Bilge Olgaç (10 January 1940 – 3 March 1994) was a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

film director.

Life

Bilge Olgaç was born to a poor family in

Vize Vize ( el, Βιζύη, bg, Виза) is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The district governor is Elif Canan Tuncer, and the mayor is Ercan Özalp ( CHP). According to the Turkish Statistical Institu ...

, a town in

Kırklareli Province Kırklareli Province ( tr, ) is a Provinces of Turkey, province in northwestern Turkey on the west coast of the Black Sea. The province neighbours Bulgaria to the north along a long border. It borders the province of Edirne to the west and the ...

on 10 January 1940. While still in vocational school in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, she married Vecdi Bender in 1956. She had a son by this marriage. They divorced.Biography page
/ref> In 1994, she had moved to a new house in

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, meani ...

, Istanbul. She died during a fire in this house on 3 March 1994.Bianet Culture buelletin
/ref>

Career

She was writing short stories. Her husband, who was a film industry employee, introduced her to

Memduh Ün Arif Memduh Ün (14 March 1920 – 16 October 2015) was a Turkish film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. His film, '' The Broken Pots'', was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival The 11th annual Berlin Intern ...

, a film producer and a director. In 1962, Memduh Ün made a film out of one of her stories ''Kısmetin En Güzeli'' ("Best of the Fortune"). She also began working as an assistant of Memduh Ün. In 1965, she directed her first film ''Üçünüze de Mıhlarım'' ("I Shall Shoot Three of You"). She was the sole female film director at that time. She also wrote the script of many of her films. In 1970, she directed ''Linç'' ("Lynch"), which earned her fame and many awards. Between 1975 and 1984, she directed commercial films. In 1984, she returned to movie films by her new film ''Kaşık Düşmanı'' ("Ball and Chain"). In the same year, she also made ''Yavrularım'' ("My Little Ones"), which was a big success. Her later films are on women's issues in rural areas. Although she mostly made movie films in 1987, she also directed a television serial ''Elif Ana-Ayşe Kız'' ("Mommy Elif – Maid Ayşe"). When she died she was about to finish her last film ''Bir Yanımız Bahar Bahçe'' ("Spring Garden on One Side") The number of films directed by Bilge Olgaç is 37.

Legacy

The annual awards given by the

Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival The Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival is an annual Ankara-based film festival celebrating women's contributions to filmmaking. Established by Halime Güner in 1997 in order to raise awareness and fight for women's human rights, it ...

are named after Bilge Olgaç.Flying broom page
/ref>

Awards

*1970: ''Linç''

International Adana Film Festival Adana Golden Boll Film Festival ( tr, Adana Altın Koza Film Festivali), known between 2016 and 2018 as International Adana Film Festival (), is a film festival in Adana, Turkey, that was held five times between 1969 and 1974 and every year since 2 ...

(Altın Koza) Best Director *1984: ''Kaşık Düşmanı''

International Antalya Film Festival The Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival ( tr, Antalya Altın Portakal Film Festivali), known for a few years from 2015 as Antalya International Film Festival, is a film festival, held annually since 1963 in Antalya, and is the second most impor ...

(Altın Portakal) Best Screenplay *1985: ''Kaşık Düşmanı''

Créteil International Women's Film Festival The Créteil International Women's Film Festival (in French Festival international de films de femmes de Créteil) is an annual event in Créteil, France, founded by Jackie Buet in 1978 to showcase the directing talents of female filmmakers who, ...

Grand Prix

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olgac, Bilge 1940 births 1994 deaths People from Vize Turkish female screenwriters Turkish women film directors Best Director Golden Boll Award winners Best Screenplay Golden Orange Award winners Deaths from fire 20th-century Turkish screenwriters