Team Deakins

FATIH AKIN - Writer / Director

11 snips
Jan 28, 2026
Fatih Akin, a Hamburg-born writer and director known for films about identity and cross-cultural stories. He talks about discovering cinema via Super 8 Bruce Lee films, fighting for creative control on Head-On, reshaping The Edge of Heaven in the edit, casting Diane Kruger for In the Fade, and adapting Hark Bohm’s memories into Amrum.
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ANECDOTE

Childhood Super 8 Sparked Filmmaking

  • Fatih Akin describes watching Bruce Lee Super 8 reels as a six-year-old and being mesmerized by the backwards-and-forwards film experience.
  • That early exposure sparked his lifelong fascination with editing, sound, acting, and writing for film.
ADVICE

Make Sets Passionate, Not Military

  • Akin insists his sets must feel passionate and fun, not hostile or bureaucratic, to get the best from people.
  • He decided to become director to create that positive atmosphere rather than accept the rude TV-film set culture.
ANECDOTE

Casting Fight Led To Producing Freedom

  • Akin fought his producers to cast the actors he believed in for Head-On and agreed to co-produce to secure that freedom.
  • That battle led him to found his own company and accept the responsibility of financial risk to keep creative control.
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