Medya News
Subscribe
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
Medya News

Legendary Kurdish director Yılmaz Güney is 84 years old today

3:16 pm 01/04/2021
A A
Legendary Kurdish director Yılmaz Güney is 84 years old today
Share this
FacebookTwitterRedditEmailLinkedInWhatsApp

“The Ugly King” of Turkish cinema Yılmaz Güney is 84 years old today.

Güney deeply affected people with his films, novels and work and still lives in the hearts of the people.

He was born in 1937 in Yenice district of Adana province of Turkey. His parents were seasonal cotton field laborers. After studying law and economics at university, Güney dropped out and started working in the film sector when he was 21.

Passionate for cinema

Güney first appeared in front of the camera in 1959 in the movie “Children of this country”. During the era in the 1960s when filmmakers were producing movies about gangs of Istanbul and street fights and nightclub life, he acted in various films and was nicknamed “The Ugly King”. He often acted as “the brave and just” young man who resisted the authorities as well as gang life and corruption in Istanbul. He also came to represent the symbol of the “proud Anatolian young man who is oppressed and belittled” in those movies.

Güney sat in the director’s chair for the first time in the movie “At Avrat Silah ” (Horse, Woman and Gun) in 1966. In 1968 with the movie “Seyit Han”, in which he worked as an actor, producer, director, and scriptwriter he received the “Best Actor” award. Later, he received the Best Film award at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in 1970 with the movie “an Ugly Man.”

In life, Yılmaz Güney was a revolutionary artist and believed in social change. He began to make movies about villages in Kurdistan, life in the mountains, prisons, street children, and working-class people’s lives. His movies began to project the voices of oppressed people in society, detrimentally affected by the actions of authorities in Turkey.

Besides his acting and directing career he was also a passionate writer. He wrote many articles and stories in magazines as well as some books. He was prosecuted many times for his writings which started from a very young age. In 1955, when he was a university student in Istanbul, an investigation was opened against him because of his article “Inequality systems with 3 unknowns”. He was sentenced to 18 months and 6 months of exile for making ‘communist propaganda’ because of this article.

Prison years

His novel Boynu Bükük Öldüler (They Died in Destitute) was published by Dost Publications in 1971 and won the Orhan Kemal Novel Prize in 1972. He was then sent to prison for being a “threat” for Turkey in 1972 because of his art. He wrote three more novels named Salpa, Hücrem ve Sanık (Salpa, My Cell, and Defendant). His latest novel was entitled “Soba, Pencere Camı ve İki Ekmek İstiyoruz (We Want Stove, Window Glass, and Two Breads). All of them were written during his prison years.

The movie “Sürü ” (The Herd), which Güney wrote the script for while he was in prison, was screened by director Zeki Ökten and became very famous. He also won the Palme d’Or in 1982 with his film “Yol (The Road)” which he co-produced with Serif Goren, another important director from Turkey. He again wrote the script of that movie while he was in prison. Since the movie points out the injustices that took place in Turkey, the Kurdish question, and the September 12 coup d’état, the screening of it was banned until 1999 in Turkey.

Life in exile

Yılmaz Güney’s works were banned by the new military junta and he was given a prison sentence of nineteen years for allegedly shooting a prosecutor but after five years he escaped prison and fled to France in 1981. He always declared that he was innocent of the crime he had been sentenced for.

Yılmaz Güney died of cancer on 9 September 1984 in Paris, France. He was buried at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Share this
FacebookTwitterRedditEmailLinkedInWhatsApp
Tags: Trending

Related Posts

Who gets to decide the futures of the Syrian people?

Who gets to decide the futures of the Syrian people?

February 4, 2023
British left to host Öcalan conference

British left to host Öcalan conference

February 3, 2023
Senators urge US President to hold off fighter jets sale to Turkey until NATO’s Nordic enlargement

Senators urge US President to hold off fighter jets sale to Turkey until NATO’s Nordic enlargement

February 3, 2023
Hundred more Yazidi families return to ancestral home in Iraq, thousands remain in exile

Hundred more Yazidi families return to ancestral home in Iraq, thousands remain in exile

February 3, 2023
Ankara slams Western countries for consulate closures, ‘supporting terrorism’

Ankara slams Western countries for consulate closures, ‘supporting terrorism’

February 3, 2023
International figures call for unstinting global support for Iranian protestors

International figures call for unstinting global support for Iranian protestors

February 3, 2023

Videos

Medya News Daily Review: 2 February 2023
DAILYSHOW

Medya News Daily Review: 2 February 2023

February 2, 2023

All News

Who gets to decide the futures of the Syrian people?

British left to host Öcalan conference

Senators urge US President to hold off fighter jets sale to Turkey until NATO’s Nordic enlargement

Hundred more Yazidi families return to ancestral home in Iraq, thousands remain in exile

Ankara slams Western countries for consulate closures, ‘supporting terrorism’

International figures call for unstinting global support for Iranian protestors

Medya News

Impressum

About us

Privacy Policy

Subscribe
Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • World
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Ecology
  • Economy
  • Culture & Art
  • Daily Show
  • Newsletter
  • Authors
  • Podcast

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

Loading
Contact