Mr. Muhsin
In the opinion of many critics, this is the best work by Yavuz Turgul, the multi-award-winning Turkish director and screenwriter who is best known for The Bandit. This film is a commentary on the subject of the economic, cultural, and social changes that took place in Turkey in the 1980s under Turgut Özal, a supporter of the free market. This was an era of commerce, opportunism, and a fight for success. We see all of this from the point of view of the two main characters: Muhsin and Nazik. The former is an older gentleman from Istanbul, a man who believes in values and loves classical Turkish music. The latter is a young folk singer who moves to the big city in order to become a star. Despite their differences, Muhsin decides to help Nazik, and they face the cynical world of show business together. This film will be screened at this year’s New Horizons to mark 600 years of Polish-Turkish diplomatic relations.
awards
Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival 1987 – Best Actor, Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor; Istanbul International Film Festival 1988 – Special Prize of the Jury; San Sebastián International Film Festival 1988 – Prize San Sebastián
Yavuz Turgul
Yavuz Turgul was born in Istanbul in 1946. At first, he preferred the pen to the camera: he studied Journalism, a field he then worked in for six years. He later wrote screenplays for popular comedies. He only began his career as a director in the 1980s. He has won many Turkish and international awards. His biggest commercial success was The Bandit (1996), a movie that film historian Rekin Teksoy says "was a pioneer of Turkish box-office hits from that period."
Filmography
1984 Fahriye Abla
1987 Pan Muhsin / Muhsin Bey / Mr. Muhsin
1990 Aşk Filmlerinin Unutulmaz Yönetmeni / The Unforgettable Director of Love Movies
1996 Ballada o rozbójniku / Eskiya / The Bandit
2010 Av mevsimi / Hunting Season