JOURNALIST, producer and director Arif KeskinerCannes Film Years later, he told journalist Habib Babar how he had illegally sent the movie “Umut”, which was selected for the festival, abroad. Keskiner stated that the film selected for the festival is not allowed to be taken abroad and said:Yilmaz GuneyHe called me and explained the situation. I told Yılmaz that I could send the film. Yılmaz gave me 3 thousand liras. We wrapped the films in newspapers and put them in 2 suitcases. I called the porter who works at Yeşilköy Airport. ‘There’s Turkish delight in these suitcases. I said, ‘I’ll give you 500 liras if you pass it inside. The porter brought both suitcases inside. Then I called him again. I told him I would give him another thousand liras if he got on the plane. The porter had packed the suitcases into the plane. Yılmaz was shooting a movie in Yeşilköy, he had come to the airport with his team. I told him ‘the job is done’ and got on the plane.”
Keskiner stated that he was welcomed by the master artist Abidin Dino in France and said, “I saw him for the first time. I went to the festival. I had Tuncel Kurtiz with me. The movie started showing. There was incredible applause. We hugged and cried with Tuncel out of joy,” he said.
YILMAZ GÜNEY BECOME AN ARTIST WITH 5 SUITS
Arif Keskiner also talked about how Yılmaz Güney, with whom he worked for a while, became an artist: “Yılmaz Güney was Atıf Yılmaz’s assistant. He was arrested at that time and put in Nevşehir Prison. After serving 1.5 years, he was sent to Konya for 6 months. His compulsory residence in Konya was over and he returned to Istanbul. We were gathering with friends and celebrating his release from prison. Yılmaz said, ‘I will be an artist. You will also support me. Buy me 5 suits, I’ll pay for it,’ he said. I knew a tailor, we went to him. I vouched for, we had Yılmaz make 5 suits. Yılmaz became an artist with those suits.”
The book was not sold, we went bankrupt
Saying that Yılmaz Güney bought and sent the typewriter he ordered from prison for 900 liras, Arif Keskiner said, “He wrote a book with a typewriter. One day he called the bookstore where I was the manager and wanted to meet. We met at Çiçek Pasajı. ‘I owe you a debt. Publish the book I wrote, and you get the money,’ he said. Agreed, but the book didn’t sell. We sank. We were barely able to pay for the money we spent on the book,” he said.
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