Atıf Yılmaz

Atıf Yılmaz — Biography

Atıf Yılmaz was one of Turkish cinema's most prolific directors, working across five decades as a screenwriter and producer as well. Born in Mersin to a Kurdish family originally from Palu in Elazığ province, his birth year is given as 1925 by most records, though some sources say 1926.

He began secondary school in Mersin, continued in Adana and Istanbul, and enrolled in the law faculty of Istanbul University before switching to painting at the Academy of Fine Arts. After working as a film critic, poster designer and screenwriter, he made his directing debut in 1951 with Kanlı Feryat. He co-founded the production company Yerli Film with Orhan Günşiray, later ADAF with Ömer Kavur and Yavuz Özkan, and eventually his own Yeşilçam Filmcilik, while also teaching at Mimar Sinan University.

Over a career spanning more than fifty years he directed upwards of 110 films, becoming known for placing women's position in society at the centre of works such as Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım, Adı Vasfiye and Mine, and for shaping younger directors including Zeki Ökten, Şerif Gören and Yılmaz Güney. He won the Golden Orange award for best director several times and received its lifetime achievement honour in 1996. He married three times, and died in Istanbul in 2006.