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Am 7. Oktober fiel in Hamburg die erste Klappe von „Billie“. Der Kinofilm ist das Herzensprojekt von Sheri Hagen, die hier als Drehbuchautorin, Regisseurin und Produzentin fungiert, und spiegelt das Thema Selbstbefreiung verwoben mit häuslicher Gewalt wider. Moin Filmförderung und die Götz-George-Stiftung förderten.

Beim Drehstart von „Billie“: Helge Albers (Moin Filmförderung), Sheri Hagen (Equality Film) und Marika George (Götz George Stiftung) (Credit: Hardy Brackmann)

Seit Anfang Oktober laufen die Dreharbeiten des Kinofilms „Billie“. Es ist das Herzensprojekt von Sheri Hagen, die den Stoff selbst geschrieben hat, ihn auch inszeniert und über ihre Equality Film produziert. Hagen sagt über „Billie“: „Es ist ein schmaler Grat, auf dem ich es wage, ein existenzielles Thema wie häusliche Gewalt mit Leichtigkeit zu verbinden, aber diese Elemente sind ermutigende Momente, die Hoffnung geben.“ Ihr aktueller Film greift ein Thema auf, über das gewöhnlich zu viel geschwiegen wird: „Mit ‚Billie‘ möchte ich einen Teil unserer Realität zeigen,...

"Have you seen a dog pass by?" The Match Factory has released the first official trailer for an indie comedy titled Smuggling Hendrix, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film is about a man from Cyprus planning to leave the island until his dog runs off and crosses the Un Buffer Zone that separates the "Greek South" from the "Turkish North". He must figure out how to bring him back across. Starring Adam Bousdoukos, Vicky Papadopoulou, Fatih Al, Toni Dimitriou, and Özgür Karadeniz. "Through the simple story of a man who loses his dog, Smuggling Hendrix gives a vivid demonstration of how the fences we build, both real and imagined, between ourselves and others, can be broken down once we recognize the familiarity in the face of the unknown." I'm a dog lover so I'm totally into this, but it also looks damn good. Here's the first official...

In Greek Cypriot writer-director Marios Piperides’ debut feature “Smuggling Hendrix,” a down-on-his-luck, about-to-emigrate Cypriot musician must think creatively when his adorable dog Jimi accidentally crosses over to the Turkish side of the divided capital Nicosia, and European laws prevent the canine’s return. Piperides nabbed the top prize in Tribeca’s international competition for this delightful, droll, and intelligent comedy, which captures the absurdity and tragedy of a complicated political situation with a consistently light touch. Festival play is ongoing for this crowd-pleaser, with multiple European distribution deals already in place.

It’s not a problem if you know nothing about Cyprus and its 20th-century history of intercommunal violence between Greek and Turkish residents, the 1974 Turkish invasion, or the proclamation of northern Nicosia as the capital of Northern Cyprus, a country recognized only by Turkey. Piperides contextualizes this recent past through a stream of news reports on the situation playing...

German sales company the Match Factory has unveiled the clip for Marios Piperides’ “Smuggling Hendrix” ahead of the film’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 20.

The movie stars Adam Bousdoukos (“In the Fade”) as Yiannis, a fading musician who is planning to leave crisis-ridden Cyprus for a better life abroad. His plans are put on hold when his dog runs away and crosses the Un buffer zone that divides the Greek and Turkish sides of the island. Since animal exchange between the two sides is prohibited, Yiannis reluctantly joins forces with Hasan, a Turkish settler, and a cast of unexpected characters to smuggle his dog back.

The film marks Piperides’ feature debut. “Smuggling Hendrix” is produced by Cyprus’ Amp Filmworks (“Rosemarie”) and Germany’s Pallas Film, with whom Match Factory collaborated before on “Centaur” and “Our Little Differences.”...

