View source for Fatih Akin

{{Short description|German-Turkish filmmaker (born 1973)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Fatih Akin
| image              = Fatih Akin-68626.jpg
| caption            = Akin in 2024
| birth_place        = [[Hamburg]], [[West Germany]]
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1973|08|25|df=y}}
| occupation         = Film director, screenwriter, producer
| yearsactive        = 1995–present
| spouse             = {{marriage|Monique Obermüller|2004}}
| children           = 2
}}

'''Fatih Akin''' ({{langx|tr|Fatih Akın}}, born 25 August 1973) is a German and Turkish film director, screenwriter and producer.<ref>Çağla Karabağ, "Intercultural Encounters in Fatih Akın's Films" in Klaus Roth, Robert Hayden (ed.), ''Migration In, From, and to Southeastern Europe: Part 1: Historical and Cultural Aspects'', Ethnologia Balcanica 13, LIT Verlag Münster, 2011, {{ISBN|978-3-643-10895-1}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=vOiYeW6unZkC&pg=PA181 p. 181.]</ref> His films have won numerous awards and accolades, including the [[Golden Bear (award)|Golden Bear]] at the [[Berlin Film Festival]] for his film ''[[Head-On (film)|Head-On]]'' (2004), [[Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Screenplay]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] for his film ''[[The Edge of Heaven (film)|The Edge of Heaven]]'' (2007), and the [[Golden Globe Award]] for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] for his film ''[[In the Fade]]'' (2017).

== Early life ==
Akin was born in [[Hamburg]] to Turkish parents.<ref name="NY Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/movies/awardsseason/06kuli.html?_r=2&oref=slogin |title=A hand that links Germans and Turks |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=6 January 2008|access-date=6 April 2010 |first=Nicholas |last=Kulish}}</ref> He has one brother, Cem Akin, who works as an actor. He attended the [[University of Fine Arts of Hamburg]] to study [[Communication studies|visual communications]] and graduated in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Head-On|url=http://www.old.gaiff.am/en/j2aZy7rOmnlTs0WcZGjAPqcKyz/mode/director|access-date=8 February 2021|website=Golden Apricot International Film Festival}}</ref>

Akin has been married to German-Mexican actress Monique Obermüller since 2004. The couple live in [[Altona, Hamburg|Hamburg-Altona]], close to where he was raised.<ref name="germanfilms">{{cite web |title=Director's Portrait: Fatih Akın – The sun is as much mine as the night |url=http://www.german-films.de/en/germanfilmsquaterly/previousissues/seriesgermandirectors/fatihakin/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114055919/http://www.german-films.de/en/germanfilmsquaterly/previousissues/seriesgermandirectors/fatihakin/index.html |archive-date=14 January 2010 |access-date=6 April 2010 |work=www.german-films.de}}</ref> They have two children.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndr.de/kultur/film/Fatih-Akin-Der-Regisseur-des-Rauen,fatihakin137.html|title = Fatih Akin: Der Regisseur des Rauen}}</ref>

== Career ==
Akin made his debut as director of a full-length film as early as 1998 with ''[[Short Sharp Shock (film)|Short Sharp Shock]]'' ''(Kurz und schmerzlos)'', which brought him the "Bronze Leopard" award at the [[Locarno International Film Festival]] in Switzerland and the "Pierrot", the [[Bavarian Film Award]] for [[Bavarian Film Awards (Best Director)|Best New Director]] in Munich the same year. Since then he has directed feature films such as ''[[In July (film)|In July]]'' (''Im Juli'') in 2000, ''We forgot to go back'' (''Wir haben vergessen zurückzukehren'') in 2001 and ''[[Solino]]''' in 2002.

His fourth film, ''[[Head-On (film)|Head-On]]'' (''Gegen die Wand''), starring [[Sibel Kekilli]], was a major success in 2004 and received several prizes, among them the [[Golden Bear (award)|Golden Bear]] award at the [[Berlin Film Festival]] and the "Best Film" and the "Audience Award" at the 2004 [[European Film Awards]].

In 2005, he directed a documentary about the [[Istanbul]] music scene, ''[[Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul]]'', which includes musicians such as [[Ceza]], [[Sezen Aksu]], [[Aynur Doğan]] and Brenna MacCrimmon. It is narrated by a member of a German experimental band [[Einstürzende Neubauten]], [[Alexander Hacke]], who also produced music for ''Head-On''.

In 2007, Akin's ''[[The Edge of Heaven (film)|The Edge of Heaven]]'', a German-Turkish cross-cultural tale of loss, mourning and forgiveness, won the prize for [[Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Screenplay]] at the [[2007 Cannes Film Festival|60th Cannes Film Festival in 2007]].<ref name="cannes-2007.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4430083/year/2007.html|title=Festival de Cannes: The Edge of Heaven|work=www.festival-cannes.com|access-date=19 December 2009}}</ref><ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/apnews/story/0,,-6664469,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131201043818/http://film.guardian.co.uk/apnews/story/0,,-6664469,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 December 2013|title=Film about abortion takes Cannes' prize|work=[[guardian.co.uk|Guardian Unlimited]]|date=27 May 2007 | location=London}}</ref> On 24 October 2007 the same film was awarded the first edition of the [[LUX prize for European cinema]] by the [[European Parliament]].<ref name="EP">{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?language=EN&type=IM-PRESS&reference=20071023IPR12109|title=And the LUX Prize for European cinema goes to… "Auf der anderen Seite" ("On the Edge of Heaven")|work=[[European Parliament]]|date=24 October 2007|access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Fatih Akin cropped 2009.jpg|thumb|upright|Akin in 2009]]
About the comedy ''[[Soul Kitchen (film)|Soul Kitchen]]'' (2009) he has said he chose this more light-hearted film because he needed a break after making the "tough" films ''[[Head-On (film)|Head-On]]'' and ''[[The Edge of Heaven (film)|The Edge of Heaven]]'' before making his next planned film ''The Devil''. "But", he says, "now I feel ready to finish the trilogy".<ref name="abcnetau">{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2875180.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501154449/http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2875180.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 May 2010|title=At the Movies: Soul Kitchen Interview|work=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=17 May 2010}}</ref>

In 2012, his documentary film ''[[Polluting Paradise]]'' was screened in the Special Screenings section at the [[2012 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="Official Selection">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/article/58878.html |title=2012 Official Selection |access-date=26 May 2012 |work=Cannes}}</ref><ref name="hollywoodreporter">{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/polluting-paradise-cannes-festival-review-326818 |title=Polluting Paradise: Cannes Review |access-date=26 May 2012 |work=Hollywood Reporter|date=19 May 2012 }}</ref>

His 2014 film ''[[The Cut (2014 drama film)|The Cut]]'' was selected to compete for the [[Golden Lion]] at the [[71st Venice International Film Festival]].<ref name="Venice">{{cite web |url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/71st-festival/line-up/off-sel/venezia71/ |title=International competition of feature films |access-date=24 July 2014 |work=Venice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006083927/http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/71st-festival/line-up/off-sel/venezia71/ |archive-date=6 October 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Deadline">{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2014/07/venice-film-festival-lineup-2014-movie-list-808803/ |title=Venice Film Festival Lineup Announced |access-date=24 July 2014 |work=Deadline|date=24 July 2014 }}</ref>

