| Selected Filmography with Abstracts and Reviews Updated: June 23, 2004 |
Filmography 1968-2005 Films Available on VHS/DVD Recommendations or Feedback |
Documentary:
Abgrenzungen - Ausländer in Deutschland (segment 8). Sudwestrundfunk, Deutsche Welle, Inter Nationes, Goethe Institut. Black and White and Color/Video; 29 min. Germany: 1999.
Wir essen beim »Italiener«, kaufen beim »Türken«, fahren japanische Autos, trinken Tee aus Indien und reisen in die ganze Welt. Diese Offenheit schlägt aber häufig in Reserviertheit und Verkrampfung um, wenn wir ausländischen Mitbürgern in Deutschland begegnen. Es gibt Kontaktprobleme, manchmal sogar Berührungsängste. Sie haben zugenommen, seit in den 80er und 90er Jahren die Arbeit knapp geworden ist. Die Vorbehalte gegenüber den ausländischen Mitbürgern wachsen. Ihre Integration droht zu scheitern.
Akin, Fatih. Wir Haben Vergessen Zurükzukehren. Editing: Andrew Bird. Cinematography: Gordon A. Timpen. Cast: Fatih Akin, Mustafa Enver Akin, Cem Akin and Adam Bousdoukos. Color/16 mm.; 60 min. 2000.
This affectionate and insightful documentary is a cinematic family album that records the director's relatives in Hamburg and Turkey in order to explore notions of homeland, the desire to belong, and the ability to move between two cultures. Akin's father is a Turkish immigrant who established a successful life as a secular and liberal citizen in his new German homeland. The son, born in Germany, makes a trip back to the town of his father's birth, finding that answers to the question of identity and homeland are decidedly nuanced and fluid. (abstract from Goethe institute, San Francisco "Young Turks")
Bademsoy, Aysun. Deutsche Polizisten: Viele Kulturen-eine Truppe. Writing: Aysun Bademsoy. Editing: Aysun Bademsoy and Bettina Blickwede. Cinematography: Sophie Maintigneux. Harun Farocki Filmproduktion. Color 60 Min.; Germany: 1999.
In this fascinating documentary, director Aysun Bademsoy observes "foreign" policemen in the city of Berlin-men of Yugoslavian and Turkish background who have come to terms with their own cultural, social and sometimes moral conflicts but still must face being seen as "traitors" to their own people and to the established values of their cultures.
Guttner, Hans Andreas. Familie Villano Kehrt Nicht Zurück. Production: Guttner Film. Writing: Hans Andreas Guttner. Cinematography: Rudolf Blahacek. Color; Germany: 1980/81.
Die vielfältigen Alltagsprobleme einer süditalienischen Gastarbeiterfamilie in Deutschland.
---. Kreuz und quer. Writing: Hans Andreas Guttner and Werner Petermann. Editing: Jean André. Cinematography: Hermann Hoebel and Friedel Klütsch. Guttner Film and Sender Freies Berlin (SFB). Color; 97 min. 1997.
15 Jahre nach "Familie Villano kehrt nicht zurück" beobachtet der Regisseur die zweite und dritte Generation jener einst zehnköpfigen italienischen Familie, die er 1981 in den Mittelpunkt der Diskussionen um die Rückkehr der "Gastarbeiter" in ihre Heimatländer bzw. ihre Integration stellte. Der Dokumentarfilm beobachtet die heutigen Familienmitglieder diesseits und jenseits der Alpen und berichtet unspektakulär, aber einfühlsam und geduldig von ihren Lebensumständen. Er entwirft Lebensbilder zur "europäischen Familiengeschichte am Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts".
Jeanette Eggert, Uli Gaulke. Heirate Mich - Casate conmigo. Production: Helge Albers, Roshanak Behesht Nedjad and Konstantin Kröning. Writing: Uli Gaulke. Editing: Markus Schmidt. Cinematography: Axel Schneppat. Flying Moon Filmproduktion. Color; 105 min. Germany: 2003.
In Havana on New Year’s Eve 2000, Gladis from Cuba and Erik from Hamburg get engaged. The two have met on the island on a sultry summer night. To the great delight of her family, Gladis listens to Erik’s eloquent declaration of love and accepts his proposal to follow him, together with her 7-year-old son, to Germany and start a new life. At 27, Gladis has known a number of men and always felt like an empowered beautiful Cuban woman until she arrives in Germany. Over the next two years, the filmmaker follows the ups and downs of the new family trying to unfold what led Gladis to put all her eggs in one basket and leave with a foreigner.
Let, Petrus van der, Christian Schüller, and Andrea Simon. Mein kopf gehort mir. Alibri Verlag. Video; 70 min. 2001.
A documentary interviewing Muslim women living in Austria and Turkey who choose to wear Muslim head coverage as a personal decision rather than as a characteristic behavior forced on them by a backward society. The film also examines larger issues and questions surrounding the identity of Muslim women, women's rights and their place in Muslim society.
Mann, Marina. Was heisst'n hier multikulturell? Editing: Marina Mann. United Culture/BMW Inc. Video; 30 min. 1994.
In the summer of 1994, a youth project was organised by BMW corporation and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Friedenspadagogik, which sent young people out with video cameras in Munich's Haidhausen district to collect spontaneous reactions to a number of questions dealing with tolerance towards people of different ethnic backgrounds who are rubbing shoulders here with the local population.
Meerapfel, Jeanine. Die Kümmeltürkin geht. Writing: Jeanine Meerapfel. Cinematography: Johann Feindt. Cast: Melek Tez. 88 min. Germany: 1984.
Melek, eine 38jährige Türkin, geht nach 14 Jahren aus Berlin in ihre Heimat zurück. Es ist das Portrait einer unüblichen Frau, einer Überlebenskünstlerin, die uns zwingt, die Vorstellungen, die wir von einer "typischen" Türkin haben, zu überprüfen
Menzel, Gülseren Suzan and Jochim. Als die Gäste blieben. . . Production: Gülseren Suzan and Jochim Menzel. Writing: Gülseren Suzan and Jochim Menzel. Color Video; 55 min. Germany: 1994/97.
This film documents the lives of several Turkish families in the Bavarian town of Forchheim who originally came here in the 1960s as 'guest workers'. Instead of going back to Turkey, they settled in Germany, raised their children there, and are now watching their children raise families of their own
Okpako, Branwen. Dreckfresser. Writing: Branwen Okpako. Cast: Sam Meffire. Color; Germany: 2000.
