Seyfi Havaeri

Seyfi Havaeri — Biography

Seyfi Havaeri is remembered as one of the longest-working directors in Turkish cinema. He directed close to forty films, wrote the screenplay for most of the films he directed, and produced two of them. In 2005, at the 42nd Golden Orange Film Festival, his long career was honored with the Life Achievement Award.

He began in the theater, performing on the stages of the Raşit Rıza, Burhanettin Tepsi and Sadi Tek companies. In 1947 he moved into cinema and made his directing debut with Yara; some sources date his first film a year later, to 1948. His early work includes Damga, Fedakar Ana, Kenar Mahalle, Kore'de Türk Kahramanları, Kore Gazileri and Zafer Güneşi (1953), released internationally as The Victory Sun. Kara Sevda, Çingene and Sinekli Bakkal followed, then Yalnız Adam, Çileli Bülbüller and Kanım Vatan İçin around 1970, and in his last period İnsanlık Ölmedikçe and Zafer Kartalları (1974).

He also stepped in front of the camera from time to time, with credits in Bir Yabancı, Dağları Bekleyen Kız, Erikler Çiçek Açtı, Şafak Sökmesin and Çalınmış Hayat / Aşk Hırsızı. He worked at times with names such as Ertem Göreç, Lütfi Ömer Akad and Osman Fahir Seden. He died in Istanbul on January 24, 2009.