Turkish Movies and Films Resources

Cinematography was introduced in Turkey in 1897 when Sigmund Weinberg screened the first film at his bar-café in Pera. Pera was at that time the fashionable entertainment district.

General Enver's efforts ensured that a film centre was established for the duration of the war. It was also during tha war that the first festive films appeared. Two films made by a very young journalist, Sedat Simavi also appeared at the same time.

Despite difficult post-war conditions Turkish Movies especially documentaries continued to be produced. The Republic thus began with a history that had already accumulated an eight-year solid base of documentaries and a number of films which, without very creditable efforts at filmmaking.

It was at this point that Turkish Movies were entrusted for 17 years to the care of one man, Muhsin Ertuðrul. Muhsin didn’t care much for creating a uniquely cinematographic language, but he very interesting films.

It was in the late 1940s that the Turkish Movies began to make great leaps forward. A whole new generation of film producers entered the scene.

In the 1960s, the Turkish Movies that were made reflected the social and political developments in the national arena. Many experimental as well as avan garde movies followed in this decade.

It was in the 1960s also that the Turkish Movies came to be seen as a rotable domain of popular culture, and cultural discussions. These have always attracted intellectuals in the areas of literature, theatre and music.

By 1980s, the Turkish Movies were seemingly stuck on ambiguous and incomprehensible movie themes that stressed on the internal contradictions of an individual or the conflicts faced by an individual with the social environment with a deep insight into the personal problems. Most of the directors emphasized mostly on searching good stories for their films but, failed in developing any aesthetic value for the expression of a good idea.

The Turkish Movies in the 1990s saw the release of some successful movies made by some of the independent directors. The directors in the second half of this decade had produced some very original movies, which captured the ordinary daily life-themes. These themes revealed from within the real life the structure of an interesting story. These themes were also with the visual richness and these movies were thus capable of changing change the approaches to the life.

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