Almanya: Welcome to Germany (2011)

The story of three generations of a Turkish immigrant family.

Director:

Yasemin Samdereli

Writers:

Yasemin Samdereli, Nesrin Samdereli

Stars:

Vedat Erincin, Fahri Yardim, Lilay Huser

12 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vedat Erincin	...	Hüseyin
Fahri Yardim	...	Hüseyin (young) (as Fahri Ögün Yardim)
Lilay Huser	...	Fatma
Demet Gül	...	Fatma (young)
Aykut Kayacik	...	Veli
Aycan Vardar	...	Veli (young)
Ercan Karacayli	...	Muhamed
Kaan Aydogdu	...	Muhamed (young)
Siir Eloglu	...	Leyla
Aliya Artuc	...	Leyla (young)
Petra Schmidt-Schaller	...	Gabi
Denis Moschitto	...	Ali
Aylin Tezel	...	Canan
Trystan Pütter	...	David
Rafael Koussouris	...	Cenk Yilmaz

Storyline

The story of three generations of a Turkish immigrant family.

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Plot Keywords:

turkish immigrant | immigrant | f rated | flashback | crucifix | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Germany

Language:

German Turkish

Release Date:

10 March 2011 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Almanya

Filming Locations:

Schleißheim Palace, Oberschleißheim, Bavaria, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roxy Film, Infa Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min (theatrical) 97 min (DVD)

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot primarily in German. To give an impression how the Turkish guest workers and their families felt when they came to Germany in the 1960s, the passages spoken by German characters in the flashback scenes are spoken in a German-like gibberish.

User Reviews

Painfully Painless

To be fair: who says that migration-related films cannot be positive, but have to be bleak and ripe with social criticism à la 'Into this World'? The idea to portray the arrival and gradual integration of a Turkish family in Germany without a speck of racism or aggravation could appear almost bold, given that such a subject matter almost invariably descends into the abysses of social or moral decay. Yet 'Almanya' attempts to be an uplifting, encouraging comedy of sorts, and obviously intends to highlight the positive aspects of integration. Religious matters are completely obliterated, women's issues are gently brushed aside, the entire story revolves around a family so intact, so void of disintegration and serious conflict that it could very well substitute for a Turkish Trapp family, if there was more singing.

Being so picture-perfect, the family (and the film) can never shake a whiff of artifice and dullness. Given its inclusion in this year's Berlin competition, and a fairly wide release for a domestic film, one cannot help but wonder if this isn't a German propaganda effort promoting integration to lesser satisfied migrants: Look, this is how easy you could make it for yourselves in our golden land of opportunity. Perceived as such, 'Almanya' becomes almost enjoyable as a parody of sorts. But if you're interested in how things really are for migrants in Germany, you're better off with Faith Akin's 'Head-on' and 'Short Sharp Shock', or Özgür Yildirim's 'Chiko'.