Soul Kitchen

Turkish-German filmmaker Fatih Akın made Soul Kitchen (Turkish title: Aşka Ruhunu Kat) in 2009, a comedy-drama. Akın wrote the screenplay together with his leading man, Greek-German actor Adam Bousdoukos, who drew on his own years running a Greek tavern called "Taverna" in Hamburg, where Akın was a regular. A German-French co-production, the film runs roughly 100 minutes.

The story follows Zinos, owner of Soul Kitchen, a run-down Hamburg restaurant that barely makes money on its cheap, careless cooking. With his relationship falling apart as well, Zinos hires a gifted but temperamental star chef, and the threatened restaurant unexpectedly wins over a whole new clientele. Told with a light comic touch, the film doubles as Akın's declaration of love for his home city of Hamburg.

Soul Kitchen premiered on 10 September 2009 at the 66th Venice Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize, before opening in German cinemas on 25 December 2009 and in Turkey on 1 January 2010. Bousdoukos is joined by Moritz Bleibtreu, Birol Ünel and Udo Kier. Akın dedicated the film to his brother Cem, who appears as Milli, and the part of Nadine's grandmother was among the final screen appearances of Monica Bleibtreu.