He was born in 1945 in Demirköy of Bilecik.
His father was a poor railroad worker and he had five siblings.
He studied primary school in Demirköy and Adapazarı.
He had to quit his education in secondary school.
He attended Eskişehir Municipal Theater courses.
Like the hero of his last movie, "Hollywood Fugitives", cinema became his passion at a young age due to the influence of the movies he watched.
He tried short films in Cyprus, where he did his military service.
He shot commercials in Eskişehir.
He organized public cinema courses at the public education center.
In 1967, he directed the short films "Çıban Başı" and "The Story of the Soil Man".
In 1970, he worked at the Gayewerke film studio in Germany.
He studied cinema in Finland, where he stayed for five years.
He emigrated to Sweden in 1977.
After "Kördükum", which he shot in 1970, he continued his work with American theater in 1976 and documentaries called "Ali" in 1982.
In 1983 he directed his first feature film in Sweden.
"Kara Sevdalı Bulut", which he shot in 1987, hit the censorship wall with its subject of torture before September 12.
After long studies with censorship, the ban was lifted.
He has lived in Sweden since 1977.
IMDB bio by yusufpiskin
Utlänningen is a typical exponent of independent, exile and migrant filmmaking. It contains documentary footage from both Finland and Turkey and depicts the situation of the forced migrant: to be placed in-between two countries and two different socio-political situations; between the on-going political struggle in a remote Turkey and the current situation in a foreign Finland. Özer acts the leading part in the film.