Sam Meffire was the only Black policeman in Saxony, courted by press and politicians alike as a “token Black”. The documentary creates an unusual portrait of an unusual biography.
Thorsten, Karg, Dirk Kamper, and Ines Jacob. Dual Citizenship. KuBus and Inter Nationes. 1998.
Presents 2 segments from a German television news magazine. Part 1 takes a look at how the Internet is affecting Germans and the uses they make of it forwork and pleasure. Part 2 examines proposed changes to take effect in 2000 in the citizenship laws of Germany, which would expand dual citizenship
Yavuz, Yüksel. Mein Vater, der Gastarbeiter. Writing: Britta Ohm and Yüksel Yavuz. Color; Germany: 1995.
Geschichte einer kurdischen Gastarbeiterfamilie aus der Sicht der zweiten Generation türkisch-kurdischer Einwanderer. Yüksel Yavuz stellt die spannende und dramatische Migrationsgeschichte seiner Familie dar. Der Film wurde in Hamburg und in Türkei-Kurdistan gedreht. (http://www.eyz-kino.de)
Vallero, Gianluca. Finimondo. Cast: Salvatore Carollo, Gió Di Sera and Hülya Duyar. 12-14 min. Germany: 2000.
Integrationskomödie -- Gino and Cosimo hängen in einer öden Eckkneipe in der Ost-Berliner Vorstadt herum und langweilen sich. Gino würde gerne Blondinen anbaggern, Cosimo am liebsten eine dicke deutsche Wurst essen (http://www.interfilm.de/)
Shorts:
Danquart, Pepe. Schwarzfahrer. Writing: Pepe Danquart. Editing: Mona Bräuer. Cinematography: Ciro Cappellari. Score: Michel Seigner Short. Cast: Senta Moira and Paul Outlaw. Trans-Film. Black and White; 12 min. Germany: 1993.
An old tram, a pensioner, housewives, a couple of youths, a few giggling girls and various other passengers. And a little old lady who was not at all nice as she annoyed the young colored man sitting beside her with a variety of provocative references. The other passengers remain silent and look in the other direction, vacantly staring into space or smiling their consent, purely by chance as it were. The black man also remains silent until an inspector appears ...
(http://www.german-cinema.de)
Polat, Ayse. Gräfin Sophia Hatun. Cast: Tuncel Kurtiz and Sabine Wolf. Color; 16 min. Germany: 1997.
Die junge hübsche Gräfin Sophia Hatun sitzt seit Jahren mit Hausarrest im Schloss fest, nachdem ihr Mann ihr eine Liebesaffäre nachweisen konnte. Bei einem ihrer verbotenen Ausritte begegnet sie einem türkischen Diener, der sich ebenfalls unerlaubt vom Schloss entfernt hat. Sie sieht in ihm einen Schicksalsgenossen und weiht ihn in ihr Leid ein. Anschließend schickt sie den mittellosen Diener, der von seiner Familie verstoßen wurde, zurück in die Freiheit. Eine gut gemeinte, aber grausame Entscheidung, wie sich bald darauf herausstellt ...
(http://www.3sat.de)
Schubert, Don. V. Production: Kim Fatheuer. Writing: Don Schubert. Editing: Nicole Hussy. Cinematography: KaPe Schmidt. Score: Carsten Rocker. Black and White/ 35mm.; 18 min. Germany: 2003.
"V" is a poetic tale of love and its alluring paths in modern times. During his European tour, Cliff Graym, a Jewish-American classical guitar player, discovers Feyrouz Franghi, a beautiful young Palestinian musician on a subway in Cologne. Cliff and Feyrouz are inspired into composing a new melody. Surprisingly and unintentionally, they both come up with exactly the same tune, without knowing or having talked to each other. Cliff realizes that this is a one-in-a-billion stroke of fate, but unfortunately reacts too late. Before he gets the chance to speak to Feyrouz, she steps off the subway. At first, it looks as if these two soul mates shall never meet again. But against all odds, Cliff decides to search for the young Palestinian woman, with only the mutual melody to succeed. Cliff's love quest begins...
Uner, Idil. Die Liebenden von Hotel Osman. Production: Tobias Büchner. Editing: Andrew Bird. Cinematography: Bernd Meiners. Cast: Fatih Akin and Idil Üner. Color/ 16 mm; 15 min. 2001.
Playing the game of cultural identity is the theme of this short film, which follows a pair of young lovers from Berlin to Istanbul.
Full Length Fiction:
Akin, Fatih. Gegen die Wand. Production: Stefan Schubert and Ralph Schwingel. Writing: Fatih Akin. Editing: Andrew Bird. Cinematography: Rainer Klausmann. Cast: Birol Uenel, Sibel Kekilli and Catrin Striebeck. Corazón International , Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), Panfilm , Wüste Filmproduktion, and Arte. Color/ 35mm.; 124 min. Germany: 2003.
"You can put an end to your life without killing yourself," whispers the doctor. And Cahit, 40, whose suicide attempt has brought him to the psychiatric clinic, knows what he means: by starting a new life. Yet the anguish in his soul continues to cry out for drugs and alcohol to numb his pain. Sibel – young, pretty and, like Cahit, Turkish-German – loves life too much for a proper Muslim girl. To escape from the prison of her devout, conservative family, she fakes a suicide attempt. But it brings shame, not freedom; only marriage can save her. And so she begs Cahit to marry her. Reluctantly, he agrees. Perhaps to save her. Perhaps to do one meaningful thing in his life.
---. Im Juli. Production: Stefan Schubert and Ralph Schwingel. Writing: Fatih Akin. Editing: Andrew Bird. Cinematography: Pierre Aïm. Score: Alex Menck and Ulrich Kodjo Wendt. Cast: Moritz Bleibtreu, Christiane Paul, Mehmet Kurtulus, Idil Üner, Jochen Nickel, Branka Katic, Birol Ünel, Sandra Borgmann, Ernest Hausmann (II), Gábor Salinger and Cem Akin. Argos Filmcilik Turizm, Quality Pictures, and Wüste Filmproduktion. Color/35mm; 98-99 min. Germany: 2000.
Daniel is a young teacher, who in contrast to everyone else plans to stay in Hamburg for the summer. Juli, a girl at the flea-market, wants to get known to Daniel and manages to sell him a Mayan ring with a sun on it, foretelling him that he will meet a girl with a sun. One day later Daniel is already on his way across Europe. It seems the prophecy came true somehow.
