Atıf Yılmaz
Atıf Batibeki Yılmaz ( born December 9, 1925 in Mersin, Turkey; † 5 May 2006, Istanbul) was a Turkish film director, screenwriter and film producer. He comes from a Kurdish family from Palu in the province of Elazig.
Yılmaz was one of the most renowned directors of Turkey. In 55 years he made nearly 120 films.
After his schooling in his hometown Mersin, he studied law at the University of Istanbul, later painting at the Academy of Fine Arts. His first film was made in 1951. He turned as social melodramas, comedies or romantic comedies province and popular epics. In many of his films, he addressed the role of women in society. In his lesser known Turkish cult classic ' Bekle Dedim Gölgeye ' ( Wait, I said the shadow, 1990) he thematized as in ' Eylül Firtinasi ' ( September Storm, 1999), the period of military dictatorship and was one of the few Turkish directors that deal with the subject sat apart artistically.
Yılmaz influenced several generations of Turkish directors like Zeki Ökten, Serif brats and Ali Yılmaz Güney and Özgentürk.
Yılmaz died at the age of 80 years. At his funeral were, inter alia, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arınç present.