ALMANCI! – Opposing Images June 12–20, 2009

İstanbul Modern Cinema, in collaboration with Ballhaus Naunynstrasse, presents a film program, which marks the 20th anniversary of the twinning of Istanbul and Berlin, and is also launched as part of Ernst Reuter Initiative for German-Turkish dialogue.

Having a powerful visual poetry and new kinds of protagonists who are not presented as victims anymore, these postmigrant artistic productions redefine the subject of migration while at the same time bring a new approach to the image of “Almancı” in Turkey. Focusing on the relationship between cinema and the Turkish-German migration, the program also invites a group of guest directors and actors such as Fatih Akın, Birol Ünel, Züli Aladağ, Buket Alakuş, Sinan Akkuş, Aysun Bademsoy, Mıraz Bezar, Neco Çelik, Hakan Savaş Mican, Ayşe Polat, Tamer Yiğit, Bülent Akıncı, Yüksel Yavuz.  

WE FORGOT TO GO BACK (WIR HABEN VERGESSEN ZURÜCKZUKEREEN), 2001
Germany | 35mm, Color, 60’ | German
Director: Fatih Akın
This personal documentary serves as the cinematic family album of Fatih Akın. Dedicated to his parents who emigrated from Turkey to Germany as guest workers in the 1960s, it consists mainly of interviews with members of his extended family in Hamburg. Following his history, he takes a journey to the coast of Black Sea where he would find the fisher village his father left 35 years ago hoping for a better life.
*Fatih Akın’s parents, Hadiye Akın and Mustafa Enver Akın will be present at the screening.

MY MOTHER (ANAM), 2001
Germany | 35mm, Color, 86’ | German
Director: Buket Alakuş
Anam finds out that her twenty-year old son has drifted into the drug scene and that her husband is having an affair with a colleague her whole world collapses around her. Determined to save her son, she has to fight both her conservative Turkish society and the whole drug world.
*The director Buket Alakuş and the actor, Birol Ünel will be present at the screening.

APRIL CHILDREN (APRILKINDER), 1998
Germany | 35mm, Color, 85’ | German, Turkish, Kurdish
Director: Yüksel Yavuz
Cem, Mehmet and Dilan are “April children” born in Germany. Cem works in a meat factory, while Mehmet is involved in drug dealing. When their sister, Dilan falls in love with a friend of Mehmet, and Cem though engaged with his cousin falls for a hooker, the family gets upside down.
*The director, Yüksel Yavuz will be present at the screening.

IN THE GAME (ICH GEHE JETZ REIN), 2008
Germany | 35mm, Color, 73’ | German, Turkish
Director: Aysun Bademsoy
It is a story of five women who love football. Safiye, Nazan, Türkan, Arzu and Nalan struggle to stay optimistic amidst the challenges of life and pain. Despite many difficulties and loss, their love for the sport which is still primarily perceived as a man’s domain, continues.
*The director, Aysun Bademsoy will be present at the screening.

DEALER, 1998
Germany | 35mm, Color, 73’ | German, Turkish
Director: Thomas Arslan
Can, Jale and their daughter live in Berlin. Having a regular job in a shop, Jale tries to convince Can quit drug dealing. When his boss, Hakan is killed on the street, Can makes up his mind to abandon drugs. Now his only purpose is to sell his last package...
*İdil Üner and Birol Ünel will be present at the screening.

IN ANOTHER LIGA (EINE ANDERE LIGA), 2004
Germany | 35mm, Color, 110’ | German
Director: Buket Alakuş
Hayat survives cancer, but loses one breast. Now that she is recovering, she wants to go back to her “normal” life, where soccer is the most crucial part. But her father, seriously worried about his child forbids playing football. Hayat, kicked out of her former team, meets a new one with a new trainer, whom she soon falls in love with.
*The director, Buket Alakuş will be present at the screening.

TOUR ABROAD (AUSLANDSTOURNEE), 1999
Germany | 35mm, Color, 91’ | German
Director: Ayşe PolatŞenay, an 11-years-old girl and Zeki, a gay nightclub singer go to search for Şenay’s mother. During the journey that takes them from Germany to France, and then from there to Turkey, these two strangers begin a warm relationship. While the story displays conflicts and adventures, it explores themes such as homeland, exile and alienation.
*The director, Ayşe Polat will be present at the screening.

