The early 1960s brought restricted freedom to Turkey, and Güney was imprisoned from 1960 to 1962. In prison he wrote what some labeled a "communist" novel, "They Died with Their Heads Bowed". The country's political situation and Güney's relationship with the authorities became even more tense in the ensuing years. Not content with his star status atop the Turkish film industry, Güney began directing his own pictures in 1965. By 1968 he had formed his own production company, Güney Filmcilik. Over the next few years, the titles of his films mirrored the feelings of the people of Turkey: "Umut" ("Hope", 1970); "Ağıt" ("Elegy", 1972); "Acı" ("Pain", 1971); "The Hopeless" (1971). Umut is considered to be the first realistic film of Turkish Cinema, the American director Elia Kazan was among the first to praise the film; "Umut is a poetic film, completely native, not an imitation of Hollywood or any of the European masters, it had risen out of a village environment".