Kebab Connection
With actors Denis Moschitto, Nora Tschirner, Hasan Ali Mete, Cem Akin, Nursel Köse, Güven Kiraç
Available on DVD in Germany and the US
Links: IMDB, German-Films.de
Genre(s): Comedy;
Theme(s): Ethnicity; Spatial or Temporal Spaces and Borders
Review by Sara Sellami: Kebab Connection is a comedy by Anno Saul, a German film director, and was released in 2005. The film tells the story of Ibo, a young Turkish-German who dreams about making the first German Kung-Fu movie. While waiting for a big opportunity to make his debut, he films Kung-Fu-themed commercials for his uncle’s kebab restaurant called King of Kebab. His life is turned upside-down when he learns that his German girlfriend Titzi is pregnant. The film could have been about multiculturalism and the difficulty to have two cultures get along, yet it changed its course midway and focused more on Ibo’s acceptance of his oncoming fatherhood. It still manages however to give us some comedic insights about relationships between identity groups, and the life of a German-Turkish family in Hamburg… [full review here]
Review by Preethi Kandhalu: Directed by Anno Saul, “Kebab connection” is a German-Turkish comedy film that was released in 2004. Set in Hamburg, Germany, “Kebab connection” tells the story of an aspiring film maker, Ibo Secmez, who hopes to one day make the first German Kung-Fu movie. Before he gets an approval for his script from the producer, he makes commercials for his uncle’s “King of Kebab” restaurant, which is in competition with the opposite-door Greek Taverna. Ibo and his German girlfriend, Titzi’s relationship is tested when Titzi finds out she is pregnant. An important issue the movie portrays is the ambivalence that may arise during a pregnancy when the mother and father are from different cultural backgrounds… [full review here]
Review by Victoria Brinkerhoff: Filmed in 2004 and released in 2005, the German film Kebab Connection dramatically portrays the dilemma of a young Turkish man, Ibo, after he finds out his German girlfriend is pregnant. Falling into the genres of action, comedy, and romance, the film was directed by German writer and director, Anno Saul. Saul produced Kebab Connection to reach a German-speaking audience, as it is filmed entirely in German, although there are Turkish, Greek, and Albanian figures present in the film. Ibo is a 21-year-old, movie-obsessed, aspiring filmmaker and actor. In the midst of making commercials for his uncle’s restaurant and beginning his career, Ibo’s German girlfriend, Titzi, becomes unexpectedly pregnant with Ibo’s baby. He must face his traditional Turkish father, Mehmet, who disowns him and throws him out of the house after Ibo expresses a desire to raise the baby. Ibo must decide if he will start a new life with Titzi, raising their new baby of mixed backgrounds, or if he will not raise the baby and continue to focus on his new film career and remain an active member of his Turkish family and culture… [full review here]
Review by Christine Leper: A comedy centered around a young couple in Germany from very different backgrounds, Kebab Connection makes light of many cultural stereotypes. At the beginning of the film, the main character, Ibo, a young man in his early twenties of Turkish decent, impregnates his aspiring actress, German girlfriend, Titzi… [full review here]