Alexander Hacke, a member of the German avant-garde band Einstürzende Neubauten, had the chance to discover Istanbul and its music while producing the soundtrack of the film Head-On. Hacke loved experimenting with sounds: with a microphone it was easy for him to record almost anywhere and that is how he began to capture the musical diversity of Istanbul. Fatih Akin accompanied him with his camera, creating a portrait of the vibrant music scene in Istanbul. Based at the historic Büyük Londra Oteli (Grand Hotel of London) of the Beyoglu district, the two kept wandering in a contradictory and tempting world, plunging into the incessant stream of this great multifaceted city.
Fatih Akin is a German filmmaker of Turkish origin. He won the Golden Bear for HEAD ON in 2004 and became, at the age of 30, one of the most influential European directors. At that time he had already completed film school, two short films, one documentary about his parents’ migration from Turkey to Hamburg, and three feature films. He then achieved international success with the drama THE EDGE OF HEAVEN (2007) for which he won the prize for Best Screenplay at the Festival de Cannes. The film also received the European Film Award and the German Film Award. For his following film SOUL KITCHEN (2009) Fatih Akin was honoured with the Special Prize of the Jury at the Venice Film Festival. With his production company corazón international, founded in 2004, he has produced several films alongside his own productions, including the internationally successful films Chiko, Takva and Min Dit. Fatih Akin has been directing his films exclusively for Bombero International since 2012. The Cut was shot in 2013 in Cuba, Canada, Jordan and Germany and is the first Bombero International film release. A selection of his films includes: Short Sharp Shock (1998), In July (2000), Head-On (2004), Crossing the Bridge – The Sound of Istanbul (2006), The Edge of Heaven (2007), New York, I Love You (episode, 2008), Soul Kitchen (2009), Polluting Paradise (2012), and The Cut (2014).