Jakake Film has just released a teaser for their upcoming stylish thriller EneME. The film is directed by Jakob Gisik based on the script by Adnan Köse and stars Thure Riefenstein (The Man in the High Castle), Dennis Mojen (Nowhere), Udo Schenk (13 Minutes), Branko Tomovic (24: Live Another Day), Jasmin Lord (Vier gegen die Bank) and Adam Bousdoukos (Head-On). The story is about the difficult relationship between two brothers which collapses in a mire of mafia and drugs. Check out the teaser below:...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

A ticking clock, a decent man trying to get out from under the grip of some very bad people, and a situation that threatens to end in blood — for genre aficionados, that may be all they need to sign up to see "Wednesday 04:45." But for those who might need an extra little push, today we have the exclusive trailer for the movie that will be making its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Read More: The 20 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival Written and directed by Alexis Alexiou, and starring Stelios Mainas, Dimitris Tzoumakis, Adam Bousdoukos, Giorgos Symeonidis, Mimi Branescou, and Maria Nafpliotou, the story follows the owner of a jazz club who is given 32 hours to pay off the debt he owes to Romanian gangsters or face the consequences. And as you can see in this rain-soaked, neon buzzing trailer, there are no easy outs from this situation.

A look at what's new on DVD today:

"The Films of Rita Hayworth"

Released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

A collection of five of the brunette bombshell's films -- the 1944 Gene Kelly musical "Cover Girl" and her most famous film "Gilda," as well as the 1945 musical "Tonight and Every Night," "Miss Sadie Thompson" and "Salome," which are making their first appearance on DVD -- with introductions by Martin Scorsese on "Tonight and Every Night," Baz Luhrmann on "Cover Girl" and Patricia Clarkson on "Miss Sadie Thompson," the original trailers for each of the films and a featurette with Scorsese and Luhrmann comparing notes on "Gilda."

"Angel"

Directed by François Ozon

Released by Mpi Home Video

It's been a long journey for French filmmaker Ozon's first fully-English film - he's already made three others since "Angel" premiered at Berlinale in 2007, but it boasts a bunch of big names including Michael Fassbender,...

Roman Polanski's thriller has been nominated for 7 European Film Awards including best European film, director, actor (Ewan McGregor), screenwriter, editor, production design and composer. Other leading nominees are Samuel Maoz's Lebanon with 5 nods and Semih Kaplanoğlu's Honey with 3. This year's European Film Awards will take place in Tallinn, Estonia on December 4. The 2,300 members of the European Film Academy will vote for the winners. Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon won the European film, director and screenwriter awards last year. European Film 2010: Bal (Honey), Turkey/Germany Directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu Written by Semih Kaplanoğlu & Orçun Köksal Produced by Semih Kaplanoğlu & Johannes Rexin Des Hommes Et Des Dieux (Of Gods and Men), France Directed by Xavier Beauvois Written by Etienne Comar & Xavier Beauvois The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK Directed by Roman Polanski Written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski Produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski Lebanon,...

Soul Kitchen directed by Fatih Akin (Head-On and The Edge of Heaven!) centers around Greek-German restaurant owner Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos), who faces a series of problems. His restaurant is failing, he is being plagued by tax collectors, he has thrown out his back and his girlfriend Nadine (Pheline Roggan) suddenly moves to Shanghai for a new job. But things start to look up when he brings in a new chef, Shayn (Birol Ünel) and the hip art crowd from next door "embraces his revamped culinary concept".  Once the restaurant stabilizes, he can focus on Nadine. So while...

What at first appears to be simple good-naturedness pervading Fatih Akin's "Soul Kitchen" starts to seem, as the film rolls on, like something crazier and more generous. The closest I can come to describing it is as a near-spiritual embrace of human failings, their inevitability and the fact that most of us still want to live together in great, messy communities anyway.

For instance: At one point, a character who's responsible for essentially ruining the life of our hero, genial Greek-German slacker Zinos Kazantsakis (Adam Bousdoukos), runs into Zinos' brother Illias (Moritz Bleibtreu, of "Run, Lola, Run") in jail, where Illias has been serving out a sentence for burglary. Instead of punching the guy, which seems, in context, not undeserved, Illias gives him a wink in greeting, and he responds by earnestly asking Illias to tell his brother hello. Illias says he will.

