Sixth form German students were lucky enough to see the charming and quirky Almanya: Welcome to Germany at the Institut Français this January. Released in 2011, this award-winning comedy follows three generations of a Turkish family who moved to Germany as ‘guest workers' in the 1960s. The action is largely from the perspective of the youngest boy, Cenk as he learns the colourful adventures of his family's history - including some surreal elements of his own imagination.
Remarkably, the film's writers Yasemin Samdereli and her sister Nesrin had flown in from Germany and LA to take part in a Q&A session after the screening. The women expressed that facing prejudice of their Turkish culture could be ‘frustrating' and ‘stressful', and for that reason were keen to portray a family that better reflected their own experiences. ‘It's a pretty personal movie,' admits Yasemin, who describes her father as ‘open-minded', unlike the stereotype many expect of an ‘honest' portrayal of Turkish families.
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| Q&A session with the screenwriters |
The sisters said they drew inspiration from ‘our crazy family' as well as people that they knew to characterize the diverse and buoyant family members. The script was playful in its use of language - being predominantly in German with moments of deliberate gibberish, intended to create humour as inspired by Charlie Chaplain.
With 1.4 million viewers worldwide, the pair agreed that timing had been the key to Almanya's success. Yasemin felt that people had heard enough about heavy social issues, and the film came as a ray of light, indicative of the social progress made in Germany in recent years. The sisters said they have started to write again, and look forward to releasing their work in England soon.
Article: Sabrina Dougall, Yr 12