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QPIX STUDENTS ARE TROPFEST FINALISTS
Graduates of QPIX’s 2011 Diploma of Production course have won their way into the finals of TROPFEST, the world’s largest short film festival, with their student production PHOTOBOOTH. Set in the Afghanistan conflict, PHOTOBOOTH is one of a sequence of...
'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' Out February 10
(Nationwide)
Over The Fence Comedy Film Deadline
(Nationwide)
Rottofest 2012: Call For Entries Now Open!
(Nationwide)
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Geoffrey Rush Joins Tropfest
The acclaimed actor and newly-crowned Australian of the Year, Geoffrey Rush, will be a key player in 2012’s Tropfest activities.
Naomi Watts To Play Princess Diana
The Aussie actress is set to play the people’s princess in an upcoming film that chronicles the final two years of Diana’s life.
Sullivan Stapleton Signs On To ‘300’ Prequel
The Aussie actor has beat out the competition to land a role in the upcoming blockbuster.
James Cameron Loses Long Time Australian Collaborators
Producer Andrew Wight and cinematographer Mike deGruy lose their lives in a helicopter crash.
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Audi Festival of German Films: The Many Cultures of Fatih Akin
The Audi Festival of German Films is currently touring the country, and here's a morsel of what's on offer.
This year's Audi Festival of German Films gave the spotlight to Fatih Akin, a director whose entire body of work is based around the idea of multiculturalism. Born in Hamburg, the German-Turkish Akin's first full-length feature was Short Sharp Shock, a crime drama about three friends mixed up with the Albanian mob.
As far as the crime genre goes, the film goes through all the basics: a grim sensibility, violence, human drama and unconventional moments of humour inspired by modern gangster pictures. It veers from the norm, however, with its multi-ethnic cast of characters. The trio of friends consist of a Turk, a Serb, and a Greek, three guys looking for a better lot in life, who enjoy playing the part of tough guys with money and power, but get in way over their heads.
The cast is comprised of people from many different backgrounds. Even though they all speak German, this is a story that could potentially be set anywhere, and it's this cultural melting pot, with its own problems and situations that are actually universal, that sets this film apart. With its darkened alleys, seedy bars, drug use and violence, Short Sharp Shock is a solid entry in the crime genre which doesn't reinvent the wheel.
Fatih Akin has certainly mellowed out since Short Sharp Shock, with his most recent comedy, Soul Kitchen, or with Crossing the Bridge, a fun documentary where Akin explores his Turkish roots via the music scene in Istanbul.
It might not be the first place one thinks of when discussing music, but the Turkish scene is every bit as vibrant and varied as any other. Some young artists have a Western influence: grunge-inspired rockers Duman, or rapper Ceza, whose rapid-fire vocal delivery puts many American hip-hop luminaries to shame. Yet, they're all proud of their heritage.
On the other end are the more traditional musicians, whose main goal in making music is keeping their culture alive. Akin, along with German musician Alexander Hacke, introduces us to local heavyweights like Erkin Koray, Sezen Aksu or Orhan Gencebay, Turkey's biggest musical name who also dabbled in acting, as shown by hilariously cheesy clips of his films.
Whether it be with Turkey's most famous artists, up-and-comers or simple street performers, Akin celebrates the diversity in the country, via the universal language of music. And as a travelogue of Turkish culture and its people, it's an interesting watch.
Fatih Akin's films (most famously Head-On and Edge of Heaven) might not be what one expects when thinking of German cinema, but it's their celebration of a country's multiculturalism which makes them ideal for viewers from all over the globe.
The Audi Festival of German Films is held at Melbourne's Kino Cinemas and Palace Cinema Como, from 22 April to 02 May, with additional dates in Adelaide (07-09 May), Brisbane (28 April - 04 May), Perth (22-26 April) and Sydney (21 April - 02 May).