Turkish Cinema has a long history of film production and exhibition. However, this history is quite uneven in its flow. The Lumiere Programme was exhibited in Constantinople (now called Istanbul) in 1896 during the days of the Ottoman Empire. Between 1896 and till the end of the WWI, films made outside Turkey were exhibited in the country, but there wasn’t any indigenous film production taking place to speak of.  The Weavers (1905), by the Manaki brothers, was the first film made in the Ottoman Empire. In a 15 seconds fragment (that is available to watch on YouTube), we see a very old woman spinning a traditional charkha. Demolition of the Russian Monument at San Stefano, directed by Fuat Uzkinay is claimed to be the first documentary made in 1914 in Turkey. However, neither the complete film is available, nor is any account of it. On YouTube channel one only sees a fragment of the live action. 

M. Kemal Atartuk launched the reform movement to modernize the Turkish State between 1923 to 1938. Cinema became a part of this modernization through the institutional support of the military. Ironically, Muhsin Ertuğrul a prominent theatre personality emerged as he called himself the One Director of Turkish cinema between 1922 and 1938. This period is called "The Muhsin Ertuğrul Period", in which nobody else besides him had the chance to make films. His films were essentially adaptations of the Turkish and foreign plays and his idiom was totally theatrical. Hence this period was dubbed the "period of the theatre player". In this way, he made about 30 films. Critics have pointed out the theatricality of his films delayed the emergence of the Turkish film. Along with Ertuğrul, all the other filmmakers stemmed from the theatre. Thanks to him and the theatre people whom he groomed this theatrical quality persists in Turkish cinema even today. It was bizarre that Muhsin Ertuğrul was the "only" film director in Turkey between 1922-1939. From 1896 to 1945, the Turkey produced less than 50 films in all. 

However, a sea change occurred in Turkish cinema after 1945. Film production and exhibition developed miraculously in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1952 alone, Turkey produced 49 films. in this single year equalled a greater output produced in Turkey than all previous years combined. By 1966, Turkey had 2000 cinema halls and by 1970, became the fifth biggest film producer worldwide by producing 300 film in a year. This was a boom period, when the local films got more revenues than the imported films. This became the financial foundation of Yeşilçam – the so-called "Turkish Hollywood", which dominated Turkish film production between the years 1955–1975. Yeşilçam ("Green Pine") was named after Yeşilçam Street in Istanbul where many actors, directors, crew members and studios were based.

The liberal atmosphere of the 1960s, with the new Constitution and the liberal tax regime, allowed artists to express themselves freely and also offered a sound economic basis to the film industry. This was the time, when Turkish film industry began to come into its own, moving ahead of the theatrical mould that was set by the earlier films. The new directors’ films showed artistic and social concern that led them to explore new forms. Accordingly, issues like the status of women in society, female sexuality, the political system etc came to the fore. This was also the period in Turkish history, when urbanization got a major impetus. This led to the expansion of the cities and the urban consumer base expanded. The stage was set for the arrival of a major filmmaker on the scene and Yilmaz Guney turned out to be that filmmaker.

Yilmaz Guney was Kurdish and emerged as a major star, whose appeal and persona was quite different than the “beautiful stars” of the Yeşilçam period. He coined the term the "Ugly King" for himself. He had his roots in Anatolia and was much closer to the common people and was particularly popular with audiences residing in slums. It is said that Guney shaped the Turkish Cinema as an actor in the 1960s and then as a screenwriter and director in the 1970s with films like Despair, Hope, Exit and Father. Describing the importance of Guney to Turkish Cinema filmmaker and academician Sadık Battal says - "The traditional Turkish cinema, which continued its existence until the 1970s, experienced in the 1970s a change and authentic productions began to shape the Turkish cinema. The designer of this change is unquestionably Yılmaz Güney." 

In this period social problems became the main themes defining the narratives, such as rural and urban situations, migrants’ problems, rapid industrialization and its impact and so on. Guney’s popularity and his left leaning views made the Government uneasy about him. He was jailed, but while he was in prison he wrote three scripts and his associates outside converted them into the three films -The Herd, The Enemy and The Road. He had sent detailed instructions on filming these films. 

After this boom period, Turkish film industry saw a big slump in the 1990s. The number of film theatres declined from approximately 2,000 in 1966 to 290 in 1990. The film production came down to about 10-15 films per year. This was followed by another upswing around the year 2000. Box office receipts grew substantially; Turkish films achieved popularity outside the country and even in international film festivals. IMDB mentions that 250 Turkish films were released in the year 2023 and the number of theatres is believed to be close about 2858 screens now.

Films of the Turkish film directors like Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Fatih Akin, Reha Erdem and Yesim Ustaoglu have become well known. They are much sought in the international film festivals. Many of these leading filmmakers have produced documentaries. Turkish documentaries are varied and rich. Umran Safter is another prominent director, whose documentary work has been very remarkable. Turkish Cinema has become prominent in the international arena and as are the Turkish television dramas.

References: 

1. The Turkish Cinema Between its Inception and Downfall: A Historical Overview — Celal Hayir

2. IMDB

3. Wikipedia