Guney, Yilmaz
(1937–1984), Turkish director and actor. YKlmaz Guney, also known as Cirkin Kral (Ugly King), was one of the most popular directors and actors of Turkish cinema. Born as YKlmaz Putin in rural Adana (Turkey) to poor Kurdish parents, he began his career doing odd jobs on movie sets and worked his way up as an actor, scriptwriter, and director. As a militant Communist, he spent more than eleven years in Turkish prisons. Nevertheless, he acted in 111 films, directed 17, and wrote 53 movie scripts.
Yilmaz Guney set new standards for realism in Turkish cinema. His script for the movie Suru (Herd) won the Berlin Film Festival prize in 1979. His most famous work, Yol (Path), was filmed according to his script and directions while he was in prison in 1980. Yol shared the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the Cannes Film Festival in 1982, with Costa Gavras's Missing.
Guney spent his last few years as an exile in Europe. The military government of Turkey expelled him from citizenship and banned and destroyed his films. Yol (Path) was screened in Turkey for the first time in 1999. Guney died of cancer and was buried in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. He remains a cult figure in Turkish popular culture.
Further Reading
Dorsay, Atilla. (2000) Yılmaz Guney Kitabi (The Yilmaz Guney Book). Istanbul, Turkey: Guney Yayinlari.
Guney, Yılmaz. (1975) Selimiye Mektuplari (Letters to Selim). Istanbul, Turkey: Guney Filmcilik Sanayi ve Ticaret A. S. Yayinlari.
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