Ali Özgentürk

Ali Özgentürk is a renowned Turkish film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was born in 1947 in Adana, Turkey.cite news|url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/kultursanat/9760340.asp?gid=62&sz=75604
accessdate=2008-09-02
title=Ali Özgentürk kimdir
work=Hürriyet
date=2008-08-27
language=Turkish] After studying philosophy and sociology at Istanbul University, he became involved in theater, as an actor, director, and playwright. He founded Istanbul's first street theater troupe in 1968. He began working in the Turkish film industry in 1974 as a camera assistant, and eventually became an assistant and screenwriter for famous Turkish film directors such as Atif Yilmaz and Yilmaz Guney.Ebiri, Bilge. [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/festivals/05/36/istanbul2005.html Blinking by the Bosphorus: Discoveries at the 24th International Istanbul Film Festival] ]

In 1977, Özgentürk wrote the screenplay for director Atıf Yılmaz's film "Selvi Boylum, Al Yazmalım" ("The Girl with the Red Scarf"), which would go on to become a major hit in Turkey. In 1979, Özgentürk directed his first feature, "Hazal", which he co-wrote with Onat Kutlar. The film won awards at the Mannheim Film Festival, Prades Film Festival, and the Best New Director award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Ozgenturk followed it in 1982 with "At" ("The Horse"), which screened at the Cannes Film Festival and won major awards at the Valencia Film Festival and the Tokyo International Film Festival, which awarded it the Ozu Award, carrying a cash prize of $250,000. His third feature, 1985's "Bekςi" ("The Guardian"), an adaptation of Turkish novelist Orhan Kemal's classic novel "Murtaza", holds the distinction of being the first Turkish film to screen in competition at the Venice Film Festival.Fact|date=September 2008

Özgentürk courted controversy with his fourth film, "Su da Yanar" ("Water Also Burns", 1987), which concerned a director attempting to make a film about the life of controversial Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet.Ebiri, Bilge. [http://www.cinema-scope.com/cs23/fea_ebiri_turkish.htm How Does It Feel to Feel?: Recent Turkish Cinema] ]

In 2000, Özgentürk directed "Balalayka", which would go on to become a major box office hit in Turkey. The film ran into trouble early in its production when its original lead actor, Kemal Sunal, died of a heart attack while boarding a plane to the film's location in Trabzon. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0839017/bio Kemal Sunal's biography] , IMDB] He was replaced in the part by the Turkish comic Uğur Yücel.

Filmography

*"Mektup" (1998)
*"Sir" (1997)
*"Ciplak" ("The Nude") (1991)
*"Su da yanar" ("Water Also Burns") (1987)
*"Bekci" ("The Guardian") (1985)
*"At" ("The Horse")(1982)
*"Hazal" (1979)

Awards

*1980 Prades Film Festival First Prize for "Hazal"
*1980 Manheim Film Festival Golden Ducat Award for "Hazal"
*1980 Mannheim Film Festival Ecumenical Jury Award for "Hazal"
*1980 Mannheim Film Festival Audience Award for "Hazal"
*1980 San Sebastian Film Festival Best New Director Award for "Hazal"
*1982 Valencia Film Festival Second Place Prize for "At" ("The Horse")
*1983 Sao Paolo Film Festival Second Place Prize for "At" ("The Horse")
*1983 Lecce Film Festival Grand Prize for "At" ("The Horse")
*1985 Tokyo Film Festival Yasujiro Ozu Award for "At" ("The Horse")
*1986 Strasbourg Human Rights Film Festival Second Place Prize for "Bekci" ("The Guardian")
*1993 Antalya Film Festival Special Jury Prize for "Ciplak" ("The Nude")

References

External links

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