Onat Kutlar
Onat Kutlar (25 January 1936 – 11 January 1995) was a prominent Turkish writer and poet, founder of the Turkish Sinematek and cofounder of the Istanbul International Film Festival.
Also recorded as Mehmet Arif Onat Kutlar
Onat Kutlar

Kolhisli · CC BY 4.0
- Birth Name
- Mehmet Arif Onat Kutlar
- Born
- 25 January 1936
- Birthplace
- Alanya, Turkey
- Died
- 11 January 1995
- Place of death
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Occupation
- Writer and poet
- Nationality
- Turkey.
- Education
- Istanbul University Faculty of Law and Istanbul University.
- Honours
- Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, Golden Orange for Best Screenplay and Turkish Language Association Poetry Award.
- Languages
- Turkish.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Onat Kutlar (25 January 1936 – 11 January 1995) was a prominent Turkish writer and poet, founder of the Turkish Sinematek and cofounder of the Istanbul International Film Festival.
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Note VALÉORINE
Onat Kutlar (1936–1995) was a film producer, journalist and poet, among other activities, of Turkish nationality. The film producer was born in Alanya and died in Istanbul. Onat Kutlar was educated at Istanbul University and Istanbul University Faculty of Law.
Languages used include Turkish. Honours include Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, Golden Orange for Best Screenplay and Turkish Language Association Poetry Award.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q249356 · wikipedia · Onat Kutlar
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Birth Name — Mehmet Arif Onat Kutlar • Born — 25 January 1936 • Birthplace — Alanya, Turkey • Died — 11 January 1995 • Place of death — Istanbul, Turkey • Burial Place — Aşiyan Asri Cemetery • Occupation — Writer and poet
Biography
Biography
Onat Kutlar was born in Alanya, Turkey, on 25 January 1936. He was the grandson of Arif Pasha, an Ottoman governor of the Taif district and the son of Ali Riza Bey, a penal judge of the young Turkish Republic and later a farmer, and Meliha Hanim. He was raised in Gaziantep. He studied law at Istanbul University and philosophy in Paris. His book, Ishak (1959), composed of nine short stories, most of which are written from the point of view of a child and are often surrealistic and mystical was the recipient of the 1960 "Turkish Language Association Short Story Award". According to the literary critic Fethi Naci, these short stories represent a very early example of magical realism genre. In 1985, he was a member of the jury at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1994, he was awarded with L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 1975 Cultural Medal of Poland for his work in the Turkish Sinematek. He died on 11 January 1995 in Istanbul resulting from injuries sustained in a bomb attack (claimed by İBDA-C, later revealed to be carried out by PKK) which occurred on 30 December 1994 at The Marmara Hotel's cafeteria in Taksim Square, Istanbul. He was laid to rest at the Aşiyan Asri Cemetery. He was married to Filiz Kutlar. The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Prize in the National Competition of the Istanbul International Film Festival is named after him to commemorate his contributions to the Turkish cinema.
Poetry
Poetry
• Peralı Bir Aşk Için Divan (Divan for a Pera Love), 1981 • Unutulmuş Kent (Forgotten City), 1986, translated into French as La Ville Oubliée published by Royaumont
Essays and short stories
Essays and short stories
• Yeter ki Kararmasin (Just Let It Not Get Dark), 1984 • Sinema Bir Senliktir (The Cinema Is a Feast), 1985 • Bahar Isyancidir (Spring is Rebellious), 1986 • Gundemdeki Sanatci, 1995 • Gundemdeki Konu, 1995
Screenplays
Screenplays
• Yer Çekimli Aşklar (1995) (screenplay) • Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim (1983) based on the novel 'O' by Ferit Edgu, aka A Season in Hakkari (International: English title), aka Eine Saison in Hakkari (German) directed by Erden Kiral • Hazal (1979) directed by Ali Özgentürk • Yusuf ile Kenan (1979) directed by Ömer Kavur
Producer
Producer
• Robert's Movie (1992) (producer) • Kuyucakli Yusuf • Menekse Koyu (1991) (executive producer), aka Violbukten • Turkuaz (Documentary) • Simurg (Documentary)
Actor
Actor
• Yilmaz Güney: Adana-Paris (1995)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1936
Onat Kutlar born at Alanya.
1995
Onat Kutlar died at Istanbul.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Alanya.
Birth place
Istanbul.
Death place
Collection of short stories
Collection of short stories
• Ishak, 1959, translated into Persian, Transl.: Çuka Çekad. Kalagh-e Sefid, Iran 2008, (A story in Ishak called "Yunus" was published in English in the United States in Grand Street magazine (Winter, 1995)).
Recognition and collections
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
Onat Kutlar received Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, Golden Orange for Best Screenplay and Turkish Language Association Poetry Award.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q249356: Onat Kutlar
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Onat Kutlar”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Awards
Awards
'Ishak' (1959) • Turkish Language Association Short Story Award (1960) Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim (1983) • C.I.C.A.E. Award - Honorable Mention • FIPRESCI Prize Competition • Interfilm Award - Otto Dibelius Film Award Competition • Silver Berlin Bear Special Jury Prize Berlin Film Festival • Nominated Golden Berlin Bear Hazal (1980) • San Sebastián International Film Festival—Best New Director Ali Özgentürk • Prades Film Festival, First Prize • Manheim Film Festival, Golden Ducat Award • Mannheim Film Festival, Ecumenical Jury Award • Mannheim Film Festival, Audience Award • Den Haag Film Festival, First Prize Yusuf ile Kenan (1979) • Milano Film Festival
Medals
Medals
• L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, (1994) • Cultural Medal of Poland, (1975)
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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References
Citations
References
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Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q249356: Onat KutlarWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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