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Turkan ŞORAY

Türkan Şoray
Türkan Şoray (1945 -   ) 

Türkan Şoray, the star actress of Turkish cinema, was born in Istanbul in 1945. At the age of 15, she started acting with the movie "Köyde Bir Kız Sevdim" (1960), after Türker İnanoğlu discovered her. He made a name for himself in the Turkish cinema industry by starring in Ertem Göreç's "Bus Passengers" in 1961 and Metin Erksan's "Acı Hayat" in 1962. Türkan Şoray, who played the leading role in many important films such as "Ana" (1967), "Vesikalı Yarim" (1968), "Sultan Gelin" (1973), "Selvi Boylum Al Yazılım" (1977), directed the movie "Return", shot in 1972. He did.  This film, which was her first directorial experience, was about the story of a woman's waiting. Stating that he is very excited about directing, Şoray states that "Return" is his own story. 

Şoray later shot the movie "Azap" in 1973, which is about the story of a mother who wants to have her paralyzed son treated. In the movie "Bodrum Hakimi", which he shot in 1976,  It dealt with the impossible love story of a judge and a landowner. He shot the movie "Ylanı Öldürseler" (1981), based on Yaşar Kemal's work of the same name. Şoray also appeared as the leading actor in the films he directed. He starred in the television series "Tatlı Betüş" in 1993 and "İkinci Bahar" in 2001. He received many national and international awards for the films he acted in. 

 

Screenwriter Filmography

Buruk Acı, 1969, Director: Nejat Saydam, Screenplay: Türkan Şoray, Nejat Saydam, Director of Photography: Melih Sertesen, Music: Tuncer Aydınoğlu, Esin Engin, Belkıs Özener, Actors: Türkan Şoray, Tanju Gürsu, Aliye Rona, Producer: Murat Köseoğlu .

If They Kill the Snake, 1981, Director: Türkan Şoray, Screenplay: Yaşar Kemal, Işıl Özgentürk, Arif Keskiner, Director of Photography: Güneş Karabuda, Muzaffer Turan, Music: Zülfü Livaneli, Actors: Türkan Şoray, Talat Bulut, Mahmut Cevher, Ahmet Mekin, Aliye Rona, Yaman Okay, Erol Demiröz, Hüseyin Peyda and Pars Sezer Producer: Abdurrahman Keskiner.

 

Awards: 

The Return (1972)

Belgian Women Directors Festival (1995) “Special Mention” (Türkan Şoray)

Tehran Festival Asian Films Panorama Special Award (1975) 

Brussels Women Directors Festival (1977) “Special Award”

 

Source

Evren, M. Burçak. (2014). 100 Years of Turkish Cinema. T.R. Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Özgüç, Agâh. (1994). Turkish Film Directors Dictionary. Istanbul: Afa Publications. 

Özgüç, Agâh. (2008). Women of Turkish Cinema. Istanbul: Agora Library.

Özgüç, Agâh. (2012). Encyclopedic Dictionary of Turkish Movies. Istanbul: Horizon International.

Öztürk, S. Ruken. (2004). The “Feminine” Face of Cinema: Female Directors in Turkey. Istanbul: Om Publishing House.

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