(Oliver Heidelbach, www.imdb.com)
---. Kurz und Schmerzlos. Production: Daniel Blum, Stefan Schubert and Ralph Schwingel. Writing: Fatih Akin. Editing: Andrew Bird. Cinematography: Frank Barbian. Score: Ulrich Kodjo Wendt. Cast: Aleksandar Jovanovic Mehmet Kurtulus, Adam Bousdoukos, Regula Grauwiller, Idil Üner, and Ralph Herforth. Wüste Filmproduktion and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF). Color/35 mm; 100 min. Germany: 1998.
Costa, a Greek; Bobby, a Serb; Gabriel, a Turk: they used to be a neighborhood gang in Hamburg Altona. One for all, all for one. But much has changed since Gabriel went to prison. He has decided to grow up, but his buddies are holding him back. Bobby, in particular, still has dreams of joining the mafia. Only Alice, Bobby's girlfriend, understands Gabriel - better than she understands her boyfriend. (abstract from Goethe Institute, San Francisco "Young Turks" http://www.goethe.de/uk/saf/archiv/youngturks.htm )
---. Solino. Production: Stefan Schubert, Ralph Schwingel and Hejo Emons. Writing: Ruth Thoma. Editing: Andrew Bird. Cinematography: Rainer Klausmann. Score: Jannos Eolou. Cast: Moritz Bleibtreu, Barnaby Metschurat, Antonella Attili and Lucas Gregorowicz. Bavaria Film International and Dept. of Bavaria Media GmbH. Color; 124 min. Germany/Italy: 2002.
Southern Italy in the 1960s. Romano and Rosa, together with their young sons Gigi and Giancarlo, decide to leave their sun-drenched home and move to Duisburg, Germany. In the grey industrial rustbelt along the river Ruhr they open the first pizza parlor of the neighborhood, adding a little color to the steelworks and coalmines as well as to the local restaurant scene. While Romano is completely wrapped up in his role as restaurant owner, becoming prosperous and flirting with his female customers, his wife Rosa, after years of cooking and scrubbing, longs for her hometown in Apulia.
Alexandre, Miguel. Grüsse aus Kaschmir. Deutsche Fernsehfilme. 2004.
Lisa is in love with Scharif, a Pakistani engineer from Cashmere who has been living in Germany for six years. Their relationship changes dramatically when Sharif’s brother suddenly appears and demands that Scharif take part in a terrorist attack. He reminds Scharif that their family was murdered by the Indian army, that Scharif owes him his life, and that it is his duty to fight for an independent Cashmere. Lisa, who has discovered that she is pregnent, slowly realizes that the only way she can save Scharif is to betray him. A race against time begins...
Ariç, Nizamettin. Klamek ji bo Beko. Production: Margarita Woskanja. Writing: Nizamettin Ariç. Editing: Gaby Wragge. Cinematography: Thomas Mauch. Score: Nizamettin Ariç. Cast: Nizamettin Ariç, Bezara Arsen, Lusika Hesen, Cemale Jora and and Galina Novenz. Malita Film. Color/ 35mm.; 84 min. Armenia/Germany: 1992.
Erster, autobiographisch gefärbter Spielfilm eines kurdischen Sängers türkischer Staatsangehörigkeit, der die unfreiwillige Odyssee eines politisch verfolgten Kurden durch die Türkei, Syrien und den Irak bis in ein deutsches Asylsuchendenlager beschreibt. Ein beeindruckender, außergewöhnlicher Film.
http://www.cinema-muenster.de/dielinse/projekte+reihen/fremdeheimat/yasemin.htm
Arslan, Thomas. Dealer. Writing: Thomas Arslan. Editing: Bettina Blickwede. Cinematography: Michael Wiesweg. Cast: Tamer Yigit, Idil Üner, Birol Ünel, Hussi Kutlucan, Lea Stefanel, Baki Davrak and Angela Schanelec. Trans Film and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF). Color/35mm; 74 min. Germany: 1999.
Can is a small time drug dealer in a Turkish "guest worker" community in Berlin. He is not happy with his situation, constantly trying to reconcile the irreconcilable elements in his life: drugs, family, street violence and love. When his boss Hakan promises to make him a bar manager his hopes are raised but then Hakan is killed and Can is eventually arrested and condemned to four years in prison. PAL format. In German and Turkish
---. Geschwister Kardesler. Production: Albero Kitzler. Writing: Thomas Arslan. Cinematography: Michael Wiesweg. Cast: Hildegard Kuhlenberg, Mariam El Awad, Serpil Turhan, Tamer Yigit, Fazli Yrderi and Savas Yurderi. Trans Film and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF). Black and White; 82 min. Germany: 1996/97.
A film about three young siblings from a German-Turkish family living in Berlin. 17-year-old Leyla only wants to escape from her family while her brother, called to military service in Istanbul intends to accept enlistment, against the advice of his mother and brother Ahmed, who is just about to graduate from high school and having difficulties with his girlfriend and his cultural background. PAL format.
Ataman, E. Kutlug. Lola und Bilidikid. Production: Martin Hagemann, James Schamus, Mary Jane Skalski, Martin Wiebel and Zeynep Özbatur. Writing: E. Kutlug Ataman. Editing: Ewa J. Lind. Cinematography: Chirs Squires. Score: Arpad Bondy. Cast: Gandi Mukli, Baki Davrak, Erdal Yildiz, Inge Keller and Michael Gerber. Boje Buck Production GmbH, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), and Zero Film GmbH. Color/ 35mm; 90-95 min. Germany: 1999.
Murat from Turkey, living in Berlin Germany, slowly discovers his homosexuality. His older brother Osman wants him to finally lose his virginity in a heterosexual manner thus causing Murat to run away. In a bar, Murat meets a tranvestite, Lola, and also Bilidikid, who thinks Murat is enamoured with Lola. Eventually Lola is revealed as Murat's actual brother disowned by Osman years ago.
Baser, Tevfik. 40 Quadratmeter Deutschland. Production: Tevfik Baser. Writing: Tevfik Baser. Editing: Renate Merck. Cinematography: Izzet Akay. Score: Claus Bantzer. Cast: Özay Fecht, Yaman Okay, Demir Gökgöl and Mustafa Guelpimar. Studio Hamburg Filmproduktion and Tevfik Baser Filmproduktion. Color; 80 min. Germany: 1986.
