Head-On
Directed by	Fatih Akın
Produced by	Fatih Akın, Andreas Schreitmüller, Stefan Schubert
Written by	Fatih Akın
Starring	Sibel Kekilli, Birol Ünel, Catrin Striebeck, Meltem Cumbul,
Distributed by	Strand Releasing (USA)
Release date(s)	12 February 2004 (premiere at BIFF) 11 March 2004 19 March 2004 21 January 2005 (NYC only) 28 January 2005 (LA only) 18 February 2005
Running time	121 min. Fatih Akın ( August 25, 1973 in Hamburg, Germany) is a German film director Fatih Akın ( August 25, 1973 in Hamburg, Germany) is a German film director Fatih Akın ( August 25, 1973 in Hamburg, Germany) is a German film director Sibel Kekilli (born June 16, 1980 in Heilbronn, Germany) is an award-winning actress and a former Pornstar of Turkish origin Birol Ünel (born 18 August 1961 in Silifke, Turkey) is a German actor of Turkish descent Meltem Cumbul (born November 11 1970 in İzmir) is a Turkish actress and TV personality Strand Releasing is a film distribution company founded in 1989. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading Film festivals and most reputable media events held in Berlin Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Language	German, Turkish
IMDb profile

Head-On (German: Gegen die Wand; Turkish: Duvara Karşı) is a 2004 film written and directed by Fatih Akın. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. The year 2004 in film involved some significant events Major releases of sequels took place Fatih Akın ( August 25, 1973 in Hamburg, Germany) is a German film director

Synopsis

Cahit Tomruk (played by Birol Ünel) is a German of Turkish descent in his 40s. Birol Ünel (born 18 August 1961 in Silifke, Turkey) is a German actor of Turkish descent Turks in Germany (occasionally German Turks or Turkish Germans, German: Deutschtürken) are people of Turkish ethnicity living He has given up on life after the death of his wife. Furthermore, the anguish in his soul continues to cry out for cocaine and alcohol to numb his pain. Cocaine ( benzoylmethyl ecgonine) is a Crystalline Tropane Alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the Coca plant In Chemistry, an alcohol is any Organic compound in which a Hydroxyl group ( - O[[hydrogen H]]) is bound to a Carbon One night, he intentionally crashes into a wall (hence the title), and barely survives. At the psychiatric clinic he is taken to, Sibel Güner (Sibel Kekilli), another German Turk who has tried to commit suicide, approaches him. Sibel Kekilli (born June 16, 1980 in Heilbronn, Germany) is an award-winning actress and a former Pornstar of Turkish origin She asks Cahit to carry out a formal marriage with her out of the blue so that she can break out of the strict rules of her conservative family. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined Cahit is turned off by the idea at first, but then he agrees to take part in this plan. As Sibel tells him frankly that she prefers an independent sex life, they live as roommates with separate private lives for a while. An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual They eventually fall in love, and things take a different turn as Cahit kills one of her lovers out of anger and thus he has to go to prison. A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of While he is in prison, she goes to Istanbul, to which he follows her upon his release. Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey Upon arrival, he finds that she has re-married and now has a daughter. Sibel's cousin Selma does not tell Cahit how to find her, so he waits in a hotel for Sibel's call. It eventually comes. He asks her to run away with him, and she agrees to, but never shows. The film ends with Cahit on a bus, presumably traveling to the town where he was born.

Awards

• "Best Film" and the "Audience Award" at the 2004 European Film Awards. The European Film Awards are presented annually by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements
• The Golden Bear for Best Film at 54th Berlin International Film Festival) on February 14, 2004. The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading Film festivals and most reputable media events held in Berlin Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
• The golden prize for Best Actress at the Deutscher Filmpreis on June 18, 2004. The Deutscher Filmpreis ( German Film Awards, colloquially known as the Lolas) is the highest German Movie award. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
• The Quadriga Prize on October 3, 2004 in Berlin. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany.
• The Silver Mirror Award for the Best Movie from the South at the Oslo Film Festival on October 16, 2004. The Oslo Films from the South Festival known as the (n'nde internasjonale Film fra Sør Festivalen (FFSF is a special interest Film festival held annually in Oslo Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
• The Audience Prize at the 9th Festival de Cine on November 6-13 in Sevilla, Spain. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic cultural and financial capital of southern Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
• The Golden Bambi for the best shooting star at the 56th Bambi-Verleihung on November 19 in Hamburg, Germany
• the Golden Gilde prize for the best German movie of 2003-2004 at the Leipzig Film Fair. The Bambi is an annual television and media prize awarded by the German media company Hubert Burda Media. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong
• The award for Best European Film of 2004 European Film Prize on December 11 in Barcelona, Spain. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia

Trivia

Birol was an actual alcoholic in real life as he was as Cahit in Gegen die Wand. In fact, about half through the filming of Gegen die Wand, a Doctor told Birol that he had to stop drinking or he would die. Birol stopped drinking. In the movie, one notices that Birol (Cahit) lost considerable weight by the time he is in Turkey. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Actress Sibel Kikelli underwent an appendectomy during the filming in Turkey.

External links

• (German) Official site
• Head-On at the Internet Movie Database
• Article on Head-On at BrokenProjector.com