adventures of a group of Turkish workers trying to illegaly enter into a foreign country signs with Otobüs (The Bus) an exciting film. The year's best feature bears the signature of Şerif Gören who, following a script by Yılmaz Güney, gives in Endişe (Anxiety) a vivid picture of the struggle between coton workers and their landlord mixing it with a drama centered around a vendetta. Another first film, Ömer Kavur's Yatık Emine (Emine, The Leaning One), relates the story, set in the years of World War I, of a prostitute exiled in a small town.

     Lütfi Akad completes with Diyet (Blood Money) his trilogy based on internal migration (Düğün/The Wedding; Gelin/The Bride). Süreyya Duru, a purely commercial director, reaches unexpected heights with Bedrana and Atıf Yılmaz shoots the remaining parts of Zavallılar (The Miserables), started by Yılmaz Güney. Although directed by two different cinematographers the films achieves a startling unity of style and intentions.

     Meanwhile Yılmaz Güney, following his Umut (Hope), opens with Arkadaş (Friend) a new era. In the general panorama of 1974's Turkey the film, dealing with social contradictions and oppositions, open to all discussions and controversies remains, with its mature style, freshness and warmth a milestone in the history of the contemporary Turkish cinema.

     Furthermore by being released in theaters previously devoted only to foreign movies Arkadaş also break a tradition reaching a different category of moviegoers and ending as a box-office champion.

     While the Adana Film Festival puts an end to its competitive showings the 11 th Antalya Film Festival goes on with its traditional awards:

Best film: Düğün (The Wedding), directed by Lütfi Akad

Second best film: Bedrana, directed by Süreyya Duru

Third best film: Umut Dünyası (Hopeful World), directed by Safa Önal

Best director: Lütfi Akad, for Düğün (The Wedding)

Best script: Sadık Şendil, for Oh Olsun (You Asked for It)

Best photography: Enver Burçkin, for Pir Sultan Abdal

Best musical score: Yılmaz Duru, for Namus Borcu (Dept of Honor)

Best actress: Perihan Savaş, for Bedrana

Best actor: Hakan Balamir, for Yunus Emre

Best suporting actress: Yıldız Kenter, for Kızım Ayşe (My Daughter Ayşe)

Best suporting actor: Orçun Sonat, for Sokaklardan Bir Kız (A Girl from The Streets) sayısı 6'da kaldı. Yeni yönetmenler Ömer Kavur'la Tunç Okan, yeni oyuncu ise Gülşen Bubikoğlu ve Kemal Sunal.

     The Turkish cinema gained also attention in several foreign countries and international film festivals: a "Turkish Film Retrospective", organised in Paris by the French Cinématheque, included Yılmaz Güney's Ağıt (Elegy), Muhsin Ertuğrul's Bir Millet Uyanıyor (A Nation Awakens), Lütfi Akad's Düğün (The Wedding) and Feyzi Tuna's Kızgın Toprak (Hot Land).

      Kızgın Toprak (Hot Land) took also part, in Tashkent in the "Asian and African Countries Film Festival" and actress Fatma Girik was awarded with a "special prize" by the Women's Committee for her part in the said film.

     Süreyya Duru's Bedrana won the CIDALC award at the Karlovy Vary festival and at the 20 th San Remo Film Festival Erkan Yücel had the Best Actor award for his part in Endişe (Anxiety) .

      Tunç Okan's Otobüs (The Bus) brings several international awards of the Turkish cinema: at the Taormina Film Festival Okan's opus gets the "Golden Charybe", in Karlovy Vary the Art and Experimental Cinema's International Award as well as the Don Quixote award assigned by the Film Clubs Federation. Otobüs (The Bus) also wins, in Strasbourg, the award of the Human Rights Film Festival and the Santarem Film Festival brings two more awards, the Best Film award and the special award assigned by the film critics.

1975

     225 features are produced all in color thus puting an end to the black and white era.

     A new actress is introduced to the Turkish screen, Müjde Ar; star actors Ayhan Işık and Fikret Hakan enters into production; Ertem Eğilmez's comedy Hababam Sınıfı (The Rascals' Class) and its sequels hits the box-office.

     The year's popular trend leans on erotic comedies and Nazmi Özer's Civciv Çıkacak Kuş Çıkacak (Will It be A Chick or A Bird) becomes a top-grosser.

     Based on some of Yılmaz Güney's scripts, Temel Gürsu's İzin (Permission) and Bilge Olgaç's Bir Gün Mutlaka (One Day for Sure) ranks as partly successful works. Intended as a realistical cop story Melih Gülgen's Cemil misses its aim through actor Cüneyt Arkın's interference.