Director, Tevfik Baser. The tale of a young Turkish woman who, after an arranged marriage, follows her much older husband to Hamburg, where he had been working for some time. Instead of allowing his wife to experience for herself life in this German city, the husband anxiously shields her from any contact with the host culture and keeps her a prisoner in their apartment. PAL format. In Turkish with German subtitles.
Baumann, Fritz. Anansi. Production: Alena Rimbach and Herbert Rimbach. Writing: Fritz Baumann. Editing: Christian Lonk. Cinematography: Arturo Smith. Score: Roman Bunka. Cast: Jimmy Akingbola, Maynard Eziashi, Naomie Harris, George Quaye and Danny Sapani. Avista Film, Brainpool, and Calypso Filmproduktion. Color/ 35 mm.; 80 min. Germany: 2002.
From Ghana to a deserted coast - from Morocco to Spain - out of desperate need, a group of West Africans dare the perilous journey to Germany. But their path to the promised land of satellite dishes and a better life is strewn with obstacles.
Baumgarten, Norbert. Befreite Zone. Production: Anke Hartwig and Jan Philip Lange. Writing: Norbert Baumgarten. Cast: Axel Prahl, Daniela Hoffmann, Johanna Klante and Jacob Matschenz. Ö Filmproduktion Loeprich and Schloesser GmbH. Color; Germany/Croatia: 2002.
Sässlen is a small town somewhere in East Germany in the mid-1990s where things are beginning to look better– at least where soccer is concerned. FC Sässlen is at the top of the league. The next game against a Bavarian team is East Germany’s big chance to take revenge on the West. The team’s center forward, Ade, of African descent, is married to Heidi from West Germany who refuses to join him in the East. Ade starts an affair with Sylvia, Michael’s girlfriend, and Michael has an affair with Kerstin, Sylvia’s best friend. When Ade signs up with the Bavarian team and moves to the West, his wife joins him and Michael returns to Sylvia who is expecting a baby. Who might be the father?
Bohm, Hark. Yasemin. Production: Natalia Bowakow and Martin Schulz (I). Writing: Hark Bohm. Editing: Moune Barius. Cinematography: Slavomir Idziak. Score: Jens-Peter Ostendorf. Cast: Ayse Romey, Uwe Bohm, Sener Sen and Illhan Emirli. Hamburger Kino-Kompanie and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF). Color; 70 min. Germany: 1987.
20 years old Casanova Jan falls in love with the 3 years younger Turkish girl Yasemin, who lives in Germany with her family. She's well protected by her father, who believes in the Turkish traditions. She has to struggle for every little freedom that's certain for her German friends, but still respects and loves her father and keeps the appearance of an honorable Turkish girl. Her love to Jan however disturbs this fine balance. So it's not hate or quarrel that interferes with their love, but the differences of their cultures. ( Tom Zoerner, www.imdb.com)
Brusati, Franco. Pane E Cioccolata. Production: Maurizio Lodi-Fe and Turi Vasile. Writing: Franco Brusati and Jaja Fiastri. Editing: Mario Morra. Cinematography: Luciano Tovoli. Score: Daniele Patucchi Cast: Nino Manfredi. Verona Produzione. Color/ 35mm.; 100 min. Italy: 1973/74.
A comic but poignant portrait of an Italian immigrant working odd jobs in prosperous Switzerland and trying desperately to fit in. Though his work becomes increasingly degrading, he tenaciously refuses to give up and go home. This hapless Everyman is eternally rejected yet ever-hopeful.
Dörrie, Doris. Happy Birthday, Türke! Production: Gerd Huber and Renate Seefeldt. Writing: Jakob Arjouni and Doris Dörrie. Cinematography: Helge Weindler. Score: Markus Lonardoni and Peer Raben. Cast: Meret Becker, Hansa Czypionka, Özay Fecht, Lambert Hamel and Joachim Król. Cobra Film GmbH and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF). Color; 109 min. Germany: 1991.
Kemal Kayankaya, a private detective, was hired by a Turkish women, Ilter, to search for his husband, Amend, who has been missing since the death of her father, Vassif. Unknownst to him, he was about to unravel the secrets of his client's family, as well as their various dealings with the underworld and the police. Moreover, being a Turk raised in a German foster family, he has also begun to understand and accept his own ethnicity. (Edward Chan, www.imdb.com)
Elçi, Ismet. Dungun – Die Heirat. Writing: Ismet Elçi. Cinematography: Martin Gressmann. Score: Nizamettin Ariç. Cast: Asli Altan, Halil Ergün, Gülsen Tuncer and Ogunz Tunç. Germany: 1993.
Der junge Türke Metin ist auf dem Weg von Berlin in seine ostanatolische Heimat, die ihm so fremd geworden ist. Er will seine schwerkranke Mutter besuchen. Als er endlich in Yenice eintrifft, ist sie zu seiner Überraschung wohlauf. Bald dämmert ihm, dass das Telegramm seines Vaters Ihsan nur ein Vorwand war, um ihn nach Hause zu locken. Den wahren Grund erfährt er von seiner Mutter: Er soll die ihm fremde Aygül heiraten. Aygül erwartet ihren zukünftigen Ehemann bereits ungeduldig, obwohl sie ihn seit ihrer Kindheit nicht gesehen hat …
http://www.cinema-muenster.de/dielinse/projekte+reihen/fremdeheimat/yasemin.htm
Fassbinder, Rainer Werner. Angst essen Seele auf. Writing: Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Editing: Thea Eymèsz. Cinematography: Jürgen Jürges. Score: Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Cast: Brigitte Mira and El Hedi ben Salem. Color/35mm.; 93 min. Germany: 1973.
A Moroccan immigrant in Munich comes up against social and racial prejudice when he marries a sixty-year-old charwoman.
---. Katzelmacher. Production: Peer Raben and Antitheater X-film. Writing: Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Editing: Franz Walsch. Cinematography: Dietrich Lohmann. Cast: Hanna Schygulla Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Lilith Ungerer, Rudolf Waldemar Brem, Elge Storbas. Black and White; 88 min. Germany: 1969.
Jorgos, an emigrant worker from Greece, joins a group of young people usually hanging around. This foreigner incites hostility and jealousy among them, and he is insulted as a "Communist" and "Greek dog". After having been attacked, Jorgos talks to Maria of his wish to return home. (L.H. Wong, www.imdb.com)
Fíla, Ivan. König der Diebe. Production: Rudolf Biermann and Helga Bähr. Writing: Ivan Fíla. Editing: Ivana Davidová. Cinematography: Vladimír Smutny. Score: Michael Kocáb. Cast: Iakov Kultiasov, Katharina Thalbach, Julia Khanverdieva, Oktay Özdemir and Paulus Manker. Color/ 35mm.; Deutschland/Frankreich/Österreich/Slowakei: 2004.
