“Soul Kitchen” ran on TV again, and many fans and new discoverers of this extraordinary film finally had an unusually fun evening in front of the television. That's how it felt to me.
Soul Kitchen is a work of Fatih Akin who has already delighted a film director and screenwriter, producer and actor
The importance of Fatih Akin for the cinema
Fatih Akin, the award -winning German director and screenwriter, has changed the cinema with his films.
His works touch the hearts of the audience and take them on a trip to profound topics and emotions. In this blog post we will take a closer look at the impressive work and the moving biography of Fatih Akin.
Fatih Akin has had an enormous impact on German cinema in recent years and is considered one of the most important directors in the industry . His works are characterized by a unique narrative style that is characterized by stylistic features and a sense of social issues and cultural diversity .
The representation of his figures is authentic and empathetic at the same time, which makes his films into emotional masterpieces.
Fatih Akin's successes were recognized with numerous awards, including internationally renowned prizes such as the Golden Bär in Berlin or the European Film Award . His influence on the German film industry and the international reception of its films should not be underestimated.
The career of Fatih Akin: from Hamburg to international recognition
Fatih Akın was born in Hamburg in 1973 and grew up in the colorful, exciting, brutal, yet inspiringly interesting district of Altona. Akin already wrote short stories and screenplays at the high school, and a Super 8 camera had to serve for the first film attempts, but as a student he was a member of an off-theater group at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg .
Akin had long known that he wanted to become a film director, the first stop on the way there were temporary activities during a film production in Hamburg.
After graduating from high school, he studied visual communication at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts , and he continued to work on the Hamburg desert film, whose producer Stefan Schubert and Ralph Schwingel increasingly started as an author, director and actor.
Schwingels and Schubert's interest in the promotion of young film talents became a productive collaboration, which initially made Akin's short films Sensin (1995) and Tied (1996) and finally found its first highlight in Akın's debut as a feature film director in 1998:
“Short and painless” , the history of the friendship of a multicultural small-scale clique in Hamburg-Altona , which goes under in its own violence, and this story already makes the qualities that Akın's films make so special.
The action is complicated and not just in a culture, the visual style is reserved, and yet the story of love, friendship and betrayal is told so well and consistently that the audience can follow without effort.
Even more, they follow breathless, the film develops a gripping tension that misses many Hollywood productions, “a film like a diamond” (TV movie) was called the “ rousing milieu thriller ” (cinema). So this debut film was able to clear prices, the good performance of the actors was recognized with the bronze Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival of the Bavarian Film Award received the director .
After an interlude as the main actor in Andreas Thiel's only self -staged film, the satirical comedy Black Souls - Kismet (nominated for the Max Ophüls Prize in 2000), the success story Akins continued in 2000 with the adorable road movie in July .
As in “short and painless”, Moritz Bleibtreu the leading role, this time together with Christiane Paul. Quotes from the meetings to this film quickly make it clear why he was in 2001 the German Film Prize (to Moritz Bleibtreu as a "best actor"), Jupiter (film and television award from the magazine Cinema, to Fatih Akin as a "best German director" and Moritz Bleibtreu as a "best German actor") and the Tromsø International Film Festival audience for the "best" Directed ”).
Developed as a classic confusion comedy, the story develops in a tried and tested manner, but always surprises with unexpected turns and funny action sequences. ” (Video week)
A wonderful filmmar ”(Blickpunkt Film)
A little film with a big feeling - as beautiful and exciting as love ”(Cinema)
In 2002 Solino (2002) , again with Moritz Bleibtreu and Fatih Akın's first work after a strange script: He was enthusiastic about Ruth Tomas, which producer Schwingel presented to him for assessment, that he absolutely wanted to do the film himself.
The collaboration was excellent, the stirring story of an Italian family who emigrated from southern Italy to the Ruhr area, cleared out at the Bavarian Film Award (Ruth Toma: “Best DROCK”, Barnaby Metschurat: “Best Young Scales”) received the guild film award in Silver in the Best German Film category and was nominated for the German film award in the best feature category.
Now Akin had enough experience and confirmation to venture more, together with Andreas Thiel and Klaus Maeck, he founded the film production company Corazón International in 2004. Fatih Akın now begins to think in the long term, in 2004 in cooperation with desert film The feature film “Against the Wall” was the first part of a trilogy about love, death and devil.
This first part is about love, again Akin was able to realistically tell a lovable, but also destructive and poetic story in an intensive visual language, which is rewarded with the Golden Bear at the Berlinale 2004, later the German Film Award and the European Film Award .
The awards should make him known internationally, so he was invited to the jury of the Cannes Film Festival and will receive a teaching position at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts for the winter semester 2005/06.
Akin takes more time for projects in addition to the feature films, in 2005 his first big documentary (Crossing the Bridge - The Sound of Istanbul, shows the musical diversity of the city), he also writes on the script of an intercultural comedy (Kebab Connection) and in 2006 participated in the production on the Turkish film “Takva - Furcht”, which is awarded numerous prices.
In 2007 Fatih Akın then became a member of the Hamburg Free Academy of the Arts and brings out the second part of his "love, death and devil" trilogy, "on the other side" . The world premiere was at the 60th Film Festival in Cannes, the script received a special prize there, and the film also received the German Film Award (in three categories: film, director and script), the script price of the European film award ceremony and a few more prizes.
