Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005)

Director:

Fatih Akin

Writer:

Fatih Akin

Stars:

Alexander Hacke, Ahmed Ulug, Cem Yegul

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alexander Hacke	...	Himself
Ahmed Ulug	...	Himself - Doublemoon Musiklabel
Cem Yegul	...	Himself - Doublemoon Musiklabel
Mehmed Ulug	...	Himself - Doublemoon Musiklabel
Baba Zula	...	Themselves
Orient Expressions	...	Themselves
Duman	...	Themselves
Replikas	...	Themselves
Peyote Hasan	...	Himself - Erkin-Koray-Fan
Erkin Koray	...	Himself
Ceza	...	Himself
Ayben	...	Herself
Istanbul Style Breakers	...	Themselves
MercanDede	...	Himself (as Mercan Dede)
Selcuk	...	Himself

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

place name in title | bar | interview | marijuana | urban setting | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Germany Turkey

Language:

Turkish German Kurdish English

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Atravessando a Ponte - O Som de Istambul

Filming Locations:

Grand Hôtel de Londres aka Büyük Londra Oteli, Istanbul, Turkey

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$9,161 (USA) (9 June 2006)

Gross:

$70,535 (USA) (8 December 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corazón International, NFP Marketing & Distribution, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Fatih Akin also acted as camera operator on the film.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits are shown in old vinyl record sleeves moving to the rhythm of a Turkish version of Madonna's "Music" song. The record sleeves show the original Turkish pictures from the 60-80's but the modified texts for the crew displayed in proper old fonts.

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Connections

References Head-On (2004)

User Reviews

For lovers of the music and culture of Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean

This is a movie about the music that is currently being played in Istanbul. Istanbul was the center of the two Old World superpowers, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Today, it is a megalopolis of almost 10 million. So it is to no ones surprise that a lot of music is being played in Istanbul, with a great variety of voices, styles, and influences from everywhere on the globe. It is Turkish music, of course, and I was fascinated by Turkish music ever since I bought my first record long time ago. The movie features different singers, instrumentalists and bands. Spoken comments from the musicians nicely illustrate the music being played, and the social context in modern Turkey. For my perspective, the most interesting comments were from Orhan Gencebay. Furthermore, the movies shows urban scenery mainly from Istanbul which is very pleasant to watch.

"Crossing the Bridge" is listed as a documentary and it includes music from minorities, e.g. Kurds and Roma. Other important topics are omitted such as Turkish jazz music, or music of the Armenians and Greeks.

This movie is strongly recommended for lovers of the music and culture of Turkey, the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It may also be worthwhile for those with a keen interest in the global effects of musical styles such as Rock and Roll or Hip Hop.