
Atıf Yılmaz
Directing
Biography
Atıf Yılmaz Batıbeki (9 December 1925 – 5 May 2006) was a renowned Turkish film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He was very much 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 most every period of the Turkish film industry. After finishing high school in Mersin, he attended the Law School of Istanbul University. Because of his interest in arts, he dropped out of Law School and entered the Painting Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul. After graduating from the Academy, he did some painting works in workshops. His education in painting helped him when he was directing his movies, as he once remarked. In the beginning, he worked as a film critic, made paintings and wrote film scripts to earn a living. After co-directing two movies as an assistant director to Semih Evin in 1950, his directing career began with the film Kanli Feryat (The Bloody Cry). In 1960, he established his film company "Yerli Film" with the actor Orhan Günsiray. The most important movies in his filmography were: Hickirik (The Sob), Alageyik (The Fallow Deer), Suclu (The Guilty One), Seni Kaybedersem (If I Lose You), Yaban Gülü (The Wild Rose), Kesanli Ali Destani (Kesanli Ali's Epic), Tacsiz Kral (The Crownless King), Topragin Kani (Blood of the Earth), Olum Tarlasi (Death Field), Utanc (The Shame), Zavallilar (The Poor People), Selvi Boylum, Al Yazmalim (My Girl with the Red Scarf), Baskin (The Raid), Adak (The Sacrifice), Bir Yudum Sevgi (A Sip of Love), Adi Vasfiye (Her Name is Vasfiye), Berdel, Düs Gezginleri (Walking After Midnight), Eylül Firtinasi (After the Fall) and Mine. He made movies that were both fluent and had mainly social messages. Most of the themes of his movies were taboo when they were produced. Particularly "Mine" and "Her Name is Vasfiye" were both revolutionary at the time of their release with themes regarding sexuality and the reaction of society. He never gave up making movies throughout his life and even in the time when the industry stopped filmmaking due to economic reasons. Atif Yilmaz played an important role in the professional career of notable Turkish film directors like Halit Refig, Yilmaz Güney, Serif Gören, Zeki Ökten and Ali Özgentürk. During the Antalya Film Festival in September 2005, he was admitted to hospital with gastro-intestinal complaints. He died on 5 May 2006 in Istanbul.
Known For

Sidika is the story of Saka family and their young daughter Sidika who live in a poor neighborhood of Istanbul. Sidika was not allowed to go to high school, raised to wait her husband-to-be at her fathers home, not even allowed to leave their house on her own. But she educated herself through books, newspapers and TV. She approaches her life, half-witted older brother, oppressive and alcoholic father and traditionalist mother in a satirical and fun manner along with the current political and sociological events of Turkey and the world. She gazes the world through her window as she hungers for all the intellectual accumulation of the universe.
Sidika

No description available.
Altın Koza

No description available.
Laf Lafı Açıyor

The story of a provincial woman named Vasfiye, whose life passed changing hands and drifting between men in Aegean towns, is told by different narrators. The story changes every time the narrator changes. However, it is not known which story is the truth.
Vasfiye Is Her Name

Ali is 18. His feet are firmly off the ground. The very idea of marriage seems like a game. But the bride's parents are ready and willing. Business ventures will be set up between the families; the arrangement will pay off all round. Ali, meanwhile, is more interested in playing with puppets and dressing up as a rooster for the travelling theatre. His fiancée has only so much patience... So what should his parents do? What was that? Hire a Borrowed Bride? Meaning exactly what? Well just that: borrow a bride, as the title of the film suggests......
Borrowed Bride

Mine is a gorgeous woman who gets the attention of all the men in town as well as the jealous glances of the ladies around her. She is married to an old station chief. She is lonely and miserable in her marital life. İlhan, the brother of her only friend Perihan, arrives in town, and everything changes. Ilhan and Mine, who quickly become friends, begin to be gossiped about around town.
Mine

İlyas, a truck driver from Istanbul, arrives in a remote village to work on a dam construction project and meets a young village woman named Asya. They fall madly in love and get married. However, their life together is fraught with conflict. When İlyas cheats on Asya, the final straw in their relationship, she takes her son and begins wandering without knowing where she is going, until a familiar hand reaches out to help her selflessly.
The Girl with the Red Scarf

The epic tells about the life and heroic deeds of Koroghlu (literally "son of the blind man") as a hero of the people who struggled against unjust rulers, defending his clan or tribe.
Köroğlu

