Fuat Uzkınay

Who was Fuat Uzkınay?

Fuat Uzkınay was the first Turkish filmmaker.

After finishing İstanbul Highschool, he took physics and chemistry classes at İstanbul University. While he started to work at a high school as a principal, there was a growing interest in cinema among the Ottomans. Uzkınay started to give lessons at his school in order to make his students familiar with cinema. Despite the fact that numerous cinemas existed in İstanbul, Uzkınay campaigned for the building of a Turkish-owned cinema, which opened on 19 March 1914. The name, "The National Cinema", would change later to "Ali Efendi sineması". Meanwhile he learned to use the projector from Sigmund Weinberg, who was the first man to introduce the cinema to the Ottomans.

While in the army, on 14 November 1914 he filmed the destruction of the Russian Monument at Ayestefanos. This 150mt. film is known as the first documentary film of the Turkish Cinema. One year later, he founded, on the order of General Enver Paşa, the "Central Army Cinema Department". Sigmund Weinberg was the Chairman of the department and Uzkınay was his assistant. One year later, Uzkınay succeeded Weinberg in that position.