Kurdshop_ The well-known Kurdish director, actor, and writer, Yalmaz Gonay, was born on April 1st, 1937 in Yanijah village in Yuragir town in Adan Province. He belonged to a Kurdish family with seven children and their father was a manual worker. His real name is “Yalmaz Putun”. His father was from “Dasman” village in “Siwerag” town in Raha in the North part of Kurdistan. His mother was from “Gimgim” in Moush province in the North part of Kurdistan. His father was a Zazaki Kurd but Yalmaz himself grew up in Adan. That is why Adan was his primary subject for his films. After some time of working and living in Adan, he went to Istanbul to attend the university. He got acquainted with “Atif Yalmaz”, a film director and producer, in Istanbul.
“Yalmaz Gonay” graduated from primary school, middle school, and high school in Adan. He had to work from the age of 9. He had different jobs like collecting cotton in the fields and accounting. He got familiar with literature gradually and began to write short stories. In 1956 he was studying in Law School in Ankara but later he got imprisoned and due to being poor and not being able to support his family financially he could not finish his education in Ankara.
He returned to the North part of Kurdistan to find a job. Then he decided to continue his education and he attended the Economic School at a university in Istanbul. He got imprisoned once more and he had to leave his education again. He could not finish university and he only could do one thing. As he narrated he had to learn from life. He educated himself… he once said: “My school is books, cinema, prison, unfair laws of life, social pressures, betrayal, and freedom. My master is Life itself.” Gonay got arrested in 1972 due to political issues and spent two years in prison.
Yalmaz Gonay killed the attorney general of Yomour Taliki, a town near Adan because he had insulted Gonay while filming “Dilerawke”. Gonay was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment. In prison, he continued his work as a director and writer. He finished two film scripts for “Kari” and “Rega” films. Although there were many obstacles on the way he directed these two films from the prison with the help of “Zaki Oktan” and “Sharif Goran”. Later he edited “Rega” once more and the film won the Festival de Cannes prize. Gonay escaped Sparta prison in 1981 and left Turkey.
He directed the film “Divar” after he abandoned Turkey. This was the last film he directed. Yalmaz Gonay established Kurdish Institute in Paris with famous poets such as “Jigar Xwen” and “Abdul Rahman Sharafkandi” in 1983 and he presented a speech in 1984 for the Nowruz celebration.
In this speech he said:
Hello friends! It is not Kurds’ fate to live in agony, misfortune, poverty, blood, and tears of sadness. We decline to have such a fate. We don’t know such a fate. We are not children of a country that is dominated by four corners. We want to be children of an independent, united, and free Kurdistan. We want to live in our land under our flag in freedom and independence. Today a lot of our friends are fighting against fascists’ oppression in all parts of Kurdistan from the mountains to the fields and even in the prison cells and they die for their goal. Those who have been martyred in this battle and for our goals will always live in our hearts.
Gonay died due to stomach cancer in France in September 1984 when he was 47 years old. He directed his films showing Kurds’ hardships in life. He also had written stories, his experiences, and scenarios. He produced several valuable works throughout his life.
Yalmaz Gonay directed many artistic works and he acted as a director and an actor in some of his films. The film Yol (Rega) is one of these works. Rega won the “Palm d’Or” film prize along with “Missing” a film by the Greek director “Costa Gavras” in 1982.
