Engin Temizer

Engin Temizer (1949, Istanbul – April 2024) is a Turkish film and television director who entered the cinema during the Yeşilçam period and wrote scripts as well as directing. He is known in cinema for his films such as Yunus Emre and Kolsuz Kahraman, and in television for his 1995 TV series Yahya Kaptan.

From set to director

He was born in Istanbul and studied at Pertevniyal High School. His first connection with cinema was established as a set worker in 1965. Afterwards, he worked as an assistant in the teams of established directors of the period such as Oksal Pekmezoğlu, Atıf Yılmaz and Osman Seden; These apprenticeship years gave him the opportunity to become familiar with every stage of film shooting.

He started directing in 1972 with Last Stop Death. He shot many films in the intense production tempo of Yeşilçam in the 1970s and 1980s; Yaman Young Man, Hit Hit Run Run and Armless Hero are among the works of this period. Yunus Emre, released in 1986, whose script was written by Lütfi Ömer Akad, became one of the most remembered productions of his filmography. In addition to his directing credits, he is also credited as a screenwriter in more than thirty films.

television era

In the 1990s, when movie theaters were empty and private channels started broadcasting, he shifted the focus of his work to television. He directed many TV series during this period; Yahya Kaptan, which he shot in 1995, was the work that made his name known to a wide audience. His last credit as a director is 2008's While Snow Falls.

Temizer died in April 2024 at the age of 74 and was buried in Burhaniye district of Balıkesir. His journey from set worker to director is one of the typical examples of Yeşilçam's generation, which grew up with the master-apprentice relationship.