In his documentary CROSSING THE BRIDGE - THE SOUND OF ISTANBUL, filmmaker Fatih Akin's camera accompanies musician Alexander Hacke on his quest to paint a portrait of Istanbul's kicking music scene. The idea of a film specifically dedicated to the city and its music arose from an earlier collaboration between Akin and Hacke on the soundtrack for the award-winning feature film GEGEN DIE WAND (HEAD-ON). With Alexander Hacke capturing the city's sound through his mobile recording studio, Fatih Akin was able to realize his vision of paying tribute to his favorite metropolis. Based in the venerable Büyük Londra Oteli (Grand Hotel de Londres) in Istanbul's Beyoglu district, probably the most "European" of all places in Turkey, the crew wanders through an alien and contradictory, yet vibrant and alluring world, collecting impressions and tracks as they drift along in the incessant stream of this mega-city of myriad facets. The expedition provides ample occasion to capture moments around and away from the shooting locations, which perfectly illustrate the music selected by Fatih Akin and recorded by Alexander Hacke. But no media in this world could ever do justice to the diversity and overwhelming force of the musical and visual impressions the city generates.

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