Such is life. And that sloppy,...

At the age of 34, German filmmaker Fatih Akin had two breathtaking films under his belt, Head On and The Edge of Heaven , both which turned many heads when they premiered at various film festivals. Both movies were rather heavy dramas involving characters of Turkish descent living in Germany and how they were able to define their homes and their roles, but Akin's new movie Soul Kitchen couldn't be any more different than his previous outings, being more of a light-hearted comedy based around the young owner of a restaurant plagued by problems. Zinos, played by Akin's friend Adam Bousdoukos who owned a similar restaurant and whom in fact inspired the writing of the movie, is trying to keep his restaurant "Soul Kitchen" solvent, but no matter what he does, he just can't...

German filmmaker Fatih Akin, noted for award-winning dramas like “The Edge of Heaven,” takes a stab at comedy and romance with “Soul Kitchen.” The experiment in lunacy and laughs lacks character development and clean story construction, and subsists on antic set pieces that try to wring laughs but come up dry.

The title refers to the comfort-food restaurant owned by the oafish Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos, who co-wrote the script with director Akin). With his journalist girlfriend Nadine (Pheline Roggan) on assignment in Shanghai, Zinos throws out his back while attempting to lug around a dishwasher in his restaurant kitchen. Too injured to cook, he hires a passionate but ill-tempered chef, Shayn (Birol Ünel), but his sophisticated concoctions turn away the restaurant’s regulars. Meanwhile, Zinos’ convict brother Illias (Moritz Bleibtreu) weasels his way onto the wait staff so that he can get extended parole. Tensions mount when both tax and...

After Head-On and Edge of Heaven, Fatih Akin is easily one of my favorite working directors. His next film is more of a departure, an uplifting comedy about a kitchen. The Us trailer seems to paint the movie as a lot more conventional than I’m sure it is but I can’t wait to see it. It stars Adam Bousdoukos, Moritz Bleibtreu, and Birol Unel, you can check it out below via Apple.

Plot: Soul Kitchen film centers on a likable but hopelessly disorganized restauranteur, Zinos (co-screenwriter Adam Bousdoukos) whose cafe is second home to a motley crew of lovable eccentrics. When his girlfriend Nadine up and moves to Shanghai, a love-sick Zinos decides to fly after her, leaving his restaurant in the hands of his unreliable ex-con brother Illias. Both decisions turn out disastrous: Illias gambles away the restaurant to a shady real estate agent, and Zinos finds Nadine with a new lover.

Covering a film festival is more like ordering à la carte than at a buffet—you can’t sample everything, and all you have to go by in making your choices is the festival guide’s indiscriminately appetizing blurbs. That leads to some bad surprises—such as Vietnam’s inane crime thriller Clash, which intrigued me with its description of “hyperbolic shootouts” but had me running out of my seat like bad Pho—and some quite good ones. An example of the latter is Fatih Akim’s Soul Kitchen, a light but finely prepared confection about tribulations of a Hamburger—as in a resident of the northern German city—with too many pots on the stove. On top of the challenges facing every struggling young restaurateur—irritable chef, health department sticklers, pitiless tax collectors, and a faulty dishwasher—Zinos Kazantsakis (Adam Bousdoukos, who co-wrote the movie) has to deal with a mooching ex-con brother,...

While most of the eyes in film are on either SXSW or ShoWest out on the West Coast, folks out on the East Coast are gearing up for Tribeca Film Festival coming up next month. Last week, the fest announced the first group of films, which included the World Narrative films, the Documentaries, as well as Showcases and Special Events.

Now, the festival is getting a bit more star-heavy, as films starring such actors as Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Casey Affleck, and even Jessica Alba have joined the list of those titles appearing at the fest. All of these films are now coming to the festival this year, as well as the world premiere of Shrek Forever After.

