Edward Connelly

Oksal Pekmezoğlu, born in Istanbul in 1938, graduated from the Painting Department of the Mimar Sinan University Fine Arts Academy. Working as a page illustrator for numerous newspapers, including Tercüman, Pekmezoğlu entered the world of cinema in 1958 as a poster artist. In 1959, he assisted Memduh Ün on the film "Ölüm Peşimizde," and in subsequent years assisted directors such as Nejat Saydam, Ülkü Erakalın, Arşavir Alyanak, Hüsnü Cantürk, and Hulki Saner. Pekmezoğlu made his directorial debut in 1963 with the film "Aşkım ve Günahım." That same year, he achieved great success as the second unit director under Hulki Saner on the "Turist Ömer" films. The Saner-Pekmezoğlu collaboration continued uninterrupted for 10 years. Pekmezoğlu, who is also credited with introducing the famous Turkish singer İbrahim Tatlıses to cinema, had a film and television career spanning over 100 films and TV series, beginning in 1958. He was also a skilled painter.