Yavuz Özkan

Directing

Yavuz Özkan

Born 1942-07-21 · Yozgat, Turkey

Yavuz Özkan was a Turkish film director, screenwriter, and producer who was active in the Turkish film industry from the 1970s to the 2000s. He is best known for his films that deal with social and political issues, and for his collaborations with some of the leading actors of Turkish cinema. Özkan began his career as an assistant director on several films in the early 1970s. He made his directorial debut in 1975 with the film "Anayurt Oteli" (The Hotel Anatolia), which was a critical and commercial success. The film won several awards at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, including the award for Best Film. Özkan went on to direct a number of successful films, including "Nehir" (The River, 1977), "Yol" (The Road, 1982), and "Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim" (A Season in Hakkari, 1983). These films are known for their realistic portrayal of Turkish society and for their strong political messages. Özkan was also a prolific screenwriter. He wrote the screenplays for many of his own films, as well as for films directed by other directors. He was a member of the Writers' Union of Turkey and was awarded the union's Grand Prize for his screenplay for the film "Yol". Özkan was a leading figure in Turkish cinema for over three decades. His films were widely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, and he won numerous awards for his work. He was a committed and passionate filmmaker who used his films to explore important social and political issues. In addition to his work in film, Özkan was also active in theater and television. He directed several plays and television series, and he was a member of the board of directors of the Istanbul State Theater. Özkan passed away in 2019 at the age of 76. He is survived by his wife and two children. His legacy lives on through his films, which continue to be screened and studied by film lovers around the world. IMDb mini bio by YusufPiskin

Acting credits

The Exorcist poster
5.0

12 year-old Gul becomes possessed by Satan after experimenting with a Ouija board. A troubled psychiatrist and an experienced exorcist become the girl’s only hope for salvation.

The Exorcist

1974

Yarış poster
NR

A death row escapee unexpectedly saves a troubled young woman attempting suicide during a ferry crossing, and they find refuge together in a secluded house.

Yarış

1975

Kara Gün poster
7.0

The experiences of a young man who is in love with the daughter of a prostitute

Kara Gün

1971

No artwork available
7.0

Based on a book by Nikos Athenassiadis titled A Naked Young Girl, this slight, uneven fantasy-romance takes place on an isolated Greek island with a unique, petrified tree -- a part of the reason why Mathieu, a geologist (Christophe Malavoy) has arrived to do some research there. Other than the boatman who ferries back and forth to the mainland, the island's only inhabitants are a fisherman and his very pretty daughter Eleni (Eleni Drogoumi). Eleni seems a bit different right from the beginning; on the one hand, she likes wandering around dressed only in a long shirt, and on the other, she has a penchant for swimming all night with the dolphins. When the usually arrogant geologist starts transferring some of his interest from rocks to Eleni's comings-and-goings, he wonders if there is not something fishy about her parentage.

L'arbre sous la mer

1985

Thirsty for Love: Sex and Murder poster
4.3

An introvert party goer in '60s makes it a habit of kidnapping meretricious female models to hidden spots out to wild nature to rape them, and of returning them to their homes nevermore.

Thirsty for Love: Sex and Murder

1972

Umut Yarına Kaldı poster
NR

A director's filmmaking process; friendships of the director, who has lost hope in life, with the tenants living in the same house.

Umut Yarına Kaldı

1988

Darbe poster
7.0

The film tells the story of two old friends, Ahmet and Kemal, who work together to solve a murder. Ahmet, nicknamed "Baba," makes a living as an accountant. His son Ali, who works as a laborer at the same factory, is a union member. The factory manager pressures Ahmet to convince his son to leave the union. During a strike that breaks out at the factory, Ali is killed. Ahmet seeks help from Kemal, a businessman and his army buddy, to find his son's killer. Throughout this process, both Kemal and Ahmet begin to question their own lives.

Darbe

1976

Behind the camera

Two Women poster
5.7

A prostitute lays a rape charge against a politician and an unexpected friendship develops between her and the politician's wife.

Two Women

1992

Two Women poster
5.7

A prostitute lays a rape charge against a politician and an unexpected friendship develops between her and the politician's wife.

Two Women

1992

Yarış poster
NR

A death row escapee unexpectedly saves a troubled young woman attempting suicide during a ferry crossing, and they find refuge together in a secluded house.

Yarış

1975

Yarış poster
NR

A death row escapee unexpectedly saves a troubled young woman attempting suicide during a ferry crossing, and they find refuge together in a secluded house.