     The year's best film is Süreyya Duru's Kara Çarşaflı Gelin (The Black Veiled Bride).

      In Paris the "Association Françaises des Cinemas d'Art et d'Essai" (French Association of Art and Experimental cinemas) organises a Turkish Film Week and Yılmaz Güney's Arkadaş (Friend), Atıf Yılmaz's Kuma (The Second Wife/ The Concubine), Yılmaz Güney's Umut (Hope), Şerif Gören's Endişe (Anxiety), Ömer Kavur's Yatık Emine (Emine, The Leaning One) and shorts such as Bebek (The Baby), Yollar Boyunca Türkiye (Turkey Across The Roads), directed by Cengiz Tacer and Sabahattin Eyüboğlu's Karagöz'ün Dünyası (Karagöz's World) are presented in a parisian theater.

     In Paris, again, during the "8 th Short Films Festival" organised by the European Union of Cinema and TV workers, Behlül Dal's Güneşin Battığı Yer (The Place Where The Sun Sets) wins a special award of honor.

     Meanwhile.... the "Türk Filmciler Derneği" (Association of Turkish Filmmakers) awards 43 film artists having completed their 25 years in the field with a certificate of honor; at the "4 th Yarımca Art Festival", held in İzmit ,Yılmaz Güney's Arkadaş (Friend) is awarded Best Film and Süreyya Duru's Bedrana Second Best Film. Türk sinemasındaki yerini koruyacaktı.

      The 12 th Antalya Film Festival awards the followings:

Best film: Endişe (Anxiety), directed by Şerif Gören.

Second best film: Arkadaş (Friend), directed by Yılmaz Güney

Third best film: Zavallılar (The Miserables), directed by Yılmaz Güney and Atıf Yılmaz

Best Director: Şerif Gören, for Endişe (Anxiety)

Best script: Yılmaz Güney, for Endişe (Anxiety)

Best photography: Kenan Ormanlar, for Endişe (Anxiety)

Best musical score: Atilla Özdemiroğlu and Şanar Yurdatapan, for Arkadaş (Friend)

Best actress: Hülya Koçyiğit, for Diyet (Blood Money)

Best actor: Erkan Yücel, for Endişe (Anxiety)

Best suporting actress: Seden Kızıltunç, for Zavallılar (The Miserables)

Best suporting actor: Erol Taş, for Diyet (Blood Money)

1976

     164 features are produced. Cüneyt Arkın directs Şahin (The Falcon) and Kartal Tibet signs his first feature, Tosun Paşa.

      Erotic comedies brings to the screen a host of theatrical actors as "hot heroes" of the genre. Top ranking among them are Ali Poyrazoğlu, Aydemir Akbaş, Sermet Serdengeçti, Mete Inselel, Hadi Çaman, İlhan Daner, Alev Sezer, Rüştü Asyalı, Özcan Özgür and Yüksel Gözen while top leading ladies are Arzu Okay and Mine Mutlu.

     The following awards are assigned during the 13 th Antalya Film Festival:

Best film: Deli Yusuf (Crazy Yusuf), directed by Atıf Yılmaz.

Second best film: Mağlup Edilmeyenler (The Unconquered ones), directed by Atıf Yılmaz

Third best film: Pisi Pisi (Pussy Cat), directed by Zeki Ökten.

Best director: Atıf Yılmaz, for Deli Yusuf (Crazy Yusuf)

Best script: Umur Bugay, for İşte Hayat (That's Life)

Best photography: Gani Turanlı, for Ağrı Dağı Efsanesi (The Legend of Mount Ararat)

Best musical score: Melih Kibar, for Hababam Sınıfı Sınıfta Kaldı (The Rescals' Class Misses its Grads)

Best actress: Adile Naşit, for İşte Hayat (That's Life)

Best actor: Cüneyt Arkın, for Mağlup Edilmeyenler (The Unconquered ones)

Best suporting actress: Diler Saraç, for Pisi Pisi (Pussy Cat)

Best suporting actor: İlhan Yüce, for İşte Hayat (That's Life). Organised by the Ministry of Tourism and the "Film San Vakfı" (Film Artists Foundation), headed by Ümit Utku, a First Istanbul International Film Festival is held with awards as follows:

Best film: (not awarded)

Second best film: Ben Sana Mecburum (I am Compelled to You), directed by Ülkü Erakalın