“Soul Kitchen” follows a film that makes the heart of the audience beat faster, he not only fetches 7 international prizes and nominations for 4 more, but also runs extremely successfully in the cinemas, in several countries.
Already during his work in the second part of his trilogy, Akin had a documentary project that was planned for a long time and with which he is in discussion everywhere in 2012: “Garbage in the Garden of Eden” is a passionate film about a landfill that destroyed the home village of his grandparents, he was the only German film out of competition at the 65th Film Festival (no film was given in the official competition Invitation) and comes to cinemas in autumn.
If you don't know the films from Fatih Akın (all), you still have many fun and thoughtful hours in off-cinemas or in front of the video screen, and everyone else is looking forward to keeping an eye on the Akın life and environment and giving us away with many dramaturgically convincing and entertaining films.
Which, by the way, he was able to achieve partly with a budget with which an average television production for an average transmitter turns just one or two boring series consequences, the plot of each viewer forgot immediately after switching off.
Further information and an overview of his filmography can be found here: Fatih Akin in the film portal
Stylistic features in the films by Fatih Akin: a unique narrative style
One of the outstanding features in the Fatih Akin films is his unique narrative style. The director uses various stylistic devices such as flashbacks , parallel assembly and subjective camera work to present the plot in a special way.
He not only captures what is happening, but also the emotions and thoughts of the characters. Another characteristic element is the use of different languages within a film.
For example, German, Turkish and English are mixed together. This creates an authentic atmosphere that makes the audience immerse yourself in the world of film.
Fatih Akin's style is unmistakable and has had a big influence on the German cinema. His films are characterized by strong identification with the protagonists.
Social issues and cultural diversity in the works of Fatih Akin
Fatih Akin's works are known for their thematic diversity and cultural relevance . In his films, the director treats topics such as migration , racism , and religious identity in a way that is both authentic and sensitive.
An example of this is his film "Against the Wall" , who tells the story of a young Turkish woman who rebels against traditional family values and is involved in a relationship with an older man.
Due to his sensitive presentation of these difficult topics, Fatih Akin managed to address a wide audience and at the same time stimulate important social discussions.
His films not only show the different facets of our society, but also contribute to reducing prejudices and promoting understanding for other cultures.
The representation of the characters in the films by Fatih Akin: Authenticity and Empathy
The representation of the characters in the films of Fatih Akin is an important aspect of his work. The director manages to present his characters authentically and empathically so that they come close to the audience and touch their stories.
He uses a variety of techniques such as the use of amateur actors or the integration of personal experiences in the scripts.
The figures in his films are not stereotypes, but individual personalities with their own stories and problems. With this approach, Fatih Akin manages to emotionally touch his audience and to stimulate thought.
Awards and success of the director
Photo by Paul Katzenberger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In the course of his career as a director, Fatih Akin has achieved numerous awards and successes that underline its importance for the cinema. In 2004, for example, he received the European Film Award for his film "Against the Wall" .
also able to win several prizes at Cannes International Film Festival , including the prize of the jury in 2007 for "on the other side" and the price for the best script in 2017 for "out of nowhere" .
In addition, he was also awarded the German Film Award , including in the best feature film category for "Tschick" in 2016.
Overall, these successes show that Fatih Akin's works are very well received not only among the audience, but also among critics and juries. His unique narrative style and the authentic representation of social issues made him an important representative of German film.
Influence on the German film industry and international reception of its films
Fatih Akin not only has a major impact on the film industry nationally, but also internationally. Through his films, he managed to make German topics and stories accessible to a broad audience and thus contribute to the diversity of the German film landscape.
The international reception of his films shows that Fatih Akin is a director who is also perceived outside of Germany. His films are not only interesting for German spectators, but also address an international audience.
As a result, he contributes to the German cinema becomes better known worldwide. With his success, Fatih Akin also inspires other filmmakers in Germany and sets new standards in the industry.
Current projects and future plans from Fatih Akin
In the course of his career, Fatih Akin has made many remarkable films that were praised by critics and audiences alike.
In his upcoming project, Akin is devoted to the German canvas legend Marlene Dietrich . Therefore, it is not surprising that he also concerns the biography of a lively gangster rap myth "Rheingold"
For young people who love rap, Xatar roughly the same as Richard Wagner for 150 years for opera lovers: an icon. It is no coincidence that Akin, entitled of the film, also alludes to "The Rheingold", the famous Nibelung operator of the composer.
In the film we follow Gewar Hajabi's life story (played by Emilio Sakraya): Escape from Iraq, live in a social building settlement in Bonn and various forms of crime to the discovery of rapeseed and a large attack that takes him to prison and finally leads to a breakthrough as a rapper. The plot of the film is largely true with Xatars real life.
also goes to the North Sea island for his new “Amrum” The filming should take almost 50 days, and wrote the script together with Hark Bohm. In this film drama, the childhood is told by Bohm on the island of Amrum: hunting seals, nightly fishing and hard work on the field.
In the spring of 1945, nothing is too dangerous or too strenuous for the ten -year main character called Nanning in the film.
He supports his mother in feeding the family on the island in the last days of the war. With the long -awaited peace, however, completely new conflicts come and Nanning has to learn to take your own way.
These upcoming publications clearly show that Fatih Akin will continue to remain an important contribution to the German film industry and that the cinema will enrich the cinema in the future.