An Ukrainian father sells his 9-year-old son Barbu and his older sister Mimma to the superficially jolly yet unscrupulous showman Caruso who promises, that both talented children will be featured in his Berlin-based Circus. He smuggles the kids across the border and then leaves the girl at a brothel, and instead of the promised circus training, he initiates Barbu into a life of crime. A strange relationship grows between the man and the boy. This harshly realistic, yet moving and gentle story of a modern Oliver Twist was inspired by the lives of real children in Italy and Germany in the nineties. (http://www.filmfest-muenchen.de/)
Fischer, Elmar. Fremder Freund. Production: Michael Amtmann, Sabine Lamby, Giulio Ricciarelli and Sven Walser. Writing: Elmar Fischer and Tobias Kniebe. Editing: Florian Emmerich. Cinematography: Antje Zynga Score: Matthias Beine. Cast: Antonio Wannek, Navid Akhavan, Mina Tander, Mavie hoerbiger and Fatih Alas. Naked Eye Filmproduktion, Shot by Shot Filmproduktion, and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF). Color/ Digital Video; 106 min. Germany: 2003.
We were friends. Were we? He doesn’t mention that he’s leaving, says no good-byes. He parties one last time as if there was no tomorrow and the next day simply disappears: Yunes, 22 years old, a process engineering student in Berlin, born in Yemen.
Gsponer, Alain. Kiki + Tiger. Production: Rima Schmidt. Writing: Alexander Buresch, Alain Gesponer and Edin Hinrichs-Hadzimakovic. Editing: Mike Schaerer. Cinematography: Matthias Fleischer. Score: Marius Lange. Cast: Monika Ebert, Stipe Erceg, Lenn Kudrjawizki and Marek Wlodarczyk. Color/ 35 mm.; Germany: 2002.
Based on true events, Kiki & Tiger is the story of a friendship between a Kosovo Albanian and a Serb - an impossible friendship in Europe of the nineties. Kiki comes to Germany seeking political asylum, only to become an illegal alien driven out of his country by Serbs. His best friend is a Serb, Tiger, who grew up in Germany and cannot relate to all the nationalistic zeal in his home country. Together, they defy all external pressure. It seems as if their friendship is indestructible...
Guenar, Suelbiye. Karamuk. Production: Sonja Goslicki and Anke Scheib. Writing: Suelbiye Guenar and Grit Neuber. Editing: Dora Vajda. Cinematography: Peter Przybylski. Score: Neil Black. Cast: Klaus Behrendt, Helga Goering, Burak Guelgen, Anne Kasprik, Julia Mahnecke, Adnan Maral and Buket Yeni. Color/ 35 mm.; 97 min. Germany: 2002.
Johanna, a chubby 17-year-old teenager, dreams of studying fashion design in Paris. For years, Johanna has been making her own, very off-beat clothes and now she doesn´t want to finish school anymore. While looking for a sponsor for her design career, she finds out who her real father is - a Turk who has been living for years with his family in Cologne, where he runs an elegant Turkish restaurant. Instead of facing her new situation and her feelings Johanna pursues her original plan to locate the money for her studying. Without telling her father the truth she starts working as a kitchen helper at his restaurant and unfortunately runs into a catastrophe...
Günar, Sülbiye. Saniyes Lust. Production: Jost Hering. Writing: Suelbiye V. Guenar. Editing: Karin Nowaara. Cinematography: Peter Przybyiski. Score: Niel Black. Cast: Henning Gissel, Daniel Krauss, Silvan Pierre Leirich, Peggy Lukac, Ellen Schlooz and Idil Uener. Jost Hering Film/Berlin and Deutsche Film- & Fernsehakademie (dffb)/Berlin, ZDF/Mainz. Color/ 35 mm.; Germany: 2004.
Saniye, a modern young woman of Turkish decent, develops, after her wedding, a strong desire to catch up with her family´s expectations. She desperately wants to become a mother, but just can´t get pregnant. Her marriage with Tom, a German construction engineer, is subsequently put to the test ...http://www.filmfest-muenchen.de/)
Hartwig, Stephan, Bohdan Graczyk, and Michael Wolf. Die Wittelsbacher: Eine Wahre Geschichte. Germany: 2003.
Theo has been living (and drinking) under the Wittelsbacher bridge in Munich since the death of his 10-year-old daughter in a car crash in which he was driving under the influence. Now he’s withdrawn and cynical, and alcohol is all he has to drown his feelings of guilt. But then Alina enters his life. She is ten, from Bulgaria, and doesn’t speak a word of German. Theo pieces together that she ran away fron home because she was sexually abused and then held captive by a child porno dealer. Although taking responsibility for a child is the last thing Theo wants, Alina’s dismal situation wrenches him out of his lethargy and forces him to confront the present as well as the past. (http://www.filmfest-muenchen.de/)
Helmer, Veit. Tur zum Himmel. Production: Veit Helmer and Ulf Israel. Writing: Gordan Mihic and Veit Helmer. Editing: Silke Botsch and Hansjörg Weißbrich. Cinematography: Joachim Jung. Score: Lars Löhn. Cast: Natalie Bialobos, Carrie Hilton, Heidi Levitt, Dilip Shankar and Vladimir Zelezniakov. Veit Helmer Filmproduktion, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), Arte. Color, 35 mm.; 90 min. Germany: 2003.
Millions of people pass through the Frankfurt Airport on their way from one city to another; for Alexej and Nisha, however, the airport is a city in itself - their own. With the help of airport technician Dak, Alexej breaks out of the holding area for refugees. Dak puts up the Russian, who yearns to become a pilot, in an underground labyrinth of pipes and vents. The young Indian woman Nisha pictures herself as a flight attendant, but the only time she ever boards a plane is to clean it… The two meet one night inside an empty jet as they are both acting out their dreams. Enraptured, the passionate Alexej offers her his love - and wins her heart.
Kaurismäki, Mika. Helsinki Napoli All Night Long. Production: Mika Kaurismäki, Christa Saredi and Frrancis von Buren. Writing: Mika Kaurismäki and Richard Reitinger. Editing: Helga Borsche. Cinematography: Helge Weindler. Score: Jacques Zwart. Cast: Kari Väänänen, Roberta Manfredi, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Margi Clarke, Nino Manfredi and Mélanie Robeson. Color; 105 min. Finland/Switzerland/West Germany: 1987.
