Liebe, D-mark und Tod

Cem Kaya

In 1961, an agreement between the German Bundesrepublik and Turkey did not only bring guest workers to Germany, but also new music. With their children and grandchildren, they paved the way for a unique subculture.

In the early sixties, big groups of guest workers from Anatolia and other parts of Turkey were brought to West-Germany. Far away from home, they found music to be the perfect way to feel comfortable in a new, strange country. Fed by homesickness, boredom and racism, new styles emerged and helped to shape Germany’s music today.

 

Director Cem Kaya brings a forgotten subculture back to life in an exciting documentary full of colourful music and unseen archival footage. To the sound of beautiful songs and critical hip hop, we meet characters who helped to pave the way for the emergence of Turkish-German music culture.

direction
Cem Kaya
duration
97 min
year
2022
country
Germany
language
German
Subtitles
Dutch, French

... people far from home found a way of coming together and recreating spaces of comfort, joy and emotion through the power of music.

Modern Times Review