The fest runs from April 21st to May 2nd. Check out the full list of new films after the jump, and be sure to keep it here, as the full list of...

The Tribeca Film Festival opens on April 21, 2010 and a variety of films will be on display, from documentaries and international films, to big budget films like "Shrek Forever After" (which will make its world premiere at Tribeca).

Today the festival has announced its entire feature film lineup, and you can check out below what films will be on display.

2010 Tribeca Film Festival:

Encounters

"The Chameleon ("Le Cameleon")," directed by Jean-Paul Salomé, written by Jean-Paul Salomé and Natalie Carter. (France, USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Climate of Change," directed by Brian Hill. (USA/UK) – North American Premiere, Documentary. "Every Day," directed and written by Richard Levine. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Last Play at Shea," directed by Paul Crowder and Jon Small (concert footage). (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. "Meet Monica Velour," directed and written by Keith Bearden. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Monogamy," directed by Dana Adam Shapiro, written by Dana Adam Shapiro and Evan Weiner.

Edward Burns, Chuck Workman and Alex Gibney will all unveil the world premieres of their newest films at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, running from Apr. 21-May 2 in lower Manhattan.

The three filmmakers will present their latest work as part of the fest's Encounters section, announced today, which encompasses 14 films from established talent. Filling out its program, the fest also revealed another 17 films in its Discovery section, which focuses on emerging talent, and another eight films in its Spotlight section, featuring movies built around performances from such artists as Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Amanda Peet and Rebecca Hall.

"Our Discovery and Encounters sections complement one another -- one highlights fresh talent that is breaking onto the scene, while the latter continues to offer original films that reflect pop culture and contemporary issues," senior programmer Genna Terranova said. New York native Burns will bring "Nice Guy Johnny,...

[Our thanks to Michel Thein for the following review.]

Considering Fatih Akin's catalog of films, one might not think that he could write and direct a comedy that wouldn't  feel bleak like Head-on or excessively passionate like Solino. One might go as far as to say that it might turn out to be not that much of a funny movie. Then came the trailer  and it looked exactly like the man's films always look, a sense for detail in composition of frame and a sense for color and colorfulness of life and sure enough there were some laughs in the trailer that looked clever and natural but would he be able to pull it off for 99minutes?

Going into the movie the cast list is already impressive; it's a real who's who of Akin's previous movies. We follow Adam Bousdoukos and Moritz Bleibtreu as Greek brothers from Hamburg as they transform their snack shop into a real thriving hot spot for music,...

Soul Kitchen takes a nose-dive once we figure out that storyline is dull, that the characters come across as stereotypes and that plenty of them get lost in the shuffle. - I can tell you what I was expecting: something unlike his previous films, since Fatih Akin was going the comedy route. I can tell you what I was hoping for: perhaps some dramatic, or dark elements. What I wasn't expecting to find is a bland mainstream offering that German audiences will likely flock to, but will hardly be mentioned on the art-house circuit. Soul Kitchen takes a nose-dive once we figure out that storyline is dull, that the characters come across as stereotypes and that plenty of them get lost in the shuffle, specifically the misuse of what could have been a potentially fun juxtaposing between the chummy protag played by Adam Bousdoukos and Birol Ünel. Full review coming soon.

Turko-German director Fatih Akin must surely be one of the most diverse talents currently working in Germany.  He blew our minds with the hard edged, cathartic drama of Head On before moving on to the fabulous music doc Crossing the Bridge and now returns to the kind of light comedy where he began his career with Soul Kitchen.  Find me another director with three more different films packed so tightly into their resume and I'll eat my shirt.  Here's how the Toronto International Film Festival described Akin's latest when it screened there:

Zinos Kazantzakis (Adam Bousdoukos) runs Soul Kitchen, a vast warehouse diner where the food might be spectacularly bad, but it's edible. Regulars show up every day to chow down on bland lumps of carbs washed down by cheap beer. Beats sitting at home.

Zinos seems to have a knack for bad luck, but he's used to it. His...

