In Fatih Akin's Cinema and the New Sound of Europe, Berna Gueneli explores the transnational works of acclaimed Turkish-German filmmaker and auteur Fatih Akin. The first minority director in Germany to receive numerous national and international awards, Akin 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 Akin's key works-In July, Head-On, and The Edge of Heaven, among others-Gueneli identifies Akin's unique stylistic use of multivalent sonic and visual components and multinational characters. She argues that the soundscapes of Akin'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 Akin'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 Akin's aesthetics intersect with politics to reshape notions of Europe, European cinema, and cinematic history.

About the Author

Berna Gueneli is Assistant Professor of German at the University of Georgia at Athens.

Reviews

Fatih Akin's Cinema and The New Sound of Europe, the first book-length monograph on Akin, not only covers a missing part in the scholarship but also opens up new chapters in our understanding of Turkish German Cinema.

* Journal of Religion and Film *

Gueneli has provided a sound analysis of Fatih Akin's early work that will prove a stepping-stone for further research.

-- Florian Gassner * Monatshefte *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253024459
Author Berna Gueneli
Format Paperback
Page Count 222
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press