In 2017, Akin's film ''[[In the Fade]]'' was selected to compete for the [[Palme d'Or]] in the main competition section at the [[2017 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="Main">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/actualites/articles/the-2017-official-selection|title=The 2017 Official Selection|date=13 April 2017|work=Cannes|access-date=13 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="IW">{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/04/cannes-2017-lineup-list-film-festival-schedule-1201804813/|title=2017 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup: Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, 'Twin Peaks' and More|date=13 April 2017|work=IndieWire|access-date=13 April 2017}}</ref> At Cannes that year, [[Diane Kruger]] won the [[Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Actress award]].<ref name="main-prizes">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/festivals/cannes-film-festival-2017-award-winners-palme-d-or-1202446856/|title=2017 Cannes Film Festival Award Winners Announced|last=Debruge|first=Peter|date=28 May 2017|work=Variety|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> The film was subsequently selected as the German entry for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] at the [[90th Academy Awards]],<ref name="Germany">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/fatih-akins-in-the-fade-selected-german-oscar-entry-1202537835/|title=Fatih Akin's 'In the Fade' Selected as German Oscar Entry|last=Mitchell|first=Robert|date=24 August 2017|work=Variety|access-date=24 August 2017}}</ref> making the December shortlist.<ref name="Pond">{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/oscars-foreign-language-shortlist-includes-square-fantastic-woman/|title=Oscars Foreign Language Shortlist Includes 'The Square,' 'A Fantastic Woman'|last=Pond|first=Steve|date=14 December 2017|work=[[The Wrap]]|access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref> ''In the Fade'' won the [[Golden Globe]] for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/goldenglobes?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor |title= ''In the Fade'' (Aus Dem Nichts) (2017) |publisher=[[Golden Globes]] |access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref>
== Works ==
=== Feature films ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!English title
!Original title
!Notes
|-
!1998
|''[[Short Sharp Shock (film)|Short Sharp Shock]]''
|''Kurz und schmerzlos''
|Bronze Leopard at [[Locarno Film Festival]]
|-
!2000
|''[[In July (film)|In July]]''
|''Im Juli.''
|
|-
!2002
| colspan="2" |''[[Solino]]''
|
|-
!2004
|''[[Head-On (film)|Head-On]]''
|''Gegen die Wand''
|[[Golden Bear]] winner
|-
!2007
|''[[The Edge of Heaven (film)|The Edge of Heaven]]''
|''Auf der anderen Seite''
|[[Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] at [[2007 Cannes Film Festival]]
|-
!2009
| colspan="2" |''[[Soul Kitchen (film)|Soul Kitchen]]''
|[[Grand Jury Prize (Venice Film Festival)|Special Jury Prize]] at [[66th Venice International Film Festival]]
|-
!2014
| colspan="2" |''[[The Cut (2014 drama film)|The Cut]]''
|
|-
!2016
|''[[Goodbye Berlin]]''
|''Tschick''
|
|-
!2017
|''[[In the Fade]]''
|''Aus dem Nichts''
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]
|-
!2019
|''[[The Golden Glove]]''
|''Der goldene Handschuh''
|
|-
!2022
|''[[Rhinegold (2022 film)|Rhinegold]]''
|''Rheingold''
|
|-
!2025
| colspan="2" |''[[Amrum (film)|Amrum]]''
|<ref>{{cite web |last=Goodfellow |first=Melanie |date=April 22, 2024 |title=Fatih Akin's 1945 Drama 'Amrum' Kicks Off Principal Photography With Jasper Billerbeck, Laura Tonke & Diane Kruger |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/fatih-akin-1945-drama-amrum-principal-photography-laura-tonke-diane-kruger-1235891373/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422115629/https://deadline.com/2024/04/fatih-akin-1945-drama-amrum-principal-photography-laura-tonke-diane-kruger-1235891373/ |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |accessdate=April 22, 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref>
|}

=== Documentaries ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!English title
!Original title
!Notes
|-
!2005
| colspan="2" |''[[Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul]]''
|
|-
!2012
|''[[Polluting Paradise]]''
|''Der Müll im Garten Eden''
|
|}

=== Other credits ===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Awards
|-
|1995
|''Sensin... You're the One!''
|Short film (German title: ''Sensin – Du bist es!'')
|
|-
|1996
|''Weed''
|Short film (German title: ''Getürkt'')
|
|-
|1997
|''[[Back in Trouble]]''
|Actor
|
|-
|2001
|''{{Ill|Denk ich an Deutschland …|de}} – Wir haben vergessen zurückzukehren''
|TV documentary series episode
|
|-
|2004
|''[[Visions of Europe (film)|Visions of Europe]]''
|(segment ''Die bösen alten Lieder'', German title: ''Europäische Visionen'')
|
|-
|2004
|''[[Kebab Connection]]''
|Co-writer
|
|-
|2004
|''[[Robbery Alla Turca|Hırsız Var]]''
|Actor (Lokman)
|
|-
|2005
|''[[Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul]]''
|Documentary
|
|-
|2008
|''[[New York, I Love You]]''
|A segment
|
|}