German helmer Fatih Akin's latest, "Soul Kitchen," is a lark, but an enjoyable one. The film sees the director of "Head On" and "The Edge of Heaven" doing schtick for the first time -- not as odd a transition as one might think from his previous dramas, which have in common a deeply felt human touch and sense of interconnection. In fact, Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos) wishes he were a little less connected at the start of "Soul Kitchen" -- his brother Illyas (Moritz Bleibtreu) is out on conditional probation and needs a job at his restaurant, a high school acquaintance is going after the land that restaurant sits on, the Hamburg Tax Office is looking to collect back taxes and the one person he wishes were around, his girlfriend, is headed to Shanghai for six months for work. He also has chronic back pains, which don't do him any...

• #21. Soul Kitchen Director: Fatih AkinCast: Adam Bousdoukos, Moritz Bleibtreu, Birol Ünel, Anna Bederke, Lucas Gregorowicz, Udo KierDistributor: Rights Available. Buzz: After some dark, dark material, I'm looking forward in seeing how Akin handles the comedy format. Also playing in Venice, this should garner some interest from buyers. The Gist: This is the story of a young restaurant owner Zinos is down on his luck. His girlfriend Nadine has moved to Shanghai, his Soul Kitchen customers are boycotting the new gourmet chef, and he’s having back trouble. Things start looking up when the hip crowd embraces his revamped culinary concept, but that doesn’t mend Zinos’ broken heart. He decides to fly to China for Nadine, leaving the restaurant in the hands of his unreliable ex-con brother Illias. Tiff Schedule: Click here for screening times ...

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• Exclusive still: Soul Kitchen: Adam Bousdoukos ('Short Sharp Shock') as Zinos Kazantsakis and Birol Ünel ('Head-On') as Shayn. Copyright: corazón international / Gordon Timpen. #100. Soul Kitchen Director/Writer: Fatih AkinProducers: Longtime Akin-producer - Klaus MaeckDistributor: Rights Available. The Match Factory The Gist: This is a love story, which tells the story of beleaguered Greek bar owner Zinos' who has a relationship with a basketball player from Serbia, and attempts to keep his restaurant in business. Fact: Akin is actually in post production with Garbage in the Garden of Eden (a doc about Villagers in Turkey's Black Sea village who see the government turn their community into a garbage dump) and he is one of the many directors on the New York, I Love You project with a segment called "Chinatown". Why is it on the list?: I’m very curious to see how Akin, a filmmaker

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• Could Fatih Akin be softening up? While not courting controversy for his political views (and holocaust sugarcoating), the Turko-German filmmaker is best known for his struggle-obsessed dramas like Solino and The Edge of Heaven. So when news of him taking on a comedy hits one can’t help but do a double take. So when news hits that the director will be taking on a comedy for his next project, one can’t help but do a double take. Then again I had the same reaction when I saw his name pop-up as a contributor in the upcoming romantic omnibus New York, I Love You so perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised. Soul Kitchen is a Hamburg-set comedy that THR says 'centers on a restaurant owner whose life has entered a rough patch.' Not much to go on there. We do know that Akin regular Adam Bousdoukos

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BERLIN -- German actor Moritz Bleibtreu will have a lead role in director Fatih Akin's film Soul Kitchen, which nabbed 800,000 euros ($1.26 million) from local subsidy body Filmforderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein.

The comedy, which will be shot in Hamburg, centers on a restaurant owner (Adam Bousdoukos) whose life has entered a rough patch. Birol Unel (Akin's Head-On) also has a role. Filming will begin in October with a budget of 4 million euros ($6.3 million), according to producer Klaus Maeck. Corazon International is producing the film.

FFHSH also gave 350,000 euros ($550,000) to Berlin-based Schramm Film for Dorfpunks, based on the novel by Rocko Schamoni and to be directed by Lars Jessen. The fund also is backing director Eleanore Faucher's Gamines from Cologne's Pandora, which received 320,000 euros ($503,000). That film will be based on French actress Sylvie Testud's family history.