Information Package / Course Catalogue
History of Turkish Film
Course Code: RTS301
Course Type: Required
Couse Group: First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 3
Prt.: 0
Credit: 3
Lab: 0
ECTS: 4
Objectives of the Course

The aim of this course is to evaluate the development process of cinema in Turkey from the beginning to the present day and to provide students with the competence to discuss the history of Turkish cinema through directors, periods and film examples; technical, artistic and sectoral dimensions.

Course Content

Starting with the adventure of cinema coming to Turkey and the first audience experiences, the course examines the historical process of Turkish cinema with its social, socio-economic and economic dimensions by analyzing according to periods and directors.

Name of Lecturer(s)
Prof. Pelin ERDAL AYTEKİN
Learning Outcomes
1.Explains the development process of cinema in Turkey.
2.Can give information about the periods of Turkish cinema.
3.Can give information about the different trends and basic debates that emerged in the historical adventure of Turkish cinema.
4.Interpret Turkish cinema in relation to the political-social-economic context.
5.Can give information about prominent directors and films in Turkish cinema.
Recommended or Required Reading
1.Scognamillo, Giovanni (2003). Türk Sinema Tarihi. İstanbul: Kabalcı Yayınları.
2.Erdoğan, Nezih (2017), Sinemanın İstanbul’da İlk Yılları: Modernlik ve Seyir Maceraları. İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları.O
3.Özön, Nijat (2013). Türk Sinema Tarihi 1896-1960. İstanbul: Doruk Yayınları.
4.Onaran, Alim Şerif. Muhsin Ertuğrul Sineması. Kültür Bakanlığı Yayınları.
5.Onaran, Alim Şerif (2001). Lütfi Ömer Akad’ın Sineması. Ankara: Altın Portakal Kültür ve Sanat Vakfı Yayınları.
6.Esen, Şükran (2010). Türk Sinemasının Kilometre Taşları. İstanbul: Agora Kitaplığı.
7.Abisel, Nilgün (2005). Türk Sineması Üzerine Yazılar. Ankara: Phoenix Yayınları.
8.Kırel, Serpil (2005). Yeşilçam Öykü Sineması. İstanbul: Babil Yayınları.
9.Akbulut, Hasan (2012). Yeşilçam’dan Türk Sinemasına Melodramatik İmgelem. İstanbul: Hayalperest Yayınevi.
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical
The arrival of cinema in Istanbul: the first viewing experience
Week 2 - Theoretical
The first films: the search for origins
Week 3 - Theoretical
Muhsin Ertuğrul and Turkish cinema under the influence of theater
Week 4 - Theoretical
Transition to the era of filmmakers: Lütfi Ö. Akad cinema
Week 5 - Theoretical
Metin Erksan's cinema
Week 6 - Theoretical
Halit Refiğ's cinema and the idea of “national cinema”
Week 7 - Theoretical
Atıf Yılmaz's cinema and the era of “women's films”
Week 8 - Theoretical
Memduh Ün's cinema + Midterm Exam (Midterm)
Week 9 - Theoretical
Yeşilçam cinema: The influence of melodrama in Turkish cinema
Week 10 - Theoretical
Laughter in Turkish cinema: Arzu Film and Ertem Eğilmez cinema
Week 11 - Theoretical
Social realist influences in Turkish cinema: Yılmaz Güney, Şerif Gören, Zeki Ökten
Week 12 - Theoretical
Social realist influences in Turkish cinema: Yavuz Özkan, Erden Kıral, Ali Özgentük, Ömer Kavur
Week 13 - Theoretical
Turkish cinema in the 1980s, problems
Week 14 - Theoretical
The changing language of Turkish cinema from the 1980s to the 1990s
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Midterm Examination1%40
Final Examination1%60
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory150345
Midterm Examination120121
Final Examination130131
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)97
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
PÇ-6
PÇ-7
PÇ-8
PÇ-9
PÇ-10
PÇ-11
PÇ-12
PÇ-13
OÇ-1
4
4
OÇ-2
4
4
OÇ-3
4
4
OÇ-4
OÇ-5
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026