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 plays the beleaguered restaurateur with his
Head-On co-star Birol Unel also playing a part. German superstar Moritz Bleibtreu (Das Experiment) will play an
undisclosed leading role in the film. The project is budgeted at $6.3 million
with $1.26 million coming from local subsidy body Filmforderung Hamburg
Schleswig-Holstein.
The Corazon
International production is scheduled to begin lensing in Hamburg this October.