Alex is a Finnish cabbie working in Berlin with plenty of problems in this comedy with film noir touches. With two dead men and a suitcase filled with hundred dollar bills, he has difficulty disposing of the bodies. He is chased by the top crime boss and his crony (Eddie Constantine). Alex's wife is allergic to the money, so the cabbie endures more than he can handle trying to rid himself of the cash and the corpses. (Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide)
Kleinert, Andreas. Neben der Zeit. Cast: Sylvester Groth, Julia Jäger, Michael Poretschenkow and Rosel Zech. Color; 105 min. Germany: 1995.
Sophie, a young railway station manager in a small town in the former GDR after unification, falls in love with a Russian soldier who lives in hiding. When she introduces him to her family, her younger brother kills the Russian out of childish jealousy and fear of change in the family. This does not stop the disintegration of the family, as Sophie leaves at the end.
Koller, Xavier. Reise der Hoffnung. Production: Peter-Christian Fueter and Alfi Sinniger. Writing: Xavier Koller and Feride Çiçekoglu. Editing: Daniel Gibel and Galip Iyitanir. Cinematography: Elemér Ragályi. Score: Terje Rypdal. Cast: Emin Sivas Necmettin Çobanoglu, Yaman Okay, Erdinc Akbas, Matias Gnädinger, and Dietmar Schönherr. Anta, Catpics AG, Channel Four Films, Cineverde, Condor Films, Dewe Hellthaler International, Eurimages, and Schweizer Fernsehen DRS. Color; 109 min. Switzerland/United Kingdom/Turkey: 1990.
Based on true events, this is the story of a poor Kurdish family from Turkey who struggle to reach their promised land, Switzerland. Haydar decides to emigrate illegally but finds himself and his family at the mercy of their smugglers. As the journey progresses, every step costs more than promised until, by the time they reach the Swiss borders, they have lost all of their money. With nothing but their dream to sustain them they face crossing the brutally cold and dangerous Swiss Mountains.
Kutlucan, Hussi. Ich Chef, Du Turnschuh. Production: Claudia Tronnier and Margarita Woskanjan. Writing: Hussi Kutlucan. Editing: Patricia Rommel and Catherine Steghens. Cinematography: Lars Barthel. Cast: Wiebke Inn Hussi Kutlucan, Senta Moira, and Heinz-Werner Kraehkamp. Malita Film. Color; 92 min. Germany: 1998.
Die turbulent-groteske Odyssee eines Asylbewerbers durch Deutschland ist eine übermütige Komödie mit märchenhaften Zügen. (www.zdf.de)
Lukacevic, Damir. Heimkehr. Writing: Damir Lukacevic and Edin Hinrichs-Hadzimahovic. Cinematography: David Schultz. Cast: Rade Radovic, Mustafa Nadarevic, Vlasta Knezovic and Carlo Ljubek. GAMBIT Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH. Color; Germany/Croatia: 2004.
The Klaric family came to Stuttgart in the 1960s hoping to make money and offer a better life to their sons Nikola and Jozo. Working day and night did result in some savings but the price the parents had to pay was high: The family fell apart.
Madeisky, Uschi, and Klaus Werner. Kleiner Mann Was Tun. Writing: Uschi Madeisky and Klaus Werner. Editing: Inge Schneider. Cinematography: Gerard Vandenberg. Cast: Heidi Brühl. COLORAMA Filmproduktion, Frankfurt/Main. Color; 85 min. 1981.
"Die Familie Akar hat unverzüglich die Bundesrepublik Deutschland zu verlassen" heißt es in dem schrecklichen Brief des Ausländeramtes. Die Eltern ergeben sich diesem Schicksal, aber der Junge setzt in letzter Minute alles in Bewegung, um den Rausschmiß zu verhindern. Sein Weg: pfiffig mogelt er sich durch die Ausländerbehörde. Die Sachbearbeiter begreifen den Ernst der Lage nicht. Sie haben nur ganz merkwürdige Spiele im Kopf.
Eine Chance gibt es noch: die Tochter des allgewaltigen Behördenleiters - auch wenn sie für den kleinen Helden noch ein bißchen zu jung ist. (Kinderfilm-online.de)
Nüchtern, Rüdiger. Nacht der Wölfe. Writing: Rüdiger Nüchtern and Karl-Heinz Mayer. Cinematography: Renato Fortunato. Score: Jörg Evers. Cast: Ali Arkadas, Hans Brenner, Fritz Gattinger, Sabine Gundlach and Renard Hatzke. Germany: 1981.
Im Münchner Stadtteil Haidhausen wächst die Rivalität zwischen einer deutschen und einer türkischen Jugendbande. (http://www.deutsches-filmhaus.de)
Okan, Tunç. Mercedes Mon Amour. Cast: Valérie Lemonie, Ilyas Salman and Micky Sébastian. 90 min. Germany/France/Turkey: 1992.
Der Gastarbeiter Bayram hat das deutsche Statusdenken schnell verinnerlicht. Als Straßenkehrer hat er sich jeden Bissen vom Mund abgesparrt, um sich seinen Lebenstraum zu erfüllen: Einen Mercedes Benz 350 SE. Als er seine Braut aus seinem Heimatdorf abholen will, beginnt ein Weg mit Hindernissen.
(http://rhein-zeitung.de)
Paulus, Oliver, and Stefan Hillebrand. Wenn der Richtige Kommt. Production: Stefan Hillebrand, Oliver Paulus and Mathias Schick. Writing: Oliver Paulus and Stefan Hillebrand. Editing: Mathias Schick. Cinematography: Mathias Schick. Score: Erdal Tosun. Cast: Isolde Fischer, Helga Grimme, Can Sengül and Tülay Gönen. Motorfilm. Color; 78 min. Switzerland/Germany: 2003.
Paula Hartnagel works as a cleaning woman, leading an ordinary life. She loves life but, being a dreamer, she lives in a world of her own. She believes to have found the man of her dreams in Mustafa, a Turkish security guard. He, however, shows no signs of infatuation– quite the opposite. He feels uncomfortable when Paula shows up at his hang out to meet with him and his friends. Paula does not register any of this. Suddenly, her rather ordinary life starts to change. She mistakes politeness for love, but when Mustafa doesn’t show up at work anymore she starts to look for him, stumbling into the greatest adventure of her life. (Deborah Young, Variety).