=== Video games ===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role 
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
|-
|2025
|''[[Death Stranding 2: On the Beach]]''
|Dollman
|Likeness only
|}

== Awards ==
* 1998 [[Bayerischer Filmpreis|Bavarian Film Awards]], Best New Director
* 2004 [[Golden Bear (award)|Golden Bear]] at the [[Berlin Film Festival]]
* 2004 [[European Film Awards]], Best Film, Audience Award
* 2007 [[Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival|Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival Golden Orange Award]], Best Director
* 2007 [[Bayerischer Filmpreis|Bavarian Film Awards]], Best Director<ref name="max">{{cite web |title=Bayerischer Filmpreis: Promis und Porzellan |url=http://www.max.de/pop-kultur/film/bayerischer-filmpreis/201081,1,article,Promis+und+Porzellan.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719060543/http://www.max.de/pop-kultur/film/bayerischer-filmpreis/201081,1,article,Promis+und+Porzellan.html |archive-date=19 July 2011 |access-date=6 April 2010 |work=[[Max (German magazine)]] |language=de}}</ref>
* 2007 [[LUX Prize for European Cinema]] awarded by [[European Parliament]]
* [[2007 Cannes Film Festival]], [[Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Screenplay]]
* 2010 [[Federal Cross of Merit|Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]] for his contribution in depicting the problems of Turkish-Germans.<ref>{{cite news |date=4 October 2010 |title=Orden für Riemann und Akin |url=http://www.bz-berlin.de/aktuell/berlin/orden-fuer-riemann-und-akin-article996859.html |access-date=5 October 2010 |newspaper=BZ Berlin |language=de}}</ref>
* 2018 [[Golden Globe Award]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
==Collaborations==
{| class="wikitable"
|-  style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Actors
! ''[[Short Sharp Shock (film)|Short Sharp Shock]]''
! ''[[In July (film)|In July]]''
! ''[[Solino]]''
! ''[[Head-On (film)|Head-On]]''
! ''[[The Edge of Heaven (film)|The Edge of Heaven]]''
! ''[[Soul Kitchen (film)|Soul Kitchen]]''
! ''[[The Cut (2014 drama film)|The Cut]]''
|-
|Cem Akin
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|-
|[[Moritz Bleibtreu]]
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|-
|[[Adam Bousdoukos]]
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|-
|Stefan Gebelhoff
|
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|
|
|-
|[[Demir Gökgöl]]
|
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|-
|[[Marc Hosemann]]
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|
|
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|-
|[[Mehmet Kurtuluş]]
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|
|
|-
|[[Hermann Lause]]
|
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|
|
|-
|Catrin Striebeck
|
|
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|-
|[[Birol Ünel]]
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|-
|[[İdil Üner]]
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|
|-
|Patrycia Ziółkowska
|
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|{{center|{{tick}}}}
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Barbara Kosta, "Transcultural Exchanges: Fatih Akin's ''Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul'' (2005)," in Martinson, Steven D. / Schulz, Renate A. (Eds./hg.), ''Transcultural German Studies / Deutsch als Fremdsprache: Building Bridges / Brücken bauen'' (Bern etc., Peter Lang, 2008) (Jahrbuch für Internationale Germanistik, Reihe A: Kongressberichte, 94),

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Fatih Akın}}
* {{IMDb name|15359}}
* [http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/euroimmigrantsbib.html#fatihakin Fatih Akin Bibliography] (via UC Berkeley)
* [http://www.signandsight.com/features/206.html ''Rocking Istanbul''] A talk with Daniel Bax on the film "Crossing the Bridge", tour guides and Vikings, music divas and the responsibilities of critical acclaim at signandsight.com

{{Fatih Akin}}
{{Prix du scénario}}
{{European Film Award for Best Screenwriter}}
{{GoldenOrangeAwardBestDirector}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akin, Fatih}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Best Director German Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Director Golden Orange Award winners]]
[[Category:Directors of Golden Bear winners]]
[[Category:Best Screenwriter European Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Film people from Hamburg]]
[[Category:German people of Turkish descent]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:University of Fine Arts of Hamburg alumni]]
[[Category:Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay winners]]
[[Category:Directors of Best Film European Film Award winners]]