Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Fatih Akin

Writer:

Fatih Akin (writer)

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (Turkey)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot Keywords:

Tour Bus | Archive Footage | Place Name In Title | Singer | Cape

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Alexander Hacke	...	Himself
Baba Zula	...	Themselves
Orient Expressions	...	Themselves
Duman	...	Themselves
Replikas	...	Themselves
Erkin Koray	...	Himself
Ceza	...	Himself
Istanbul Style Breakers	...	Themselves
MercanDede	...	Himself
Selim Sesler	...	Himself
Brenna MacCrimmon	...	Herself
Siyasiyabend	...	Themselves
Orhan Gencebay	...	Himself
Müzeyyen Senar	...	Herself
Sezen Aksu	...	Herself

Also Known As:

Istanbul hatirasi - Köprüyü geçmek (Turkey: Turkish title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Germany | Turkey

Language:

English | German | Turkish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | Sweden:7 | Finland:S | Finland:K-3 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Corazón International

Trivia:

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

Movie Connections:

References Gegen die Wand (2004)

Documentary at its best: Meet the people and sounds of Istanbul

This film offers you a fascinating trip through one of the most exiting cities of today - Istanbul - and its musicians. Do not expect a compilation of Turkish folklore or anything like that. Alexander Hacke, a German musician and member of the cult band "Einstürzende Neubauten" travels to Istanbul to get to know the music scene. His sparse voice overs of what he experiences are a guiding line through the film. But mainly German-Turkish director Faith Akin lets various artists from Istanbul do the talking - and of course their music.

You meet a variety of personalities, big stars and street musicians, young and old, people playing many different musical styles. But this movie does not only introduce you to the sound of Istanbul. It also draws a compelling picture of Istanbul today and how Turkey has forged ahead in the last decade. The film characterises its protagonists with subtle humour, but never without respect. All of them share a passion for music and the belief in its power.

Akin again shows his talent to portray diversity lightheartedly when he brings you close to completely different musical scenes. After his award winning feature film "Gegen die Wand" (Head on) Faith Akin proves with "Crossing the Bridge" that he is equally able to touch, entertain and guide his audience in a documentary. If you have never been in Istanbul, you will want to go there after having seen the film.