40 Quadratmeter Deutschland

• Özay Fencing: Turna
• Yaman Okay: Dursun
• Demir Gökgöl: Hodja
• Mustafa Gülpınar: Father
• Grit Mack Dance: Girl at the Window

40 sqm Germany is a German film directed by Tevfik Baser from the year 1985. Written and co-produced by The Director works is the first widely acclaimed film director of Turkish origin in Germany. He has been awarded important prizes and is considered one of the most important German films of the year 1986.

Film Info

40 sqm Germany was premiered on 31 July 1986.

The rotation time of the resulting film in 1985 was 21 days that post took another seven weeks. With total production cost of only 450,000 DM ( ≈ approx € 230,000 ) is Baser's film a low-budget production. The only setting is a 40 -square-foot hamburger older building.

Baser, who pursued a long-held vision with the realization of 40 sqm Germany, anxious next production, screenwriting and directing the selection of the venue, the composition of the crew, as well as looking for a rental in almost working alone. He was going extremely meticulous: For to write film music of the well-known German church musician Claus Bantzer was recovered, the camera eventually led Izzet Akay, who had previously worked together firmly with the late Yilmaz Güney and the lead actress Özay fencing was above 40 sqm Germany already as Jazz singer known.

Six months before the premiere, the director described the Frankfurter Rundschau the motives for his dedicated film project like this:

Action

40 sqm Germany tells the story of the Turkish migrant workers Dursun and his wife Turna. For Dursun, the hopes for a better life in Germany have not been met. He leads a depressing life in a Hamburg apartment back building. When his young wife follows him to Germany, Dursun tried with her ​​a life in accordance with the traditions of his fathers to lead and thus to preserve a piece of his lost homeland. Since he perceives his new surroundings as immoral and therefore hostile, he seals off his wife largely on this environment. This life for Turna in Germany is a nightmarish scenario: the 40 square meters of Dursuns dreary Hamburg Altbauwohnung remain all they get to see of the country. Completely unnoticed by Dursun threatens Turna it to perish in their lives in Hamburg. Only when Dursun itself dies, takes the young woman whose liberation struggle had earlier started out of the apartment and is confronted with her ​​hitherto completely remained alien to German reality.

Reviews

Hans -Dieter Seidel of the FAZ was found that 40 sqm Germany about the " described process considerably beyond ( example ) ": It would involve " an existential drama that could be completed under each sign changed in every culture ."

The depressing film is praised generally high in later film encyclopedias. The German Institute of Film Studies calls it in the book of the film ( 1994) a "clear ( ... ) Study on the guest workers' lives, about the desperation of the people who have lost their abode in foreign countries, their social and cultural ties ." The lexicon of international film (1995 ) sees it as " a shocking psychological profile of mental distress and despair." Particular emphasis Baser's sensitive staging and actresses benefits of Özay fencing and Yaman Okay as Turna and Dursun, and Demir Gökgöl, Mustafa Gülpınar and Grit Mack dance.

Effect

Baser's film was a success at major film festivals, for example, he was awarded at the International Film Festival of Locarno with the " Silver Leopard " and won the award for the "best directorial debut " at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam. At the Cannes Film Festival, he ran inside the " Critic's Week ". At the German Film Awards, the film was nominated for " Best Film " and was awarded in other categories, such as fencing Özay the German Film Prize was awarded as " Best Actress ".

Others

The film was shown in 1988 in the GDR cinemas and has been shown in both German states on television. In addition, he was released as a VHS video cassette.

40 sqm Germany is often seen as the starting point of a so-called German - Turkish cinema. However, the actress, director and screenwriter Sema Poyraz, however, had been five years previously completely ignored rotated with Gölge (1980 ) by the German public a 90 -minute German film, on the already apply all the characteristics of the genre.

Awards

• Silver Leopard at the International Film Festival of Locarno 1986
• German Film Awards (including " Best Actress " nomination "Best Picture" ) 1986
• Best Debut Film, International Film Festival Rotterdam 1987