Third best film:Yazgı (Fate), directed by Ülkü Erakalın

Best director: Natuk Baytan, for Babacan (Fatherly)

Best photography: Enver Burçkin, for Ben Sana Mecburum (I am Compelled to You)

Best musical score: Cahit Berkay, for Ben Sana Mecburum (I am Compelled to You)

Best actress: Meral Orhansoy, for Ben Sana Mecburum (I am Compelled to You)

Best actor: Sadri Alışık, for Ben Sana Mecburum (I am Compelled to You)

Best suporting actress: Aliye Rona, for Söyleyin Anama Ağlamasın (Tell my Mother not to Cry)

Best suporting actor: Macit Flordun, for Ben Sana Mecburum (I am Compelled to You).

     Two Turkish features are awarded abroad: Bizim Aile (Our Family), directed by Ergin Orbey, wins the special prize assigned by the "Uzbek Socialist Republic's Workers Confederation" at the "Tashkent Film Festival" and, in Moscow, Ali Özgentürk's documentary short Yasak (Forbiden) gets a Silver Medal. kazandı. Erkan Yücel, Endişe'yle 20. San Remo Film Şenliği'nde (İtalya) en başarılı oyuncu seçildi.

1977

     124 features are produced. Korhan Yurtsever and Ümit Efekan directs their first film. The Ministry of Culture's Cinema Office enters into activity. Metin Erksan makes a comeback to the screen with Sensiz Yaşayamam (I can't Live Without You) the story of a young woman who hires a killer to murder her. Sensiz Yaşayamam (I can't Live Without You) remains, so far, Erksan's last cinematographical work.

     Young director Korhan Yurtsever signs with Fırat'ın Cinleri (The Spirits of Euphrates), adapted from a short story by Osman Şahin, an interesting first film while Süreyya Duru centers is Güneşli Bataklık (The Sunny Swamp) around the feud between workers and big holdings and Atıf Yılmaz, adapting a novel by Cengiz Aytmatov, gives with

      Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım (The Red Scarf) a human dimention to the conflict between love and labor. The film, directed with warmth and sensitivity, leans also on the apt acting of Kadir İnanır, Türkân Şoray and Ahmet Mekin.

     The 14 th Antalya Film Festival awards the followings:

Best film: Kara Çarşaflı Gelin (The Dark Veiled Bride), directed by Süreyya Duru

Second best film: Kapıcılar Kralı (The King of The Porters), directed by Zeki Ökten

Third best film: Merhaba (Hello), directed by Özcan Arca

Best director: Zeki Ökten, for Kapıcılar Kralı (The King of The Porters)

Best script: Vedat Türkali, for Kara Çarşaflı Gelin (The Dark Veiled Bride)

Best photography:Çetin Gürtop, for Baş Belası (The Troublemaker)

Best actress: Semra Özdamar, for Kara Çarşaflı Gelin (The Dark Veiled Bride)

Best actor: Kemal Sunal, for Kapıcılar Kralı (The King of The Porters)

Best suporting actress: Gönül Hancı, for Merhaba (Hello)

Best suporting actor: Hüseyin Peyda

Best short film: Safranbolu'da Zaman (Time in Safranbolu), directed by Süha Arın

Second best short: Çöpçüler (The Screet-cleaers), directed by Feyzi Tuna

Third best short : Piri Reis Haritası (The Piri Reis Map), directed by A. Ulvi and L. Sönmez. Çarşaflı Gelin'le gene Süreyya Duru gerçekleştirdi.

1978

     126 features are produced during the year. A new actor, Bulut Aras, and a new director, Erden Kıral, enters into the film world.

      Action pictures follows the increase of erotic comedies and Cüneyt Arkın rises as the number one star of the action or gang films. Moreover, following the trend of the martial arts epics, by now very popular in the market, Arkın creates his own kind of super-hero myth. In the meantime singers such as Ferdi Tayfur, İbrahim Tatlıses and Orhan Gencebay creates a sort of "actorsinger" supremacy enhancing the so-called "arabesque" style of folk-singing.

     Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Minister of Culture and Tourism, shows an interest toward the film industry passing a law on "Social/ Security". And Semih Servidal is elected President of the newly formed "Türkiye Film İşçileri Sendikası" (Turkish Union of Film Workers).

     Sultan, from a script Yavuz Turgul, emerges as Kartal Tibet's leading actor turned director, best film. Erden Kıral's Kanal (The Canal), based on the true story of a public officer fighting against

      landowners, stands out as an honest and frank picture while Yavuz Özkan, directing Maden (The Mine), signs one of the year's best film with his rendering, as a first example of political cinema, of the crude struggle between coal-mine workers and mining companies.

