Yavuz Özkan

Yavuz Özkan was a worker in a mine in Kütahya between 1962 and 1965. He started magazine publishing in 1966. Özkan, who started writing stories during this period, was among the founders of Kocaeli Theatre. Özkan stepped into cinema by making short films and writing film scripts in the 1970s. In 1978 and 1979, he brought the struggle of Turkey's working class to the big screen with his films titled Mine and Railway. Maden, starring Cüneyt Arkın, Tarık Akan and Hale Soygazi, received the best film award at the 1978 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. The master artist, who went to Paris in 1980, wrote and directed two television films, titled Letters to the Lover and The Last Warrior, for a French channel. He also appeared in front of the camera as an actor in the movie titled The Tree Under the Water, directed by Philippe Nuil. Yavuz Özkan, who founded Z-1 Film Workshop in 1995, started to provide free cinema education with a staff of 33 people consisting of filmmakers, academics, philosophers, literary figures and communicators. Özkan directed a total of 44 films throughout his life, including films such as Filim Bitti, Yengeç Sepeti, Bir Kadınin Anatomy and Hayal Kurma Oyunları. His last film was Love in Istanbul, for which he also wrote the script, in 2010.

Born: July 21, 1942 in Yozgat, Turkey

Died: May 21, 2019 (Age 76)