Kebab Connection (2004)

In Hamburg, Ibrahim "Ibo" Secmez, of Turkish descent, wants to direct the first German kung-fu movie. For now, he makes commercials for his uncle's kebab restaurant. Titzie, an aspiring ... See full summary »

Director:

Anno Saul

Writers:

Fatih Akin (screenplay), Ruth Toma (screenplay)

Stars:

Denis Moschitto, Nora Tschirner, Emanuel Bettencourt

4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emanuel Bettencourt	...	Sifu
Numan Acar	...	Schwertkämpfer
Nora Tschirner	...	Titzi
Hasan Ali Mete	...	Onkel Ahmet
Kida Khodr Ramadan	...	Özgür (as Kida Ramadan)
Denis Moschitto	...	Ibo
Paul Faßnacht	...	Filmproduzent
Phillip José Steinfatt	...	Typ auf der Strasse / Boss Gangster
Paula Paul	...	Nadine
Badasar Colbiyik	...	Montana
Cem Akin	...	Altan
Hakan Orbeyi	...	Kerem
Ernest Hausmann	...	Kiffer im Auto
Carmen Rüter	...	Filmstudentin
Ferhat Türkoglu	...	Reporter (as Ferhad Kara)

Storyline

In Hamburg, Ibrahim "Ibo" Secmez, of Turkish descent, wants to direct the first German kung-fu movie. For now, he makes commercials for his uncle's kebab restaurant. Titzie, an aspiring actress and Ibo's German girlfriend, finds she's pregnant. Ibo is uncertain about fatherhood - compounded by his father's disowning him for getting a German girl pregnant - so Titzie sends him packing. He makes attempts at getting it right, but as the birth approaches, he's still not ready. In the background are three thugs in search of good tripe soup and a Capulet-Montegue feud between the kebab joint and a Greek taverna across the street. Can Ibo be the glove upon that hand?

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Plot Keywords:

kebab | restaurant | food in title | fast food | romeo and juliet plot | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Goofs

Ibo falls through a restaurant window and lands on his hands among the shards of broken glass, but he gets up without any cuts.

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Connections

References Black Mask (1996)

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Soundtracks

Girl
Music: Ilhan Ersahin; Lyrics: Nil Karaibrahimgil
Performed by Ilhan Ersahin

User Reviews

Overall very entertaining and well carried out!

I enjoyed this film greatly for its entertainment value as well as the outstanding motifs I felt it translated effectively. One of the motifs I found to be most striking was the sort of coming-of-age. The audience can root for Ibo, the main character because he is portrayed as morally good and we follow him in his pursuit of responsibility and worthiness of a child and Titzi. The motif of cosmopolitanism and the blending of cultures was approached in a light-hearted manor. We see Ibo's struggle to please his father, who is both supportive of Titzi and rejecting to Ibo. The efforts Ibo makes to please Titzi, including lessening his societally deemed masculinity, is refreshing because it is not accompanied by a complete loss of his Turkish culture; it was important for the cosmopolitan discourse for him to not lose his Turkish culture as a result of integration. The most interesting aspect I found in "Kebab Connection" was the film team's use of film inside the film. The use of Ibo's commercials in plot development and exposure of the underlying story to other characters is very clever. The second way the film-in-film technique was used was to show the internal discourse within Ibo. I feel that this is often a great challenge of directors; to discretely show the thought progression of the characters. I felt when watching that this internal peek was effective in both making Ibo more likable and it made it easier for me to "root" for him, and allowing the audience to follow his development. Overall very entertaining and well carried out!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany]

Country:

Germany

Language:

Greek Turkish German

Release Date:

21 April 2005 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Kebab Connection

Filming Locations:

Der Spiegel Publishing House cafeteria, Altstadt, Hamburg-Mitte, Hamburg, Germany

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$970,182

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARTE, Creado Film, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1