Praunheim, Rosa von. Stadt der verlorenen Seelen. Production: Renée Gundelach. Writing: Rosa von Praunheim. Editing: Rosa von Praunheim. Cinematography: Renée Gundelach. Cast: Wayne County, Manfred Finger, Judith Flex, Helga Goetze, Rolf Holzhütter and Gerhard Helle. Color/ 16 mm.; 89 Min. Germany: 1982.
Rose von Praunheim calls City of Lost Souls "a grotesque musical, my most entertaining film." The film tracks the desperate, beautiful lives of a group of (mostly) Americans in Berlin: transvestites Angie Stardust and Tara O’Hara, black exotic dancer Gary who has a thing for the supernatural, and star-struck Joaquin La Habana, Cuba’s cutest export. (http://egyptiantheatre.com)
Saless, Sohrab Shahid. Dar Ghorbat. Writing: Helga Houzer and Sohrab Shahid Saless. Editing: Ruhallah Emami. Cinematography: Ramin Reza Molai. Cast: Hüsamettin Kaya, Parviz Sayyad and Muhammet Temizkan. Color; 91 min. Iran/Germany: 1975.
In der Fremde (Dar Ghorbat) zeigt den Bau eines Futtersilos im flachen Oldenburgischen Land. Man sieht dieses Land nicht, die Kamera konzentriert sich ‘klassisch’ auf einen Ort, eine Zeit, grenzt bewußt das Umland aus. ‘Flaches Land’ ist dieser Drehort auch abwertend: "Fremde". Die am Bau mitarbeiten, hier nicht wohnen, haben nur ein Ziel: möglichst viel Geld zu verdienen, die eigene Arbeitskraft optimal auszubeuten
Sanders-Brahms, Helma. Shirins Hochzeit. Writing: Helma Sanders-Brahms. Editing: Margot Löhlein. Cinematography: Thomas Mauch. Score: Ömer S. Livanelli. Cast: Ayten Erten, Jürgen Prochnow, Aras Ören, Aliki Georgouli, Janis Kiriakidis and Péter Franke. Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). Black and White; 120 min. Germany: 1975/6.
Die junge Türkin Shirin verläßt Anatolien auf der Suche nach Mahmud, dem sie als Kind versprochen war. In Köln, wo Shirin zunächst Arbeit findet, hofft sie, ihn zu finden. Die Solidarität ihrer Kolleginnen hilft Shirin, sich in der fremden Welt einzugewöhnen. Doch als sie die Arbeit wieder verliert, gerät sie in die Fänge einer Zuhälter-Gang und wird als Nutte ausgebeutet. Nachts in einem Gastarbeiterwohnheim trifft sie auf Mahmud. Die Umstände haben Mahmud, nachdem Shirin ihn 2 Jahre lang gesucht hat, verändert. Die ersehnte Hochzeit findet nicht statt. Als Opfer einer Schießerei zwischen gegnerischen Zuhälter-Banden liegt Shirin am Ende einsam und unbeachtet in den Furchen eines Ackers. (http://www.deutsches-filmhaus.de)
Schmid, Hans-Christian. Lichter. Production: Jakob Claussen, Uli Putz and Thomas Wöbke. Writing: Igor Zaritzki. Editing: Bernd Schlegel and Hansjörg Weißbrich. Cinematography: Bogumil Godfrejow. Score: The Notwist. Cast: Ivan Shvedoff, Sergej Frolov, August Diehl, Herbert Knaup and Maria Simon. Bavaria Film International and Dept. of Bavaria Media GmbH. Color; 105 min. 2003.
The river Oder between Poland and Germany is a magnet for people from all walks of life on their journey towards happiness, security, and prosperity. It’s a place where Ukrainian refugees beg and bargain for entry to the “golden West” and pin all their hopes on Polish help. Where a hapless businessman loses everything he owns but gains something more important. Where a teenager defies his father and brother to free the girl he loves from a detention centre. Where an interpreter risks her career and her freedom to help an illegal refugee. And where an architect meets his former girlfriend and discovers that they’ve both changed too much to find common ground for a new start. At this crossroad between two worlds, where the law of the land is that of self-preservation, men and women struggle to maintain their dignity and their values as they are stripped to the raw core of their existence. Yet even in this hostile climate, love and compassion and the quiet joy of small miracles blossom in the most unexpected ways.
Schrader, Uwe. Sierra Leone. Production: Renée Gundelach and Hans-Jörg Weyhmüller. Writing: Uwe Schrader and Klaus Müller-Laue. Editing: Klaus Müller-Laue. Cinematography: Klaus Müller-Laue. Score: Bülent Ersoy. Cast: Gottfried Breitfuss, Nikolaus Dutsch, Constanze Engelbrecht, András Fricsay Kali Son, Ann-Gisel Glass, Christian Redl and Rita Russek. Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) and Uwe Schrader Filmproduktion. Color; 92 min. Germany: 1987.
Ein Parforce-Ritt durch ein ebenso reales wie imaginäres Deutschland. Bilder und Töne wie diese aus der Welt des Subproletariats, der Fremden und der Gastarbeiter hat man wohl noch in kaum einem deutschen Film der letzten Jahre gesehen. (http://www.bk.fh-hannover.de)
Schroeter, Werner. Palermo oder Wolfsburg. Production: Renée Gundelach. Writing: Klaus Dethloff and Giuseppe Fava. Editing: Werner Schroeter, Ursula West. Cinematography: Thomas Mauch. Score: Alban Berg. Cast: Nicola Zarbo, Otto Sander, Ida Di Benedetto and Magdalena Montezuma. Artco-Film and Thomas Mauch Filmprodukion (München). Color; 175 min. Germany/Switzerland: 1979/80.
Werner Schroeter has fashioned a compelling personal epic about an 18-year-old Sicilian, Nicola, who emigrates to Germany. There he works in a Volkswagen factory, falls in love, and painfully adjusts to a new and incomprehensible way of life. When he realizes his girlfriend is just using him, Nicola strikes out in violence at her two boyfriends. www.imdb.com
Schütte, Jan. Drachenfutter. Production: Jan Schütte and Eric Nellessen. Writing: Jan Schütte and Thomas Strittmatter. Editing: Andreas Schreitmüller. Cinematography: Lutz Konemann. Score: Claus Bantzer. Cast: Patel Bhasker, Frank Oladeinde, Youngme Song, Wolf-Dietrich Sprenger, Buddy Uzzaman, Ulrich Wildgruber and Ric Young. Novoskop Film, Probst Film, and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF). Black and White/ 16mm; Germany: 1987.