Murat is a mafia boss. Commissioner Şahin, newly appointed to Beyoğlu, is after Murat. Murat asks his pregnant wife Nilgün for help with a smuggling job. However, during the job, Nilgün gives birth to a baby boy but dies herself. Before being arrested, Murat entrusts his son Deniz to Şahin. However, Şahin's enemies do not leave Deniz alone.
The Raid

No description available.
Tatlı Betüş

Depiction of the life of the legendary Muslim Serdar of Malatya, Battal Gazi.
The Legend of Battal Gazi

The film tells the story of a poor man who does everything he can to be with the woman he loves. Osman is an ordinary worker at a nightclub where Yasemin is the lead singer. To win Yasemin's heart, he extorts money from shops. Eventually, he becomes a famous mafia boss. Now he is very rich. However, winning Yasemin's heart will not be as easy as he thinks.
Köle

In the early days of the September 12 military coup, five-year-old Metin waits for his mother, singing to himself as he looks out the window. But his mother, Ayten, has been arrested and sent to prison. Since the child is alone at home, they take him to his mother in her cell, but despite all her jokes and games, Metin is aware of what is happening. The next day, Metin's grandfather Hüseyin Efe, who lives on Bozcaada, comes to take him, and Metin's days of freedom on the island begin. His friends exclude him because of the "communist" label his mother has been given. Yet Metin cannot even properly say the word "communist." Metin, affected by the exclusion, has another concern: his father’s photo is also on the “Wanted” posters hanging all over the island.
After the Fall

The funny love and marriage story of 4 people 2 of who is a couple that want to divorce and the other 2 are their attorneys.
What Happens Now?

This is the story of the politician named Zübük. He gets expelled from the political party that he is a member of, due to corruption. The journalist Yaşar wants to make a news story about his case and investigates Zübük's doings. Yaşar gets baffled at the sly tricks Zübük played on his village people. In the end, he feels sorry about Zübük's present situation, however, as things happen he becomes aware that Zübük has been tricking him.
Zübük

Murat is a successful journalist. One day a girl named Aysel is kidnapped and raped by three men. Murat is misinformed about the case, so he distorts the whole story which deeply saddens Aysel's family. Murat decides to look into this case again and finds out that the three men are sons of well-off families and writes about them in his articles. Murat's bosses ask him to resign, but Murat doesn't give up. In the end, the culprits are delivered to the justice. However, one day Murat is found dead.
Mağlup Edilemeyenler

Coşkun has been in love with the famous star Derya Altınay since his childhood. So much so that the fictional melodrama film heroines, who have opposite characters, have infiltrated the young man’s life. Coşkun has the opportunity to meet Derya; he pens an imaginary love story with her in mind. This script is eventually made into a film, and Derya plays the lead role, but the resulting film is far from his expectations.
My Dreams, My Love, and You

Ali, an honest and honorable man, moves to Istanbul when he is transferred there. He moves in with his sister Hacer and brother-in-law Yakup. Yakup's niece Ayşe also lives in the same house. From the day he starts his job as a civil servant, Ali reacts against the swindlers and bribe-takers around him. As a result, his boss and other civil servants become uncomfortable with the situation. When Yakup runs away with the money he collected to build a mosque, Ali and Ayşe are left alone. Not wanting to leave each other, the two get married. Ali is fired from his job for preventing the civil servants from taking bribes and goes to the village with Ayşe. Yakup, who has fled to Istanbul, calls Ali and Ayşe to join him at his insistence. Ali and his family, who go to Yakup's side out of desperation, will never be able to escape their troubles.
Mill Horse

A man falls hopelessly in love with a village leader's daughter, who herself has feelings for an outlaw.
Salako

A dorky uncle and a nag of an aunt mess up a family, their surroundings and ultimately half of Venice. Ein an Schwachsinn grenzender Klamauk, von allen guten Geistern verlassen. Baba is a disgraced gang leader! He threatens everyone and collects "protection money". Recently another gangster called Riza appeared. He uses Baba's name and collects the money in his name. Baba tries everything to stop him but fails. Riza falls in love with Aisha, who turns out to be Baba's daughter. He blackmails Baba to marry his daughter. Baba's man Bekir hatches a plot on his behalf and kidnaps Ayşe. Baba and Reza save him, Baba forgives Bekir and gives his place to Reza. Now he will spend time with his grandchildren...