      Sürü (The Herd), directed by Zeki Ökten from a script by Yılmaz Güney, emerges as the most important film of the period. Starting in the barren lands of Anatolia and ending in the turmoil of a big city (Ankara) this tragic story of a migration reaches, through an impressive narration, the eights of a truly competent collective work. Sürü (The Herd) thus stands as an example of national cinema reaching, by its human appeal, universal standarts and dimentions. aktardığı filmde, oyuncu olarak Kadir İnanır-Türkan Şoray-Ahmet Mekin üçlüsünün içtenlikli oyunları da bu arada dikkati çekti.

      At the 15th Antalya Film Festival the awards goes to the followings:

Best film: Maden (The Mine), directed by Yavuz Özkan

Best second film: Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım (The Red Scarf), directed by Atıf Yılmaz

Best third film: Fırat'ın Cinleri (The Sprits of Euphrates), directed by Korhan Yurtsever

Best director: Atıf Yılmaz, for Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım (The Red Scarf)

Best script: Umur Bugay, for Çöpçüler Kralı (The King of the Street-cleaners)

Best photography: Çetin Tunca, for Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım (The Red Scarf)

Best musical score: Cahit Berkay, for Fırat'ın Cinleri (The Sprits of Euphrates)

Best actress:Hale Soygazi, for Maden (The Mine)

Best actor: Tarık Akan, for Maden (The Mine)

Best suporting actress: Meral Orhansoy, for Maden (The Mine)

Best suporting actor: Şener Şen, for Çöpçüler Kralı (The King of the Street-cleaners)

Best short film: Urartu'nun İki Mevsimi (The Two Seasons of Urartu), directed by Süha Arın

Second best short film: Ladik, directed by Güner Sarıoğlu

Third best short film:Üç Bölümlük Kısa Film (A Short Film in Three Parts), directed by Özcan Arca.

     Muhsin Ertuğrul, Baha Gelenbevi and Bedia Muvahhit are awarded with a medal and a certificate of honor, for services rendered of the Turkish cinema, by the "Association of Filmmakers".

      A Turkish film Week is held in Bulgaria with the participation of Atıf Yılmaz's Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım (The Red Scarf), Feyzi Tuna's Kızgın Toprak (Hot Land), Süreyya Duru's Kara Çarşaflı Gelin (The Dark Veiled Bride) and Zeki Ökten's Kapıcal Kralı (The King of the Porters).

     At the "Tashkent Film Festival" Türkan Şoray is awarded "best actress" for her part in Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım (The Red Scarf) and Kara Çarşaflı Gelin (The Dark Veiled Bride) gets the special award of the Syndicates'Union at Karlovy Vary. yarışmadan çekilme kararı aldılar. Ve böylece de yalnızca kısa metrajlı film yarışması yapılabildi. Süha Arın'ın Tahtacı Fatma adlı kısa filmi, en iyi film seçildi.

1979

     195 features are produced. The soft-core cinema reaches its peak with a total of 131 film passing to hard-core with Naki Yurter's Öyle Bir Kadın ki (She's Such A Woman) while soft-core actress Zerrin Egeliler breaks a world record by acting, during the year, in 37 erotic vehicles.

     Actor Tuncel Kurtiz directs in Sweden a film dealing with the Turkish workers, Gül Hasan (Hasan the Rose), and Ali Özgentürk signs his first feature, Hazal, the dramatic story of a peasant woman who, in Eastern Anatolia, marries by proxy.

     Erden Kıral gives with Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde (On Fertile Lands) the best adaptation of an Orhan Kemal's novel; Ömer Kavur signs one of the year's best film with Yusuf ile Kenan (Yusuf and Kenan) the poignant and realistic story of the friendship between two childrens lost in a big city: Şerif Gören follows the events in the life of a Turkish woman working in Germany (Almanya Acı Vatan/German, Bitter Homeland), Yavuz Özkan deals with a railroad strike (Demiryolu/ Railroad) and Atıf Yılmaz gives an example of experimental cinema by strikingly directing Adak (The Vow) based on the true story of a peasant who sacrifices his 2,5 years old son.

     Zeki Ökten's Düşman (The Enemy), from a script by Yılmaz Güney, deals with a contemporary social problem and actor Aytaç Arman, playing the part of Ismail the worker who, at first, gets abused until he starts to achieve his own consciousness, gives a top performance. Apart from its style Düşman (The Enemy) emerges also as a model in acting and actor's direction.