EVET, I DO (EVET, ICH WILL!), 2008
Germany | 35mm, Color, 90’ | German, Turkish, English
Director: Sinan Akkuş
The story centers around four Turkish-German couples in pre-wedding turmoil. Dealing with the concept of marriage, the film highlights passion and cross-cultural complications. A good-humored comedy with the advice: Just say “evet”. It’s Turkish for “yes”.
*The director, Sinan Akkuş and the cast, Mürtüz Yolcu, Nuri Sezer, Hülya Duyar, Tim Seyfi, İdil Üner and Aykut Kayacık will be present at the screening.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS (GESCHWISTER), 1996
Germany | 35mm, Color, 82’ | German, Turkish
Director: Thomas Arslan
Berlin, Kreuzberg 1996. Erol, Ahmet and Leyla are three Turkish-German youngsters. Ahmet and Leyla have their German passports, but the 20-years-old Erol chooses the Turkish citizenship. One day Erol gets a call from Ankara; he has to attend the military service...

ME BOSS, YOU SNEAKERS!(ICH CHEF, DU TURNSCHUH), 1998
Germany | 35mm, Color, 93’ | German
Director: Hussi Kutlucan
The story begins in a container ship in Hamburg. The ship is being used as an incoming shelter for immigrants of various nationalities. Dudie and his fiancée Nanie have arrived from Armenia. Considering their situation hopeless, Nanie leaves Dudie to marry a German citizen. However, happy-go-lucky Dudie always seems to be able to find surprising ways out of the many problems in his life.

RUNNING ON EMPTY(DER LEBENSVERSICHERER), 2006
Germany | 35mm, Color, 97’ | German
Director: Bülent Akıncı
The film tells about an insurance salesman, B. Wagner, who endlessly cruises the Autobahn. He has to make as many insurance contacts as possible for a better life for his family. But the road he takes never ends, so he can’t return home. He is doomed to drive on roads forever.
*The director, Bülent Akıncı will be present at the screening.

SANİYE’S PLEASURE, 2003
Germany | 35mm, Color, 90’ | German
Director: Sülbiye Günar
Saniye is not interested in making a career, but she becomes obsessed with having a child. Her boyfriend, Tom does not like the idea first but then accepts her wishes. When the couple has to enter into an artificial insemination, their journey of faith that will take them through the medial world begins.
*The actress, İdil Üner will be present at the screening.

SELDA, 2006
Germany | 35mm, Color, 80’ | German
Director: Tamer Yiğit
David’s home is his car. He can’t leave the streets. He even does not remember when he lost his love, Selda. But one day Selda comes up.
*The director, Tamer Yiğit will be present at the screening.

MANYAK DÜKKÂN, 2009
Türkiye | Color, 73’ | Turkish
Director: Neco Çelik
The film focuses on different stories about a grocer shop in Kreuzberg. This shop acts an anchoring point for the lives of a series characters ranging from football fanatics and fighting couples to radical feminists. This is a wacky and funny movie about living life, off-the-cuff.

URBAN GUERILLAS, 2003
Germany | 35mm, Color, 87’ | German
Director: Neco Çelik
The film talks about the Berlin underground in all its youthful, rebellious urgency. Kasper and Danger are two graffiti artists ousted from their gangs. And breakdancer B-Boy Bülent’s fiancée wants him to focus less on his headspins and helicopters and more on their wedding. Madlen and Ozan try to launch their record label with a group of elusive, basement-dwelling street rappers.
*The director, Neco Çelik and the actresses, İlke Üner and İdil Üner will be present at the screening.

RAGE (WUT), 2006
Germany | 35mm, Color, 90’ | German, Turkish
Director: Züli Aladağ
The film deals with the antagonism between Can, the son of a Turkish immigrant family, and Felix, the son of a liberal middle-class family living in a safe and quiet Berlin neighborhood. For some time Felix has been in trouble with Can, who is bullying and stealing from him. While Felix simply wants to get on with life, his father Simon is becoming increasingly angry by the boy's attacks and decides to talk to Can's father, asking him to rein in his son. Confronted and humiliated, Can's anger knows no boundaries.
*The director, Züli Aladağ will be present at the screening.