Yarış

1975

İlkbahar Sonbahar poster
NR

A film director, disillusioned with the state of the world, decides to intervene in life itself by making a movie. He mortgages his family’s land and country house - not because his goal is to shoot a film, but to create a brand‐new model of production and, above all, a new ethics of creation. He publishes an impassioned manifesto calling on young people to join him, and soon the country house overflows with hopeful applicants who, inspired by his words, seek not just a job but the thrilling adventure of filmmaking and a chance at a new life.

İlkbahar Sonbahar

2011

İlkbahar Sonbahar poster
NR

A film director, disillusioned with the state of the world, decides to intervene in life itself by making a movie. He mortgages his family’s land and country house - not because his goal is to shoot a film, but to create a brand‐new model of production and, above all, a new ethics of creation. He publishes an impassioned manifesto calling on young people to join him, and soon the country house overflows with hopeful applicants who, inspired by his words, seek not just a job but the thrilling adventure of filmmaking and a chance at a new life.

İlkbahar Sonbahar

2011

Demir Yol poster
NR

The fight of the striking railroad workers.

Demir Yol

1979

Demir Yol poster
NR

The fight of the striking railroad workers.

Demir Yol

1979

Demir Yol poster
NR

The fight of the striking railroad workers.

Demir Yol

1979

İsimsiz poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

İsimsiz

2007

İsimsiz poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

İsimsiz

2007

The Mine poster
7.1

When work accidents in a coal mine start to result in death, İlyas warns his colleagues working in the mine. It starts to collect signatures for the necessary measures to be taken, but the necessary solidarity among the workers cannot be established. A tent theater that comes to the region further complicates things.

The Mine

1978

The Mine poster
7.1

When work accidents in a coal mine start to result in death, İlyas warns his colleagues working in the mine. It starts to collect signatures for the necessary measures to be taken, but the necessary solidarity among the workers cannot be established. A tent theater that comes to the region further complicates things.

The Mine

1978

The Mine poster
7.1

When work accidents in a coal mine start to result in death, İlyas warns his colleagues working in the mine. It starts to collect signatures for the necessary measures to be taken, but the necessary solidarity among the workers cannot be established. A tent theater that comes to the region further complicates things.

The Mine

1978

Filim Bitti poster
NR

At the edge of divorcing each other, two movie stars are asked to star as passionate lovers in the same movie. In their last movie together, they have to experience something that is just the opposite of their real life. Both sides of life displayed: Continuous fighting in real life and a big love story on the film set.

Filim Bitti

1989

Filim Bitti poster
NR

At the edge of divorcing each other, two movie stars are asked to star as passionate lovers in the same movie. In their last movie together, they have to experience something that is just the opposite of their real life. Both sides of life displayed: Continuous fighting in real life and a big love story on the film set.

Filim Bitti

1989

Filim Bitti poster
NR

At the edge of divorcing each other, two movie stars are asked to star as passionate lovers in the same movie. In their last movie together, they have to experience something that is just the opposite of their real life. Both sides of life displayed: Continuous fighting in real life and a big love story on the film set.

Filim Bitti

1989

Büyük Yalnızlık poster
6.0

The story of a couple who decide to divorce after 10 years of marriage and end up fighting on their last night together as they take stock of their past.

Büyük Yalnızlık

1990

Büyük Yalnızlık poster
6.0

The story of a couple who decide to divorce after 10 years of marriage and end up fighting on their last night together as they take stock of their past.

Büyük Yalnızlık

1990

Büyük Yalnızlık poster
6.0

The story of a couple who decide to divorce after 10 years of marriage and end up fighting on their last night together as they take stock of their past.

Büyük Yalnızlık

1990

Bir Sonbahar Hikayesi poster
6.5

No synopsis available yet.

Bir Sonbahar Hikayesi

1994

Umut Yarına Kaldı poster
NR

A director's filmmaking process; friendships of the director, who has lost hope in life, with the tenants living in the same house.

Umut Yarına Kaldı

1988

Umut Yarına Kaldı poster
NR

A director's filmmaking process; friendships of the director, who has lost hope in life, with the tenants living in the same house.

Umut Yarına Kaldı

1988

Umut Yarına Kaldı poster
NR

A director's filmmaking process; friendships of the director, who has lost hope in life, with the tenants living in the same house.

Umut Yarına Kaldı

1988