     Protesting the interference of the Board of Censors baning some films and heavily cuting others the producers entering the 16th Antalya Film Festival draw back their entries so that only short films participates and Tahtacı Fatma (Fatma, the Wood-worker) wins the "Best short film" award.

     A first cartoon film festival, the "Nasreddin Hoca Çizgi Filmleri Yarışması" (Nasreddin Hodja Cartoon Films Contest), is organised by the Ministry of Culture with awards going to:

First prize: Hoca ve Hırsızlar (The Hodja and the Thieves), directed by Tunç İzberk and Tonguç Yaşar's Suçlu Kim (Who's Guilty).

Second prize: Ateş Benice.

Third prize: Emre Senem.

     During the year the Turkish cinema, present at several international festivals, suceeds in becoming a center of attention and in gaining worldwide appeal mainly through Sürü (The Herd).

     At the 32nd Locarno Film Festival Sürü (The Herd) is awarded with the "Golden Leopar", as best film, and actress Melike Demirağ shares with Rebecca Horn the "Best actress" award. As the producer and scriptwriter of the film Yılmaz Güney obtains the festival's "special award".

     Sürü (The Herd) is a winner in Berlin, at the 29th Film Festival, with awards from the "International Protestant film Jury" and the "Catholic Film Organization". Ökten's film gets a further award, as best film, during the "International Film Contest" organised by the Belgian Royal Film Archive.

     Meanwhile Süha Arın's Tahtacı Fatma (Fatma, The Woodworker) gets a First Prize at the 3rd Balkan Film Festival and Özcan Arca's Üç Bölümlük Kısa Film (A Short Film in Three Parts) obtains the award given by the Federal German Ministery of Youth, Family and Health in the course of the 25th Oberhausen Short Films Festival.

1980

     Feature films production goes down to 68. Two new directors signs their first film: Sinan Çetin (Bir Günün Hikayesi/ The Story of A Day) and Şahin Gök (Kurban Olduğum/ Let me be A Victim).

     Although carrying all the amateurism of a "first film" Sinan Çetin's work shows signs of a filmic personality while Kartal Tibet, in adapting Aziz Nesin's Zübük (The Swindler), gives the best of himself in a satirical comedy who not only entertains but also forces the audience to think and ponder once confronted with The Swingler, an uncultured but shrewd and nasty small-town politician.

     The year's best film comes from Atıf Yılmaz two, in Talihli Amele (The Lucky Workman), tells the pityful story of a poor bricklayer who, heralded and abused as an advertisement star, reaches a wealthy status but ends as a lunatic.The plot gives to Atıf Yılmaz the opportunity of taking a deep look at the world of advertising and all its schemes.

      The 17th Antalya Film Festival is postponed due to the military "coup" of September 12.

      The Cinema Office of the Ministry of Culture organises a "National Cinema Congress" and awards with a certificate a number of cinema people having accomplished their 25 years in the field.

     During the year the Turkish cinema gathers further appreciations achievements abroad: Sürü (The Herd) runs for 8 weeks in Zürich and 7 in Basle. At the London Film Festival Ökten's film is awarded "best film" among 93 participating ones; at the Rotterdam Festival an enquiry made among film critics ranks it aong the "three best ones" and the 10th International Festival awards it as "best film".

     At the 30th Berlin Film Festival Zeki Ökten's Düşman (The Enemy) gets the jury's special screenplay award as well as the "grand prix" of the International Catholic Film Office.

     Ali Özgentürk's Hazal brings five international awards to the Turkish cinema:

First prize at the Prades Film Festival,

"Grand Prix" at the San Sebastian Film Festival,

The "Golden Ducat" at the 20th Manheim International Film Festival plus awards from the "Catholic Jury" and the People's Jury.

Lahey Film Festival's award.

     Another prize-winner is Erden Kıral's Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde (On Fertile Lands) with:

The Jury's special award and the award assigned by the French Union of art and experimental cinemas at the International Nantes Film Festival

Finally Ömer Kavur's Yusuf ile Kenan (Yusuf and Kenan) gets the "Grand Prix" at the International Film Fair.

      In Corsica, at the 2nd Film Festival of Mediterranean Cultures Hakkâri'de Bir Mevsim (A Season in Hakkâri) won the "best film" award.

     Furthermore, Ali Özgentürk's At (The Horse) was awarded "best film" at the Italian 1983 Lecce International Film Festival and Şerif Gören's Derman won the Jury's special award in Valencia.Tunalım..