Ayten Kuyululu Ürkmez

Ayten Kuyululu Ürkmez — Biography

Ayten Kuyululu Ürkmez, born on August 30, 1930, was one of the first Turkish women to move behind the camera, working as a screenwriter, actress, and film director. She began her artistic career writing screenplays in 1961, stepped in front of the camera the following year in Sahte Nikah and Battı Balık, and took the director's chair in 1969 with Dışardakiler, becoming one of Turkey's pioneering female directors.

She later settled abroad, living in Sweden for seven years before emigrating to Sydney, Australia. There she directed The Golden Cage (1975), which made her the first woman to direct a feature film in Australia since 1933. She continued writing, with credits including Örgüt (1976) and Suçlu mu Piyon mu? (1989), while also keeping up her acting work, including a role in Kalabalık (1983).

In Australia, she headed the United Arts and Culture Group (Birleşik Sanat ve Kültür Grubu). Ayten Kuyululu Ürkmez died on May 31, 2019.