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6 articles from 2009

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Soul Kitchen Review

20 December 2009 1:18 PM, PST | Twitch | See recent Twitch news »

[Our thanks to Michel Thein for the following review.]

Considering Fatih Akin's catalog of films, one might not think that he could write and direct a comedy that wouldn't  feel bleak like Head-on or excessively passionate like Solino. One might go as far as to say that it might turn out to be not that much of a funny movie. Then came the trailer  and it looked exactly like the man's films always look, a sense for detail in composition of frame and a sense for color and colorfulness of life and sure enough there were some laughs in the trailer that looked clever and natural but would he be able to pull it off for 99minutes?

Going into the movie the cast list is already impressive; it's a real who's who of Akin's previous movies. We follow Adam Bousdoukos and Moritz Bleibtreu as Greek brothers from Hamburg as they transform their snack shop into a real thriving hot spot for music, »

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Fatih Akin Finds His Comic Timing With Soul Kitchen

19 November 2009 7:56 AM, PST | Twitch | See recent Twitch news »

Turko-German director Fatih Akin must surely be one of the most diverse talents currently working in Germany.  He blew our minds with the hard edged, cathartic drama of Head On before moving on to the fabulous music doc Crossing the Bridge and now returns to the kind of light comedy where he began his career with Soul Kitchen.  Find me another director with three more different films packed so tightly into their resume and I'll eat my shirt.  Here's how the Toronto International Film Festival described Akin's latest when it screened there:

Zinos Kazantzakis (Adam Bousdoukos) runs Soul Kitchen, a vast warehouse diner where the food might be spectacularly bad, but it's edible. Regulars show up every day to chow down on bland lumps of carbs washed down by cheap beer. Beats sitting at home.

Zinos seems to have a knack for bad luck, but he's used to it. His »

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Toronto 2009: "Soul Kitchen"'s Chaotic Warmth

15 September 2009 7:54 AM, PDT | ifc.com | See recent IFC news »

German helmer Fatih Akin's latest, "Soul Kitchen," is a lark, but an enjoyable one. The film sees the director of "Head On" and "The Edge of Heaven" doing schtick for the first time -- not as odd a transition as one might think from his previous dramas, which have in common a deeply felt human touch and sense of interconnection. In fact, Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos) wishes he were a little less connected at the start of "Soul Kitchen" -- his brother Illyas (Moritz Bleibtreu) is out on conditional probation and needs a job at his restaurant, a high school acquaintance is going after the land that restaurant sits on, the Hamburg Tax Office is looking to collect back taxes and the one person he wishes were around, his girlfriend, is headed to Shanghai for six months for work. He also has chronic back pains, which don't do him any »

- Stephen Saito

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Tiff Picks 09: Fatih Akin's Soul Kitchen

3 September 2009 | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »

- #21. Soul Kitchen Director: Fatih AkinCast: Adam Bousdoukos, Moritz Bleibtreu, Birol Ünel, Anna Bederke, Lucas Gregorowicz, Udo KierDistributor: Rights Available. Buzz: After some dark, dark material, I'm looking forward in seeing how Akin handles the comedy format. Also playing in Venice, this should garner some interest from buyers. The Gist: This is the story of a young restaurant owner Zinos is down on his luck. His girlfriend Nadine has moved to Shanghai, his Soul Kitchen customers are boycotting the new gourmet chef, and he’s having back trouble. Things start looking up when the hip crowd embraces his revamped culinary concept, but that doesn’t mend Zinos’ broken heart. He decides to fly to China for Nadine, leaving the restaurant in the hands of his unreliable ex-con brother Illias. Tiff Schedule: Click here for screening times   »

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Fatih Akin Reunites With Head On’s Birol Ünel For Soul Kitchen

7 January 2009 8:34 AM, PST | Twitch | See recent Twitch news »

That Turko-German director Fatih Akin’s next fiction film - he’s also working on a doc - is a comedy is less surprising than it may appear to those who only know the man’s work through the absolutely searing Head On.  Akin cut his teeth with comedy and has been involved in comedy projects as a producer throughout his more serious phase so it’s really no great surprise that he’s returning to his old stomping ground.  What is a suprise is that Akin has begun photography on any film featuring his lead actor from Head On - Birol Ünel - and that nobody much seems to have noticed.

The film is Soul Kitchen, a comedy that also stars Moritz Bleibtreu and returns to Akin’s favorite themes of culture and gender clash.  Nobody mines this territory better than Akin these days and this is very much a film to watch. »

- Todd Brown

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Top 100 Most Anticipated Films of 2009: #100. Soul Kitchen

5 January 2009 | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »

-   Exclusive still: Soul Kitchen: Adam Bousdoukos ('Short Sharp Shock') as Zinos Kazantsakis and Birol Ünel ('Head-On') as Shayn. Copyright: corazón international / Gordon Timpen. #100. Soul Kitchen Director/Writer: Fatih AkinProducers: Longtime Akin-producer - Klaus MaeckDistributor: Rights Available. The Match Factory The Gist: This is a love story, which tells the story of beleaguered Greek bar owner Zinos' who has a relationship with a basketball player from Serbia, and attempts to keep his restaurant in business. Fact: Akin is actually in post production with Garbage in the Garden of Eden (a doc about Villagers in Turkey's Black Sea village who see the government turn their community into a garbage dump) and he is one of the many directors on the New York, I Love You project with a segment called "Chinatown". Why is it on the list?: I’m very curious to see how Akin, a filmmaker »

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6 articles from 2009

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