The director who "made the stars shine" in Yeşilçam: Osman Fahir Seden

27 years have passed since the death of director, producer and screenwriter Osman Fahir Seden, who introduced many legendary names to Turkish cinema, from Ayhan Işık to Türkan Şoray, from Fatma Girik to Ediz Hun.

The son of Kemal Seden, the founder of Kemal Film, one of Türkiye's first private film companies, the master filmmaker was born in Istanbul on March 22, 1924.

After graduating from the German High School and Istanbul University Faculty of Law, Seden's interest in cinema began during his high school years, following in his father's footsteps and doing dubbing translations for imported films.

After losing his father in 1941, Seden continued his work in the film industry. After meeting with production companies abroad in 1949, he decided to make his own films. Drawing on documents collected from libraries and stories he heard, he wrote his first screenplay, "Istanbul Blood Cries," in 1951 and undertook the film's production.

One of Seden's most significant projects as a producer and screenwriter was Ömer Lütfi Akad's landmark film "Kanun Namına" (In the Name of the Law) in 1952. The veteran filmmaker, who made his directorial debut with the 1955 film "They Paid with Their Blood," followed in 1959 with "Düşman Yolları Kesti" (The Enemy Roads Kesti), starring Eşref Kolçak and Sadri Alışık.

Seden, who brought a new breath to the cinema industry with the "star system" in Yeşilçam in the 1960s, carried many names such as Ayhan Işık, Belgin Doruk, İzzet Günay, Türkan Şoray, Fatma Girik, Ediz Hun and Zeki Müren to stardom with this system.

While the artist focused on drama and adventure genres in the early stages of his career, after 1962 he showed his inter-genre competence by turning to comedy and crime musical productions.

One of Seden's best-known films was "Çalıkuşu," a 1966 adaptation of Reşat Nuri Güntekin's immortal novel, starring Türkan Şoray and Kartal Tibet. Following the success of that film, he adapted a seven-part series for TRT in 1986, starring Aydan Şener and Kenan Kalav.

Osman Fahir Seden, turning his attention to popular cinema movements from the 1970s onwards, produced many successful films with the stars of the time, such as "Batsın Bu Dünya" (Dank This World) with Orhan Gencebay, "İnek Şaban" and "Yüzmelı Adam" (Man Number One) with Kemal Sunal, "İnsan Sevince" (When You Love People) with Ferdi Tayfur, and "İslak Mendil" (Wet Wipe) with Ümit Besen.

In his later years, the master filmmaker directed series for TRT and private television. Seden, who directed over 130 films throughout his life and won numerous prestigious awards, was awarded the title of "State Artist" by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 1991.

Seden, who appeared in the films "Delicesine", "Devlerin Aşkı", "Fırat", "Vatandaş Rıza", "İnsan Sevince", "Hülyam", "Hate" and "Karanfili Naciye" as an actor, completed her last film "Suçlu" in 1989 and was the third most successful name in Turkish cinema with 136 films.

Seden, who brought together the audience with stories that would not contradict the general values ​​and moral structure of society and could express the feelings of the audience he addressed, passed away in Istanbul on September 1, 1998.

Seden also wrote "They Paid With Their Blood", "The Dying Star", "The Flame of Revenge", "The Tramp", "A Handful of Soil", "Exile", "Cilalı İbo Among the Stars", "The Enemy Blocked the Roads", "Broken Record", "For the Sake of Honor", "Ayşecik Yavru Melek", "Cilalı İbo in the World of Dreams", "Wren", "Mercy", "The Wound of Separation", "The Son of English Kemal", "The Ottoman Eagle", "The Past is a Wound in My Heart", "The Justice of Hazrat Ömer", "May This World Sink", "Where Are These Men Looking", "There Can Be No Servant Without Faults", "The Man with Number One Hundred", "Şaban the Cow", "King of the Watchmen", "Don't Touch My Şaban", "The Inheritors" and "Mother Zehra". He directed his films.