I’m really looking forward to the release of Fatih Akin’s new film, The Edge of Heaven. Akin directed the incredible Head On (or rather, Gegen Die Wand, not to be confused with Ana Kokkinos’ film adaptation of Loaded). The Age entertainment guide did a story on Akin today, burbling ridiculously about his ‘political humanism’ and how even if he wants to make films about American pioneers colonising the Wild West (the project he’s now working on), he’ll eventually have to return to speaking about the Turkish-German ‘cultural divide he springs from’. Because apparently, according to liberal white film critics, migrants are destined always only to talk about their experiences; that’s all they’re good for….

Never mind. From the same article I learnt that Hanna Schygulla is in Edge of Heaven. Even more reason to go see it pronto. Here she is, playing a German mother hanging out with her daughter’s new girlfriend, an activist without papers fleeing Turkey:

What a lovely moment of meta-commentary on European imperialism…