Sunday, September 28, 2008

Fatih Akin gets funding for new projects

The upcoming financing slate for the Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein Film Fund provides subsidies for both features and TV productions that promise high-quality content as well as showcasing the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The institution has funneled $1.26 million into Fatih Akin’s upcoming comedy Soul Kitchen. That represents the largest single contribution of a $4.8 million initiative to fund new films by local auteurs Tom Tykwer (left), Hans Weingartner (center), and Akin (right).

Of most interest is the $310,000 given to the Herbstfilm produced omnibus Deutschland 09. Featuring segments by Akin/Tykwer/Weingartner along with Isabella Stever (Gisela) and Dominic Graf (The Red Cockatoo), the project is a platform for the filmmakers to experiment with the form as they offer their personal insights on the current political and social climate in Germany. The film is a nod to 1978’s Germany in Autumn featuring shorts by Sinkel and Fassbinder.

No comments: