The Match Factory has acquired international rights to the newly restored 4K version of Fatih Akin’s documentary Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul ahead of its retrospective screening at the Red Sea International Film Festival.
The film, which originally played Out Of Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005, goes on a journey through Istanbul, exploring its position as a city that bridges Europe and Asia through its music.
The crowd-pleasing work, which won Audience Award at the music-focused Ghent International Film Festival in 2005, brings in a wide spectrum of music from modern electronic, rock and hip-hop to classical “Arabesque”.
The documentary is considered a significant component of Akin’s filmography, which is infused with his Turkish roots and German upbringing.
“This restored documentation can serve as a reminder of what was lost. It gives a precise portrait of a momentum of two decades ago in Turkey. The film instigates the importance of cultural expression and freedom. We look forward to making it available again to a large audience.” says Akin.
The film is playing as part of Red Sea’s classic cinema program. Akin is also at the festival this year as part of its short film jury.
The director has continued to explore music throughout his career, with his last film Rhinegold delving into the work and legacy of star German rapper Xatar.
That film premiered Hamburg Film Festival and drew more than one million spectators at the German box office.
The Match Factory already represents several titles by Akin, including Short Sharp Shock (1998), The Edge of Heaven (2007), Soul Kitchen (2009), Polluting Paradise (2012), The Cut (2014), In The Fade (2017), The Golden Glove (2019) and Rhinegold (2022).
