Fatih Akin's Cinema and the New Sound of Europe

<p>In <i>Fatih Akın's Cinema and the New Sound of Europe</i> Berna Gueneli explores the transnational works of acclaimed Turkish-German filmmaker and auteur Fatih Akın. The first minority director in Germany to receive numerous national and international awards Akın makes films that are informed by Europe's past provide cinematic imaginations about its present and future and engage with public discourses on minorities and migration in Europe through his treatment and representation of a diverse multiethnic and multilingual European citizenry. Through detailed analyses of some of Akın's key works--<i>In July</i> <i>Head-On</i> and <i>The Edge of Heaven</i> among others--Gueneli identifies Akın's unique stylistic use of multivalent sonic and visual components and multinational characters. She argues that the soundscapes of Akın's films--including music and multiple languages dialects and accents--create an aesthetic of heterogeneity that envisions an expanded and integrated Europe and highlights the political nature of Akın's decisions regarding casting settings and audio. At a time when belonging and identity in Europe is complicated by questions of race ethnicity religion and citizenship Gueneli demonstrates how Akın's aesthetics intersect with politics to reshape notions of Europe European cinema and cinematic history. </p>