Top 100 Most Anticipated Films of 2009: #100. Soul Kitchen

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 Akin
Producers: Longtime Akin-producer – Klaus Maeck
Distributor: 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 known for working with darker themes, deals with lighter fair but with the same admiration for how cultures, and the sexes clash. Plus: Akin brings back some familiar faces in Birol Ünel (Head-On) and Moritz Bleibtreu.

Release Date/Status?: Currently filming in Germany, Akin’s standing at Cannes is good for life. Expect the film to be ready for a Cannes world preem.