In this moving story an Asian political refugee arrives in Hamburg and finds himself in a land of welfare hotels and con men. He manages to land a job at a Chinese restaurant where he joins forces with a friend in an attempt to open their own restaurant and storm the citadel of Western capitalism.
Sehr, Peter. Das serbische Mädchen. Production: Dirk R. Düwel. Writing: Siegfried Lenz and Peter Sehr. Editing: Dagmar Hirtz. Cinematography: Dietrich Lohmann. Score: Goran Bregovic. Cast: Mirjana Jokovic, Ben Becker, Pascal Breuer, Valdimir Torbica, Joachim Regelien, Peter Carsten and Volker Prechtel. Arbor TV Filmproduktion GmbH, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), and Trebitsch Production International (TPI). Color; 92 Min. Germany/ Yugoslavia: 1990.
The naive 18 year old Dobrila leaves her little Serbian village to travel to Hamburg, Germany, where her boyfriend lives. The trip is not easy. Finally in Hamburg she has to realize her boyfriend is not very interested in a relationship. She doesn't tell him she's pregnant and starts on her way home to Serbia, which turns out to be even more exhausting.
(Sascha Borovcanin, www.imdb.com)
Solomun, Zoran. Weltmeister. Production: Hartmut Jahn. Writing: Zoran Solomun. Editing: Petar Markovic. Cinematography: Slavomir Idziak. Cast: Hans-Joachim Grubel, Grit Hornig and Tatjana Kuprijanowa. Jahn Filmproduktion Berlin. Color; 71 min. Germany: 1994.
The story of a young German girl and her interrupted friendship with a young Russian boy who has grown up in one of the Russian barracks near Berlin, just before the family is sent back to Russia. A quiet intensive film over the loss of security, which for the two children coincides with their parting from childhood
Sözen, Kadir. Winterblume. Writing: Kadir Sözen. Editing: Mevlüt Kocak. Cinematography: Franz Rath. Score: Orhan Temur. Cast: Shihab Adam, Ugur Çavusoglu, Ani Ipekkaya, Gandi Mukli, Menderes Samancilar, Cengiz Sezici and Meral Yügüeç. Filmfabrik and Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). Color; 107 min. Germany: 1997.
Mehmet Umut, ein türkischer Emigrant, lebt mit seiner Frau und seinem kleinen Sohn in Köln. Nachdem seine Aufenthaltsgenehmigung abgelaufen ist, wird er ohne jegliche Verwarnung an einen frühen Morgen von der Polizei aus dem Schlaf gerissen, abgeführt und noch am gleichen Tag aus der BRD ausgewiesen und in die Türkei zurückgeschickt. Seine Familie bleibt entsetzt und hilflos zurück.
http://www.cinema-muenster.de/dielinse/projekte+reihen/fremdeheimat/yasemin.htm
Stelzer, Manfred. Die Chinesen kommen. Production: Klaus Volkenborn. Writing: Ulrich Enzensberg and Manfred Stelzer. Cinematography: David Slama. Score: Rio Reiser. Cast: Monika Baumgartner, Bembe Bowakow, Jörge Hube, Martin Sperr and Rolf Zacher. Color; 97 min. Germany: 1986.
Delegates and workmen from China appear in a small Bavarian village to dismantle and ship to their country parts of a shut-down industrial plant. Four Bavarian labourers are supposed to assist them in their efforts, and in spite of cultural differences and language barriers this rather unusual encounter of two cultures seems to go pretty well. (Otto Oberhauser, www.imdb.com)
Tibe, Kartal. Gurbetçi Saban. Writing: Halit Akcatepe and Osman Seden. Cast: Kemal Suna, Müge Akyamaç, Yavuzer Cetinkaya, Reha Yurdakul, Baykal Kent and and Ferhan Tanseli. Color; Turkey: 1985.
A man goes to Germany to work there and falls for a Turkish girl also came to Germany to work.
Woernle, Bettina. Sydney an der Wupper. Cast: Meryl Tankard and Urs Kaufmann. Germany: 1982.
Meryl Tankard, Tänzerin bei Pina Bausch in Wuppertal, kommt aus Australien; ein Film über Heim- und Fernweh, ein Film wie eine Performance. Ihr Tanz am Ende des Films speist sich aus Erinnerung an die ferne Heimat…
(http://www.cinema-muenster.de)
Yavuz, Yüksel. Aprilkinder. Production: Thomas Kufus. Writing: Britta Ohm, Henner Winckler and Yüksel Yavuz. Editing: Arpad Bondy. Cinematography: Ciro Cappellari. Cast: Inga Busch, Bülent Sharif, Senem Tepe and Erdal Yildiz. Zero Film GmbH and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF). Color/ 35mm.; 85 min. Germany: 1998.
Directed by Yuksel Yavuz. The story of a Kurdish family in Hamburg. The brothers Cem and Mehmet live with their sister Dilan and their immigrant parents in Germany. Mehmet drifts off into a world of crime while Cem works in a meat factory and falls in love with a German prostitute before obeying his father's will and marrying a relative from his faraway Kurdish village. The "Aprilchildren" are the descendants of a generation torn between two worlds: they have lost their former native country, its traditions and its values, but are still alienated in their new country.
---. Kleine Freiheit. Production: Tobias Büchner, Ralph E. Cotta and Peter Stockhaus. Writing: Thomas Schadt and Yüksel Yavuz. Editing: Lars Späth. Cinematography: Patrick Orth. Score: Ali Ecber. Cast: Cagdas Bozkurt, Necmettin Cobanoglu, Leroy Delmar and Sunay Girisken. Cotta Media Entertainment GmbH. 102 min. 2002.
Baran, a Kurd, comes to Germany after his parents were killed in their village. With the help of relatives, Baran settles down in Hamburg Altona, where he applies for asylum and survives by running errands for his uncle’s Turkish fast-food restaurant. When he encounters the seventeen-year old Chernor, a gay illegal immigrant from Africa, his life seems to gain impetus. The two hang out together and get to know each other’s friends. When Baran discovers that Chernor is financing his future by dealing drugs, their relationship is put to the test. Things heat up even more when Baran befriends a man from his village who turns out to be involved in his parents’ death.