The Match Factory Launches Remastered Fatih Akin’s ‘Crossing the Bridge – The Sound of Istanbul’ Ahead of Red Sea Premiere

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Match Factory has acquired the international rights to the recently remastered 4K version of Fatih Akin‘s 2005 documentary “Crossing the Bridge — The Sound of Istanbul.” The film is celebrating its new restored version with the premiere tomorrow at Red Sea Film Festival. In the film, Akin goes on a journey through Istanbul, the city that bridges Europe and Asia, and challenges familiar notions of East and West.

His voyage led to the discovery of a broad spectrum of music ranging from modern electronic, rock and hip-hop to classical “Arabesque.” “Crossing the Bridge – The Sound of Istanbul” is a crossover experience of both traditional and modern music where East meets West in the bustling Bosporus metropolis. The documentary is a significant component of Akin’s filmography with a mix of Turkish culture, German background and a good pinch of music and lifestyle.

“This restored documentation can serve as a reminder of what was lost. It gives a precise portrait of a moment 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,” Akin said.

Akin’s previous film “Rhinegold,” about the rapper Xatar, premiered last year in Hamburg Film Festival and became a box office hit in Germany, crossing over one million admissions. The Match Factory represents several titles from the director 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).