Onat Kutlar

Onat Kutlar
Photograph by Ara Güler, Istanbul
Born	25 January 1936(1936-01-25) Alanya, Turkey
Died	11 January 1995(1995-01-11) (aged 58)
Occupation	Writer and poet

Mehmet Arif Onat Kutlar (January 25, 1936 – January 11, 1995), also known as Onat Kutlar, was a prominent Turkish writer and poet, founder of the Turkish Sinematek and one of the founders of the Istanbul International Film Festival.

Biography

Onat Kutlar was born in Alanya, Turkey in 1936. He was the grandson of Arif Pasha, an Ottoman governor of the Taif district and the son of Ali Riza Bey, a penal judge of the young Turkish Republic and later a farmer, and Meliha Hanim.

He grew up in the city of Gaziantep. He studied law at Istanbul University and philosophy in Paris. His book, Ishak (1959), composed of nine short stories, most of which are written from the point of view of a child and are often surrealistic and mystical was the recipient of the 1960 "Turkish Language Association Short Story Award". According to the literary critic Fethi Naci, these represent a very early example of magical realism genre. In 1985, he was a member of the jury at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival.^[1] In 1994, he was awarded with L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 1975 Cultural Medal of Poland for his work in the Turkish Sinematek.

He died on January 11, 1995 in Istanbul resulting from injuries sustained in a terrorist bomb attack (carried out by the terrorist organization PKK) which occurred on December 30, 1994 at The Marmara Hotel's cafeteria in Taksim. He was laid to rest at the Aşiyan Asri Cemetery.

Currently, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Prize in the National Competition of the Istanbul International Film Festival is named after him to commemorate his contributions to the Turkish cinema.

Bibliography

Poetry

• Peralı Bir Aşk Için Divan (Divan for a Pera Love), 1981
• Unutulmuş Kent (Forgotten City), 1986, translated into French as La Ville Oubliée published by Royaumont

Essays and short stories

• Yeter ki Kararmasin (Just Let It Not Get Dark), 1984
• Sinema Bir Senliktir (The Cinema Is a Feast), 1985
• Bahar Isyancidir (Spring is Rebellious), 1986
• Gundemdeki Sanatci, 1995
• Gundemdeki Konu, 1995

Collection of short stories

• ISBN 978-964-953-609-3

(A story in Ishak called Yunus was published in English in the United States in Grand Street magazine. (Winter, 1995)).

Screenplays

• Yer Çekimli Aşklar (1995) (screenplay)
• Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim (1983) based on the novel 'O' by Ferit Edgu, aka A Season in Hakkari (International: English title), aka Eine Saison in Hakkari (German) directed by Erden Kiral
• Hazal (1979) directed by Ali Özgentürk
• Yusuf ile Kenan (1979) directed by Ömer Kavur

Filmography

Producer

• Robert's Movie (1992) (producer)
• Kuyucakli Yusuf
• Menekse Koyu (1991) (executive producer), aka Violbukten
• Turkuaz (Documentary)
• Simurg (Documentary)

Actor

• Yilmaz Güney: Adana-Paris (1995)

Awards

Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim (1983)

1. C.I.C.A.E. Award - Honorable Mention
2. FIPRESCI Prize Competition
3. Interfilm Award - Otto Dibelius Film Award Competition
4. Silver Berlin Bear Special Jury Prize Berlin Film Festival
5. Nominated Golden Berlin Bear

Hazal (1980)

1. San Sebastián International Film Festival—Best New Director Ali Özgentürk
2. Prades Film Festival First Prize
3. Manheim Film Festival Golden Ducat Award
4. Mannheim Film Festival Ecumenical Jury Award
5. Mannheim Film Festival Audience Award

Yusuf ile Kenan (1979)

1. Milano Film Festival

Medals

1. L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, (1994)
2. Cultural Medal of Poland, (1975)

See also

• List of assassinated people from Turkey

References

1. ^ "Berlinale: Juries". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1985/04_jury_1985/04_Jury_1985.html. Retrieved 2011-01-08. 

Notes

• Ykykultur.com.tr - Biography of Onat Kutlar (Turkish)
• Bilgicenneti.com - Biographies: Biography of Onat Kutlar (Turkish)
• Onat Kutlar at the Internet Movie Database
• New York Times - [1]
• Ntvmsnbc - [2]
• Grand Street, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25007982

Persondata
Name	Kutlar, Onat
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 25, 1936
Place of birth	Alanya, Turkey
Date of death	January 11, 1995
Place of death