DOCUMENTARIES

Istanbul Hatirasi / Crossing the Bridge-The Sound of Istanbul

2005, 92 minutes, 35 mm, color;
Turkish, English and German with English subtitles

October 28, Satuday, 8:00 pm

Directed by Fatih Akin
Screenplay by Fatih Akin
Cinematography by Hervé Dieu
Edited by Andrew Bird
Music by Alexander Hacke, Baba Zula, Orient Expressions, Duman, Replikas, Erkin Koray, Ceza, Istanbul Style Breakers, Mercan Dede, Selim Sesler, Brenna MacCrimmon, Siyasiyabend, Aynur,
Orhan Gencebay, Müzeyyen Senar, Sezen Aksu
Produced by Fatih Akin, Klaus Maeck, Andreas Thiel, Sandra Harzer-Kux, Christian Kux

Contact Information

Marcus Hu
Strand Releasing
6140 W. Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232, USA
Tel: 310 836 7500
Fax: 310 836 7510
E-Mail: marcus@strandreleasing.com

"Tickets must be purchased at least 4 days before the screening in order to be mailed. Tickets purchased after this cut off date can be picked up at the theater."

Alexander Hacke, a member of the German avantgarde band “Einstürzende Neubauten” first came into contact with Istanbul and its music while producing the score for Fatih Akin’s Duvara Karsi (Head-on). A lover of experimenting with sound, Hacke roams the streets of Istanbul with his mobile recording studio and "magic mike" to capture the musical diversity of Istanbul. His voyage leads to the discovery of a broad spectrum ranging from modern electronic, rock and hip-hop right down to classical "arabesque". As he wanders through this seductive world, Hacke collects impressions and tracks by artists such as neo-psychedelic band Baba Zula, fusion DJs Orient Expressions, rock groups Duman and Replikas, maverick rocker Erkin Koray, Ceza (Turkey’s answer to Public Enemy), breakdance performers Istanbul Style Breakers, digital dervish Mercan Dede, renowned clarinetist Selim Sesler, Canadian folk singer Brenna MacCrimmon, street performers Siyasiyabend, Kurdish singer Aynur, Orhan Gencebay (the "Elvis of arabesque"), and legendary divas Müzeyyen Senar and Sezen Aksu. Hacke’s home base is the venerable Büyük Londra Oteli (Grand Hotel de Londres) in Istanbul’s district of Beyoglu. From here he wanders through an alien, contradictory, lively, and seductive world, collecting impressions and tracks, drifting along in the unstoppable stream of this mega city of myriad facets. Fatih Akin accompanies him with his camera and shoots a portrait of Istanbul where music suffuses every part of the city, and is dearly loved by all of its inhabitants.

From Fatih Ozguven

“Fatih Akin’s Crossing the Bridge can best be described as a music fan’s stroll through Istanbul. The film brings together all kinds musicians and music-making in a collage-like docudrama; street musicians, avant-garde groups, rappers, legendary singers and classics. What emerges is not only a sense of the vibrancy and diversity of today’s Turkish music scene but also a sort of cultural patchwork. Music in Turkey today more than any art form reflects the country’s conflicting desires, aspirations and many moods. Akin’s alter ego in the film, Alexander Haacke from the German group ‘Einstürzende Neubauten’ goes around in the city collecting sights and sounds trying to make sense of it all. The same goes for Fatih Akin, a Turkish- German director, who is full of fascination and wonder when it comes to not only Turkish music but almost everything Turkish. In Crossing the Bridge he brings together music and images with an energy that is his forte and reflects on the Turkish scene once again.”

Festivals and Awards

2005 Cannes International Film Festival (France): Official Selection out of Competition