The film has been compared to films of Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica and Cesare Zavattini.
Filming of Umut began in April 1970 in Adana-Turkey following the director's return from military service.
The film, which wasn't released at the time because of a ban by Film Control Commission in Turkey, won awards at the 2nd Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, the 7th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and was screened at the 23rd Cannes Film Festival.
American filmmaker Elia Kazan praised the film, stating, "Umut is a completely native, poetic film, not an imitation of Hollywood or European masters, coming out of a village setting."