20TH edition NOVEMBER 24 TO DECEMBER 2, 2023
20th edition
November 24 to December 2, 2023
With his fourth feature-length film Head On (2004), internationally renowned f ilmmaker Fatih Akin won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. He went on to receive the Best Screenplay award from the Festival de Cannes and several more prestigious prizes for The Edge of Heaven (2007). Soul Kitchen (2009) won the Special Award of the Jury at the Venice Film Festival, where The Cut (2013) also had its premiere; In the Fade (2017) won several awards, including Best Actress for Diane Kruger in Cannes and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Most recently, The Golden Glove (2019) was selected in competition at the Berlinale and Rhinegold (2022) had its premiere at the Filmfest Hamburg.
The path of Giwar Hajabiâbetter known as Xatarâfrom the ghetto to the top of the music charts is a dramatic adventure story. In the mid-1980s, from the hell of an Iraqi prison, Giwar comes to Germany as a young boy with his family and lands at the very bottom. There are opportunities, but there are many more stumbling blocks. In no time, Giwar goes from petty criminal to big-time dealerâbut then a shipment goes missing. To settle his debt with the cartel, he plans a legendary gold heist.
Director : Fatih Akin
Producer : Nurhan Åekerci-Porst, Fatih Akin, Herman Weigel
Screenwriter : Fatih Akin
Cinematographer : Rainer Klausmann
Production Designer : Tim Pannen
Editor : Â Andrew Bird
Sound : Michel Schöpping, Joern Martens
Music : Giwar Hajabi a.k.a. Xatar
Production Company : bombero International GmbH
International Sales : The Match Factory